 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
An Officer's service cloak and hat to to Captain Georgi Genchev Aladjov |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
| The Bulgarian Air Force was established as a separate military service in 1937 from the Bulgarian Army. They had a unique blue grey uniform but retained elements of the army for quite a while. The items pictured here belonged to the unidentified officer above. They include the cloak, boots and hat. At the time of the photograph, Aladjov is wearing the new uniform of an Air Force Poruchyk. He wears the 1915--1918 Bulgarian Pilot badge (a war he was not in) as this was what was awarded to new graduates unitl the newly designed qualification badges became available. He also wears a unique Royal jetton with his rank and the Royal cypher of the Royal Mother, Klemntina from his time as an infantry officer. |
|
 |
|
|
Aladjov was promoted to Captain in 1943. His cloak is made of unfinished wool and unlined. The collar is a finer wool and features the board design as a rank insignia. The cloak is fastened by a unique clasp of facing eagles. See below for detailed picture. |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
| The officer's cap for the Bulgarian Air Force is in the Blue-Grey material unique to the air force piped in light blue as a branch of service color. The brim is very short and has an unfinished edge. The cockade is most interesting because it refelcts the turn of events that occured to the Bulgarians. At the outset, the Bulgarians were forced to fight on the side of the Axis and were led by Tsar Boris III, whose crown and cypher appeared on buttons and insignia. In 1944, the government was taken over by communists who welcomed the advancing Red Army. Bulgarian commbattants were directed to turn around and fight their previous allies. A reflection of this change was the elimination of the royal crown from insignia as appers on the cockade. Compare to photo of owner above from before the war. |
|
Since buttons were hard to come by in 1944-45, the original Boris III cyphers remain on the cap. |
|
As for the cloak, all insignia including the Crown, Boris III cypher and rank stars have been removed. Frequently origninal rank stars (like German pips) were replaced with Soviet 5 pointed rank stars. After the war, the entire uniform was replaced with a more Soviet design. |
|
|
 |
|
|
| The beautiful eagles that form the clasp for the cloak are unique. They don't appera as part of any other Bulgarian Air Force insignia. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| © Tod Rathbone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
