Vasil Boydev (Bulgarian: Васил Бойдев; January 1, 1893 – April 23, 1983) was a Bulgarian Lieutenant-General who fought in World War II.

Biography

Vasil Tenev Boydev was born on January 1, 1893, in the town of

Kazanlak Kazanlak ( bg, Казанлък , Thracian and Greek Σευθόπολις (''Seuthopolis''), tr, Kazanlık) is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountai ...

. He is the son of Colonel Tenyu Boydev and the older brother of Lieutenant Colonel Anton Boydev. He fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I. On October 6, 1936, he became commander of the

Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and ...

. Over the next nearly five years, he actively contributed to the restoration and improvement of this new type of armed force, which had previously been severely limited under the provisions of the

Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (french: Traité de Neuilly-sur-Seine) required Bulgaria to cede various territories, after Bulgaria had been one of the Central Powers defeated in World War I. The treaty was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly ...

. In April-May 1941, the Bulgarian Army did not take part in the Wehrmacht's Balkans Campaign against Greece and Yugoslavia, but was ready to occupy its pre-arranged territorial gains immediately after the capitulation of each country. On August 11, 1941, Boydev replaced General

Nikola Mihov Nikola Mihaylov Mihov ( bg, Никола Михайлов Михов, 11 December 1891 – 1 February 1945) was a Bulgarian lieutenant general of artillery who served as one of the three Regents of Bulgaria for the underage Simeon II (1943–44 ...

at the head of the Fifth Bulgarian Army, which had been newly created for the occupation of Yugoslav Macedonia and Pirot. He remained in command of this occupation Army until May 11, 1944, when he resigned and retired, due to disagreement with the strict pro-German course of the regency around

Bogdan Filov Bogdan Dimitrov Filov ( bg, Богдан Димитров Филов; 10 April 1883 – 1 February 1945) was a Bulgarian archaeologist, art historian and politician. He was prime minister of Bulgaria during World War II. During his tenure, Bul ...

and the Minister of War Rusi Rusev. In 1945, Boydev faced the Bulgarian People's Court, was convicted and sent to a camp. After his sentence expired, he was interned in

Troyan Troyan ( bg, Троян ) is a town remembering the name of Roman Emperor Trajan, in Lovech Province in central Bulgaria with population of 21,997 inhabitants, as of December 2009. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Troyan Munic ...

, where he lived with his wife until his death on April 23, 1984.Ив. Пейковски, Как генерал Бойдев написа своите спомени. – В. „Троянски глас“, 1997, № 4; Ив. Пейковски, Бойдев – генералът, който не пожела да стане полицай. – В. „Особено Мнение“, 1996, № 5 (6 – 12.02.).

References

Sources

generals.dk
* the article in the Bulgarian Wikipedia, Васил Бойдев.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Boydev, Vasil 1893 births 1984 deaths Bulgarian military personnel of World War II Bulgarian generals People's Court (Bulgaria) People from Kazanlak People from Troyan