History knows many heroic stories about Hristo Botyov's detachment and the capture of the Austrian steamer “Radetzky“, but far less attention is paid to the man whose actions turned out to be decisive for the successful landing of the Bulgarian revolutionaries on their native shores. What is the role of Captain Dagobert Englander, what are the authentic Austrian testimonies, what are the myths that have settled in Bulgarian historical memory over the years... Eng. Alexander Tatsov - international analyst at the Union of Reserve Officers "Atlantic" speaks to FACT, and the reason is that a few days ago the union organized a special conference dedicated to Hristo Botev. (B.A. – “Hristo Botyov. An Attempt at a Biography“ is a seminal work by Zahari Stoyanov, first published in 1888. This is the first attempt at a comprehensive description of the life and work of the revolutionary poet. Written in his typical lively and engaging style, the book reveals both Botyov's idealism and his human contradictions among the émigré circles. This is the reason why I use this address to the revolutionary poet)
- Mr. Tatsov, how correct is it to speak of a “takeover“ of “Radetzky“ and how much of a forced diversion of the ship without real violence against the crew and passengers?
- It is more correct to use the term “occupation“, i.e. temporary seizure. In legal and political circles in Western Europe, the event caused serious debate. Legally, this was the first mass hijacking of a passenger ship in history with political motives (modern terrorism by today's standards). However, Botev's moral code - the fact that no property was touched, the Chetniks' tickets were paid, no passengers were injured, and the captain was issued a written receipt stating that he had acted under duress - was not enough. forces the Western public to accept the act not as a crime, but as a legitimate act of a warring nation.
- What is the historical evidence for the behavior of Hristo Botyov and the Chetniks on board and do they confirm the traditional account of the event?
- In addition to Captain Englander himself, authentic accounts were left by his assistant, the Dalmatian Caterino Doimi, as well as the captain's nephew, Alois Englander, who recorded his uncle's oral accounts years later.
On board the “Radetzky“ there were over 300 passengers of various nationalities – Austrians, Germans, Romanians, Greeks, as well as wealthy Turkish merchants and government officials.
To avoid panic and casualties, Botev ordered all passengers to be locked in the first and second class cabins. Armed guards were placed at the doors. The wealthy European merchants on board were convinced that this was the end of them. One of them, a German merchant, began to hide his gold watches and money in his shoes. The passengers were astonished when Botev entered the cabin, politely took off his hat and apologized in French for the inconvenience caused, assuring them that “not a single hair from the head of any passenger would fall and not a single penny would be taken”. At that moment, according to the recollections of passengers, fear turned into genuine curiosity – some of the foreigners even went out to the windows to watch the landing as a theatrical performance. As for the traditional accounts of the event, they are often the fruit of fantasies inspired by misunderstood patriotism.
- What is the real role of Captain Englander - a victim of circumstances, a neutral performer of his duties, or a man who showed sympathy for the Bulgarian cause?
- A little-known fact is that the captain saved the detachment from an ambush during the landing. As they approached Kozloduy, he noticed with his binoculars an Ottoman mounted patrol (Circassian) positioned on the shore. Englander deliberately slowed down the maneuver, made a turn, and directed the ship to another, safer place to dock, away from the patrol's sight, thus giving the detachment valuable time to disembark and deploy.
One of the most remarkable, but rarely mentioned, gestures of Dagobert Englander towards the Bulgarians was the following: after leaving the detachment at Kozloduy, “Radetzky“ continued on his course and docked at Vidin.
There, the governor of the Vidin Sanjak, the famous Osman Pasha (the future defender of Pleven), boards the ship. He is furious and orders the captain to immediately put 1,000 Turkish soldiers (nizams) on the ship, turn back and land them behind the backs of Botev's detachment. Captain Englander shows exceptional composure and categorically refuses. He refers to international law and the status of the Austrian company: "My ship was attacked by a pirate and is the subject of an international investigation. I have no right to transport a regular army of a foreign country and turn it into a military transport." With this refusal, he saves the detachment from immediate encirclement on the shore.
In his authentic memoirs, Captain Englander describes how, when the detachment disembarked, while the Chetniks were shouting "Long live Franz Joseph!" and “Long live the captain!“, he took off his hat, bowed and whispered in German: “Good luck!“ (“Gute Reise!“)
- Why does the image of Captain Englander often remain in the shadow of Botyov in Bulgarian historical memory, even though his actions were key to the successful landing of the detachment on the Bulgarian coast?
- By the way, the personality of the captain is rarely discussed at all. I think that this is largely due to the personality of Zahari Stoyanov, the man who made Botyov a national hero by writing his famous biography “Hristo Botyov, an attempt at a biography“. Zahari Stoyanov is strongly disliked by Russophiles in the Principality and Eastern Rumelia. Some of the latter slandered the author for writing a book about "that heyman Botyov". Namely, in Zachary's book, the authentic account of the captain of the "Radetzky" about the incident of the occupation of the ship appears for the first time, where Botyov's valiant behavior is clearly and unambiguously depicted by an independent observer, a military sailor at that. In addition, the captain's account initially becomes inconvenient, and later it is rarely quoted. This is especially indicative in the era of communism. For Bulgarian students at that time, Captain Englander's memories were little known... This is still the case, in general.
- Are there any contradictions between Bulgarian and Austrian sources regarding what happened on board the “Radetzky“?
- Bulgarian sources, in the true sense of the word, are actually almost non-existent, if we do not take into account the memories of the surviving Chetniks. But their memories are sporadic, often contradictory and incomplete, and in fact there are no fundamental contradictions with the Austrian sources. The latter represent official documents and as such are first-class sources. Of course, there is still a lot of work for historians in this area, but special efforts here have not been observed until recently (and under communism - not at all).
- Can it be argued that the success of the action is due not only to Botyov's determination, but also to the professional and cool-headed behavior of Captain Englander?
- Of course, this is a favorable combination. We should not underestimate the fact that the captain, as well as the entire crew, appreciated the act of the Bulgarian insurgents and helped in any way they could. The event shook the captain and until the end of his life he remained a great friend of the Bulgarians. Dagobert Englander visited Bulgaria and personally handed over to Zahari Stoyanov all the archival official documents on the case - originals or copies.
- What myths about the capture of “Radetzky“ have become established in textbooks and popular history, and which of them are now being challenged by researchers?
- There are many myths, and almost all of them are "patriotic" in nature. The myths during communism aimed to turn Botev into a soulless bronze statue to use for their own communist mythology.