Bulgarian OOB19 v.9

[warhorse]

This from the book "Armored Vehicles 1935-1945" by Kaloyan Matev, Equipment and Armor in the Bulgarian Army.I will list the Bulgarian name given to them, and any relevant info

01 Vickers 6 Ton-Usually all mediums called 'tank', then name. tank "Vickers" (Model E, variant B, 50 rounds 47mm QFSA, 4000 rounds 7.92 Vickers). There were 8 total, ordered in 1936, and finally delivered in the beginning of 1937, to be used in the Second Tank Company.

02 Ansaldo L.3/33-Light tank "Ansaldo-Fiat" or just "Ansaldo". Fitted with one 8mm Schwarzlose MG with 1800 rounds. March 1935 they were formed into the First Tank Company of 14 vehicles.

Both of the above were usually not in a combined "Battalion", rather broken up into platoons amongst Infantry units, two groups of 7 Ansaldo,one for the Motorised Division, one for the covering Front, and one group of the 8 Vickers for the Army HQ.

03 Skoda Pz 35 (t)-Tank "Skoda"/"Skoda T-11" first 26 supplied in Feb-April 1940, then 10 more in Aug-October 1940, although only 7 are received intitially, the other three arrive in Jan 1941. Interestingly the lot of ten in the second set, are better armed with the A7 gun instead of the A3, they were supposed to go to Afghanistan in 1938, but the German occupation of Czech territory prevents the transaction. They are purchased by Bulgaria instead! So, the first set of 26 are fererred to as just "Skoda", the 10 others are also called "Skoda", or sometimes "Skoda T-11". Formed Third Tank Company.

04 PzKw 35R 731(f)-Tank "Renault"40 tanks supplied to Bulgaria from trophy in May 1941, all armament stock French.They are not used in action and stored for awhile until later in 1941.SA-18 L/21 37mm gun 58 rounds gun, 2500 MG.

08 PzKw V-Tank "Panther"T-V one trophy unit supplied from the Soviets in March 1945 from Shiklosh Station, along with 14 other various trophy tanks.Eventually in March 1941 there are a total of 15 various makes of Panther, none fire a shot in combat before wars end.

09 JPz38(t) Hetzer-Assault Gun "Praga" 4 units trophy from Soviets in March 1945 with others from Shiklosh Station.

10 PzKw IVg-All Panzer IV models called Tank "Maybach"T-IV, total of 97 supplied from Germany period May 1943-Feb 1944 under the Barbara program. More as trophy from Soviets later. All marks.

11 Skoda T-11-Covered above under Skoda, called Tank "Skoda", or Tank "Skoda T-11" 10 total units.

14 StuH 42-Assault Howitzer 10.5cm, chassis number#1503, one vehicle.Soviet Trophy.

15 PzKw 39H 735(f)-Tank "Hotchkiss"19 supplied from Germany in Feb 1944.SA-18 L/21 gun, 100 rounds gun, 2400 MG.Relegated to the Gendarmerie for anti-partisan work.

16 JPz IV/70A-Assault Gun "Maybach T-IV" 2 units, part of the 13 trophy vehicles from Shiklosh Station.Lists as using the 7.5cm StuK42 L/70.

StuG III should be called Assault Gun "Maybach T-III"

Anyway, not splitting hairs, if there is any interest, I can touch up nomenclature as I have the books.Also for tractors, trucks, and have oob's for Bulgarian Army.

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by Pibwl

14 StuH 42 - I could find info in any articles, that Bulgaria used StuH 42 (...)

16 JPz IV/70A - ... only one JgPz IV/70 was used (but in ordinary V variant, not Alkett), and one JgPz IV/48. ...
(They were green, but I know it's not too important to bother...)

It is now in a formation 075 with a single Stug, there might be IV/48 added instead.

287 JPz IV/70A - same as above, but class Assault Gun after 6/45. There is a danger, that a battery with seven such vehicles can be taken...

I don't know if there is a sense to gather all these vehicles after 6/45 in a common Assault gun class - maybe it's better to keep them separated, like in 3/45-5/45?
Moreover, on a page https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2...B0%D0%BD%D0%BA) there is a mention, that 4 Hetzers and 5 other SP-guns formed a SP-gun battery within the 1st Army. The others were surely 2 Jpz IV and maybe 3 Stugs?.. or a command Turan and two L-40, although they are said to create a recce platoon?
Maybe it's worth to create in 3/45 and keep until the end such mixed unit, instead of formation 12 Assault Gun Bty?

I've contacted a guy, who wrote articles at Bulgarian Wikipedia, basing upon Kaloyan Matev "The Armoured Forces of the Bulgarian Army 1936-45".

According to Matev the assault gun battery of the 1st Army had 4 Hetzers, 3 Stug III, 1 Jgpz IV/70 (V) and one StuH 42. Apart from Stugs, which had been standard Bulgarian SP-guns before, the vehicles were given by the Soviets in 3/45. But the sole StuH 42 is suspicious, since reportedly it is missing in protocols of delivery from the Soviet Army. However, there was also existing Jagdpanzer IV L/48 (which survived in the museum, and probably is on a photo with Turan, that I'll attach).

So, if we leave 14 StuH 42, then we should add Jagdpanzer IV L/48 in the same category (SP Artillery), so the user can choose, which one is more credible. Then we'll have a perfectly correct formation 71 Assault Gun Bty, with all 7 vehicles (however I don't know which should be commanding vehicle..)

As I wrote before, I believe, that this formation and its sub-formations should exist until the end (now 5/45). I don't know if this battery existed as a whole after the war, but now we have formation 76 Assault Gun Bty from 6/46, with a danger of having 7 Jpz IV/70 or 7 Hetzers - while their number didn't increase after the war.

17 Scafo L-40 - its class Assault gun should be changed to sth else (eg. 52 SP-AT vehicle), because now they can be used interchangeably with Stugs. In fact, there were only two L-40 (known in Bulgaria as SPA vehicles...), and they were used in a recce unit with Turan tank only (form. 14 Arm Recce Pl).

I suggest names:
PzKw IVg - Maybach T-IV
Jpz-IV - SO T-IV (in fact, also known as Maybach T-IV SP-gun (SO or ShO - assault gun), but we should tell it apart from a tank, and full names will be too long...)
Jpz-IV/70 - SO T-IV/70
Hetzer: SO Praga (or just Praga)
Stug III: Maybach T-III

[Pibwl]

To finish with Bulgaria:

7 PzKw IVh - PzKpfw IV (Maybach T-IV) were devoid of hull skirts soon after arrival - there are no photos of tanks with hull skirts at all, especially from their combat service. Also the photo shows the tank without hull skirts. I'd remove this unit, since we have 10 PzKw IVg - or one of them should be early tank with Dunkelgelb camo (icon 1409, 7/43-12/44), and the other - late tank (green icon 1408, from 1/45) and with a photo with shield markings.

There could be also added post-war tank, with turret skirts removed as well - from 6/45, although according to one photo, they might have appeared as soon as 3/45. I'm ataching some photos.

BTW: unit 10 PzKw IVg has too small turret side and rear armor, not counting skirts.

45 PzKw IIIn - there is no info about Pz III in Bulgarian service at all, especially as soon as 1943.

53 SdKfz 223 (Fu) - I'm attaching better photo - current one is in fact turretless SdKfz 261 captured by the Soviets


151,152 Drski Class - better photo
http://vimpel.boinaslava.net/images/pic_Hrabri2.jpg
http://vimpel.boinaslava.net/images/pic_Hrabri.jpg

(BTW: an interesting early 20th century torpedo boat, preserved in a museum in Varna)

[Mobhack]

Level bombers were only ever put in for the Normandy breakout in WW2 for scenario designers to use as such, or for an arclight strike in a scenario for MBT.

They aren't very useful really other than for scenario flavour, which is what they were designed for. There is no need for more than a handful in a large OOB, as they wont ever see use.

I may well change the code so they are only made available to an assaulting player in battles (because use of strategic bombers is something planned well in advance) or even only available in the scenario editor. Perhaps the same for gliders and para planes, since those missions were also pre-planned well in advance, and having paratroopers drop in an encounter or advance/delay is therefore silly.

[DRG]

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by DRG

If you wanted, there is also #161 Junkers A-20 with inadequate icon http://richard.ferriere.free.fr/3vue...rs_a20b_3v.jpg. But I don't urge you to make such negligible AOP plane. However, better icon as for now seems 934 - similar silver low-wing. Bulgarian A.20 had no markings on upper sides, it might have civilian registration, but I can't find upper photos.