List of Bulgarian military equipment of World War II

The following is a list of Bulgarian military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. World War II was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. Bulgaria was neutral country until 1 March 1941. Then it allied with Axis Powers until 9 September 1944 and then it aligned with allies for the rest of war.

Small arms

Pistols

• 9mm Parabellum P-08 (since 1912)^[1]
• Walther PP

Automatic pistols and submachine guns

• ZK-383 (Czechoslovakia) - standard Bulgarian SMG
• MP 34 (Austria)
• MP 40
• PPSh-41 - since September 1944

Rifles

• Steyr-Mannlicher M1895
• Karabiner 98k (Germany)
• SVT-40

Grenades and grenade launchers

• Bulgarian defensive hand stick grenade
• Bulgarian offensive hand stick grenade (Model 24 grenade license-built in Kazanlak)^[2]
• Illegally produced grenades

Machine guns

Infantry and dual-purpose machine guns

• MG 34 (Germany)
• MG 08 (Germany)
• MG 30 (Austria)

Artillery

Infantry mortars

• 8 cm Granatwerfer 34
• Brandt Mle 27/31

Field artillery

• SIG 33 (Germany)
• Krupp 75mm field gun M.1904 (M04/12 modification)
• Schneider-Canet 75mm field gun M. 1904
• 10 cm schwere Kanone 18 (105mm D/56 Krupp "long gun") -36
• 10 cm K 04 (ex-Turkish) -12 - most likely did not survive to WW2
• 10 cm K 14 (ex-Romanian or left in Bulgaria by Germans after WWI) -12
• 10.5 cm hruby kanon vz. 35 (60 captured by Germans from Yugoslavia, or directly Czech Vz.35 from Czech)
• Skoda 75 mm Model 15 mountain gun
• 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19) - Captured by Germans in Soviet Union
• Schneider-Canet 120mm field howitzer M. 1909
• Rheinmetall 105mm L/30 gun-howitzers (early development versions of 10.5 cm leFH 18)
• 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzers (166 bought in 1943)

Anti-tank guns

• Bulgarian 37mm D/70 AT gun
• German 5 cm Pak 38 AT gun

Anti-tank weapons (besides anti-tank guns)

• Solothurn S-18/100 - 308^[3]
• Panzerschreck (Germany)
• Panzerfaust (Germany)

Anti-aircraft weapons

Light anti-aircraft guns

• 20mm Solothurn ST-5
• 2cm Flak 30

Heavy anti-aircraft guns

• 8.8 cm Flak 18

Vehicles

Tankettes

• L3/33 - 14^[4][5]

Tanks

• Vickers Mk E - 8
• Renault R35 French light infantry tank - 39
• Somua S-35 French cavalry tank - 6
• Hotchkiss H35 French light tank - 19
• Panzer 35(t) Czechoslovakian light tank - 36^[6]
• Panzer 38(t) Czechoslovakian tank - 10^[7]
• Panzer I German light tank - 1 sold in 1937
• Panzer IV German medium tank - 46[3] or 91[4]
• T-34 Soviet Union Medium tank send after 9 September 1944

Self-propelled guns

Tank-based

• Semovente 47/32 Italian tank destroyer
• Jagdpanzer IV German tank destroyer
• Sturmgeschütz III German assault gun - 55 ordered, 25 delivered
• Sturmgeschütz IV German assault gun

Armored cars

• Leichter Panzerspähwagen German armoured car
• SdKfz.232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen German armoured car

Trucks

• Autocarro blindato Fiat 626 NM Italian truck - 100

Tractors & prime movers

• Ursus A
• Pavesi P4
• TL.37

Navy ships and war vessels

• Gunboat "Dorostor"
• 3 of 56-ton No. 1 German-built torpedo boats, "Varna", "Rila" and unknown vessel commissioned in July 1941^[8]
• 6 of 97-ton Drazki-class patrol boats
• 2 of 77-ton French-built patrol boats, "Belomorets" and "Chernomorets"
• 2 of 41-ton Minyor-class US-built patrol boats, "Kapitan-leytenant K. Minkov" and "Vzriv" (from 1921)
• 4 of 31-ton No. 4 Dutch-built torpedo boats (6 captured by Germans)^[9]
• 10 of 30-ton Yugoslavia-built Granichar-class motor launches on lake Ohrid ^[10]
• 14 Bulgarian-built MFP-class landing ships^[11]
• 19 auxiliary vessels, including minesweepers, minelayers, tugs, training ships, barges and ferries
• 38 F-boats (June 1941)^[12]
• List of ships of the Second World War

Also, Bulgaria had a 14 merchant ships, one of which ("Rodina") was sunk near Burgas 19 September 1941^[13]

Aircraft

• Bulgarian DAR 10 bomber/reconnaissance aircraft (prototypes only)
• Czechoslovakia Avia B-534 fighters - 78^[14]
• Czechoslovakia Avia B-135 fighters - 12^[15]
• Poland PZL P.24B fighters — 14
• Poland PZL.43 light bombers
• France Dewoitine D.520 fighter -100
• Bulgarian Kaproni Bulgarski KB3/KB4 Chuchuliga II reconnaissance aircraft
• Bulgarian Kaproni Bulgarski KB5 Chuchuliga III reconnaissance aircraft
• Bulgarian Kaproni Bulgarski KB6 Papagal bomber
• Bulgarian Kaproni Bulgarski KB-11 Fazan army liaison monoplane
• German Arado Ar 65 biplane fighter - 12
• German Heinkel He-51 fighters - 12
• German Messerschmitt Bf 108 communications aircraft
• German Dornier Do 17 bombers - 35 (11 Do 17P + 11 Do-17Kb1 + several Do-17 and Do-17M)^[16]
• German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter - 19 E-3s and 145 G-2/6/10s
• German Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" - 12 Ju 87 R-2 and R-4s and 40 Ju 87 D-5s.[6]
• Czechoslovakian Avia B-71 bombers (Czech-built Tupolev SB-2s) - 32
• Bloch MB.200 - 12 purchased from Germany in 1939
• Aero A.304
• Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 attack aircraft - after 9 September 1944
• Soviet Tupolev Tu-2 - after 9 September 1944

Missiles & bombs

Nercter 54

Cartridges and shells

Tuplolev 32 shells-334455 of them

References

1. А. Б. Жук. Энциклопедия стрелкового оружия: револьверы, пистолеты, винтовки, пистолеты-пулемёты, автоматы. М., АСТ — Воениздат, 2002. стр.297
2. Original WWII German model Hand Stick Grenade INERT, 1943
3. Агоп Казазян. Противотанковите пушки в българската войска // "Военноисторически сборник", кн. 2, 2005, с. 52-53
4. История на Българите: Военна история на българите от древността до наши дни. София, Знание, 2007. page 507
5. М.Б. Барятинский. Лёгкие танки Второй Мировой. М., «Коллекция» - «Яуза», 2007. стр.46
6. М.Б. Барятинский. Лёгкие танки Второй Мировой. М., «Коллекция» - «Яуза», 2007. стр.146
7. М.Б. Барятинский. Лёгкие танки Второй Мировой. М., «Коллекция» - «Яуза», 2007. стр.158-159
8. NO1 motor torpedo boats (1939, 1939/1941-1945)
9. NO1 motor torpedo boats (1940/1941, 1943)
10. GRANICHAR river motor launches (1930/1944)
11. MFP type landing self-propelled barges (1941-1944/1944)
12. "World War II Sea War, Vol 4: Germany Sends Russia to the Allies" by John Smillie, p. 20
13. Some Wrecks of Note Rodina Shipwreck
14. Avia B.534 // Бипланы, трипланы и гидропланы / гл. ред. Джим Винчестер. М., "АСТ", "Астрель", 2006. стр.28-29
15. М. Козырев, В. Козырев. Авиация стран оси во Второй мировой войне. М., ЗАО «Центрполиграф», 2007. стр.386
16. А.И. Харук. Ударная авиация Второй Мировой – штурмовики, бомбардировщики, торпедоносцы. М., «Яуза» - ЭКСМО, 2012. стр.76-79