Figure 1.--This photograph of a Bulgarian air unit and looks like a bomber. We are not sure what the plsne was. It was not the Gotha which had two engines. But like the Gotha had rear engines..

The Bulgarian military like other Europeaan militaries showed an interest in aviation even before the Wright Brother's flight (1903). The county did not, however, have the technological pt industrial capability to design or build military aircraft. Thus they at first turned to Russia and France. At first for baloon tevhnology. Bulgaria had a lomg term orientation towars Russia, in part because of Russian anti-Ottoman orintation. Thus the initial technology and aircraft obtained were French amd Russian. (France and Russia had a security treaty relationship.) The Bulgariann Aviation Corps plyed arole in the capture of Odrin/Adrianople from the Turks in the First Balkan War (1912). Serbian foreign policy changed as Russian supportnof Serbia changed Bulgaria's orientation. Bulgaria and Serbia foughtbeach other in the Second Balkan War (1913). As a result, Bulgria joined the Central Powers in the First World War and invaded southern Serbia (October 1915). And the aircraft and support available tp the Bulgarians became increasingly German. The Allies opened the Salonika/Macedonian Front in a failed effort to assist the Serbs. The Bulgarians were the primary Central Powers force on this front. Newly acquired German LVG aircraft were pressed into action Bulgarian military aviation supplied by the Germans steadily increased in both numbers and quality of planes. The Germans, however, were unable to match the Allies on the Western Front so were limited in their ability to support Bulgaria. The Bilgarian First Aeroplane Section (the only aircraft formtion) was attached to the Second Bulgarian Army on the Salonika Front. It reported 255 sorties compared to the 397 sorties flown by by the four Allied squadrons on the front.

Created: 8:28 PM 1/18/2020
Last updated: 8:28 PM 1/18/2020