On October 21, 1912, Kardzhali welcomes the Bulgarian troops after the victory of the Haskovo detachment over the corps of Yaver Pasha. The event is marked in the calendar of that time as October 8, old style and remains one of the key episodes in the liberation of the Eastern Rhodopes during the Balkan War.
The Haskovo detachment was created at the beginning of the war, and on September 18, 1912, Colonel Vasil Delov took command of it. The fighting for Kardzhali took place from October 5 to 8, old style. After a series of battles, the Bulgarian units defeated the Ottoman army and entered the city.
According to data cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, the Haskovo detachment numbered about 10,000 people, while Yaver Pasha's corps numbered over 24,000. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, the Bulgarian units managed to mislead him about the scale of the offensive and force him to retreat.
During the battle itself, Delov was a colonel. He became a major general in 1913, after participating in the battles of Edirne and in the Inter-Allied War. Today his name is inextricably linked to the liberation of Kardzhali, and October 21 is an official holiday of the city.
The Liberation of Smolyan and the Battles of Srednogorets
The events in Kardzhali were part of the broader offensive of the Bulgarian army in the Rhodope Mountains. On October 13, 1912, the 21st Srednogorets Infantry Regiment under the command of Colonel Vladimir Serafimov liberated Smolyan, Raykovo and Ustovo. The name of Smolyan at that time was Pashmakli.
The decisive battles to consolidate the Bulgarian presence in the region were fought on October 19, 20 and 21, 1912 on Mount Kavgadzhik, today Srednogorets. The units of the 21st Regiment faced Ottoman troops and held their positions, despite the enemy having greater forces.
The victory at Srednogorets is among the most memorable battles of the Rhodope military operation. In historical memory, the peak is called “Rhodope Shipka“, and Vladimir Serafimov remains known as the liberator of the Rhodopes. October 21 is also a holiday of the Smolyan municipality.
The war that changed the map of the Balkans
The First Balkan War began in 1912 after the failure of attempts at political changes in the European possessions of the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro united in the alliance against it. The Bulgarian army took the brunt of the fighting in Thrace, while separate units advanced towards the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea.
Kardzhali and Smolyan were among the cities that remained in the Ottoman Empire after the Treaty of Berlin of 1878. The military actions in the autumn of 1912 put an end to this period and included the two regions within the borders of the Bulgarian state.
Sources: old-news.bnr.bg, 24chasa.bg