Stefan Toshev ( bg, Стефан Тошев) (18 December 1859 – 27 November 1924) was a Bulgarian

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

, from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His mother was a teacher from the period of the National Revival. He volunteered in the Bulgarian Opalchentsi Corps during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and later served as a translator. On 10 May 1879, he graduated from the Military School in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

in its first year. Then he served in the Police force of

Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia ( bg, Източна Румелия, Iztochna Rumeliya; ota, , Rumeli-i Şarkî; el, Ανατολική Ρωμυλία, Anatoliki Romylia) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, '' vilayet'' in Turkish) in the Ott ...

Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885)

During the

Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War ( bg, Сръбско-българска война, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', sr, Српско-бугарски рат, ''Srpsko-bugarski rat'') was a war between the Kingdom of Ser ...

in 1885 Stefan Toshev was a commander of 2nd company of the 3rd Vidin Regiment, and was in charge of the Tran position. He took part in the

battle of Slivnitsa The Battle of Slivnitsa ( bg, Битка при Сливница, sr, Битка на Сливници) was a victory of the Bulgarian army over the Serbians on 17–19 November 1885 in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. It solidified the unification ...

, the fight at Tran (3 November), the repulse of the Serbian Morava Division. He fought bravely in the battle of Tri Ushi and the attack of Meka tsrav (7 November). He was awarded with Order For Bravery 4th Class. Later Toshev was in command of the 1st Sofia Infantry Regiment and in 1908 was appointed as a commander of the 1st Sofia Infantry Division, also known as the Iron division.

Balkan Wars (1912-1913)

During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

(1912–1913) Stefan Toshev and his division took part in the offensive of the Bulgarian Army in the Thracian theatre of operation. He participated in the engagements of Gechkenli and Seliolu during the

battle of Kirk Kilisse The Battle of Kirk Kilisse or Battle of Kirkkilise or Battle of Lozengrad was part of the First Balkan War between the armies of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. It took place on 24 October 1912, when the Bulgarian army defeated an Ottoman army ...

and the attack at Chataldzha. On 5 August 1913 he was promoted

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. During the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

he was in command of the 5th Army which successfully fought against the Serbs.

First World War (1914-1918)

During the Bulgarian participation in

(1915–1918) General Toshev was in charge of the 3rd Army which routed the Russian-Romanian Army in the Dobruja campaign defeating it in the battles at

Tutrakan Tutrakan ( bg, Тутракан , ro, Тurtucaia, tr, Turtukaya) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of the homonymous municipality, part of Silistra Province. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube opposite t ...

, Dobrich and Cobadin, but after serious conflicts with the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

General

August von Mackensen Anton Ludwig Friedrich August von Mackensen (born Mackensen; 6 December 1849 – 8 November 1945), ennobled as "von Mackensen" in 1899, was a German field marshal. He commanded successfully during World War I of 1914–1918 and became one of t ...

he was replaced with General Stefan Nerezov. Toshev was appointed governor of Macedonia. On 25 March 1917 he was promoted General of the Infantry - the highest military post in Bulgaria. In 1918 Toshev commanded 4th Army and from June 1919 went into the reserve. Between 1923-1924 he was a chairman of the "Association of the reserve officers". In October 1923 he led the "Narodna Priznatelnost" committee whose aim was to make assistance for the victims of the Communist insurgents during the

September Uprising The September Uprising ( bg, Септемврийско въстание, ''Septemvriysko vastanie'') was a 1923 communist insurgency in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) attempted to overthrow Alexander Tsankov's new government e ...

.Янчев, Веселин. Офицери без пагони. Съюзът на запасните офицери в България 1907-1945, София 2000, с. 56 General Stefan Toshev died on 27 November 1924 in Plovdiv and was buried in

. One town (

General Toshevo General Toshevo ( bg, Генерал Тошево ; ro, Casim) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Dobrich Province. Located in the historic region of Southern Dobruja, it is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and ...

) and a village are named after him.

References

* Недев, С., ''Командването на българската войска през войните за национално обединение'', София, 1993, с. 122-123 * Вазов, В., ''Животописни бележки'', София, 1992, Военноиздателски комплекс „Св. Георги Победоносец“, , с. 123 * Димитров, И., ''Съединението 1885 - енциклопедичен справочник'', София, 1985, Държавно издателство „д-р Петър Берон“
Born a victor, a knight of honour

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toshev, Stefan 1859 births 1924 deaths Bulgarian generals Military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) People of the Serbo-Bulgarian War Bulgarian military personnel of World War I Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Recipients of the Order of Bravery Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) Recipients of the Liakat Medal Recipients of the Imtiyaz Medal People from Stara Zagora