What did Vladimir Vazov and other Bulgarian War heroes of the Balkan Wars and Great War do in WW2?

After listening to the song Valley of Death again, I decided to research what happened to Vazov after the Great War. He did a lot for Bulgaria during the interwar period and was even invited to London in 1936 by the British as their most worthy opponent for the battles of Dorian. However I couldn’t find much of anything for him during WW2 except for the fact that he was banished by the communists in 1944 and died in 1945 in poverty. I was wondering what happened to him in WW2? And what about other Bulgarian generals and war heroes?

3 Likes

Vazov was basically retired by that point, after a very successful sting as mayor of Sofia. Most noteworthy is that he funded the creation of an Arms manufacturing plant in his hometown of Sopot, which still operates today as VMZ Sopot (the V stands for Vazov).

His thirdborn son (Vladimir Vazov Jr.) actually fought in WW2 during the ‘second phase’ (short name used to describe Bulgaria as part of the Allies) in Yugoslavia and Hungary, and received a medal of Valor. He was also persecuted by the communists, but was granted amnesty in 1950.

4 Likes