List of Bulgarian military equipment of World War II

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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 sick grenade
• Bulgarian offensive hand stick grenade
• 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

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^[2]
• 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^[3][4]

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^[5]
• Panzer 38(t) Czechoslovakian light tank - 10^[6]
• 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

• SdKfz.232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen German armoured car

Trucks

• Autocarro blindato Fiat 626 NM Italain truck - 100

Tractors & prime movers

• URSUS
• Pavesi-Fiat P.4-100
• Spa TL37 tractor

Navy ships and war vessels

• WWI-era destroyers (4 at start of WWII)
• Drazki-class patrol boat (5 remained at start of WW2)
• ex-Dutch minesweepers or torpedo boats (6 captured by Germans)
• rivercrafts (6 at beginning of WWII)

Aircraft

• Bulgarian DAR 10 bomber/reconnaissance aircraft (prototypes only)
• Czechoslovakia Avia B-534 fighters - 78^[7]
• Czechoslovakia Avia B-135 fighters - 12^[8]
• Poland PZL P.11 fighter — few
• France Dewoitine D.520 fighter -100
• Bulgarian Kaproni Bulgarski KB3/KB4 Chuchuliga II bomber
• Bulgarian Kaproni Bulgarski KB5 Chuchuliga III bomber
• 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)^[9]
• 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]
• German Junkers Ju 88 bomber — dozens delivered
• Czechoslovakian Avia B-71 bombers (Czech-built Tupolev SB-2s) - 32
• Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 attack aircraft - after 9 September 1944
• Soviet Tupolev Tu-2 - after 9 September 1944

Missiles & bombs

Nercter 54

References

1. А. Б. Жук. Энциклопедия стрелкового оружия: револьверы, пистолеты, винтовки, пистолеты-пулемёты, автоматы. М., АСТ — Воениздат, 2002. стр.297
2. Агоп Казазян. Противотанковите пушки в българската войска // "Военноисторически сборник", кн. 2, 2005, с. 52-53
3. История на Българите: Военна история на българите от древността до наши дни. София, Знание, 2007. page 507
4. М.Б. Барятинский. Лёгкие танки Второй Мировой. М., «Коллекция» - «Яуза», 2007. стр.46
5. М.Б. Барятинский. Лёгкие танки Второй Мировой. М., «Коллекция» - «Яуза», 2007. стр.146
6. М.Б. Барятинский. Лёгкие танки Второй Мировой. М., «Коллекция» - «Яуза», 2007. стр.158-159
7. Avia B.534 // Бипланы, трипланы и гидропланы / гл. ред. Джим Винчестер. М., "АСТ", "Астрель", 2006. стр.28-29
8. М. Козырев, В. Козырев. Авиация стран оси во Второй мировой войне. М., ЗАО «Центрполиграф», 2007. стр.386
9. А.И. Харук. Ударная авиация Второй Мировой – штурмовики, бомбардировщики, торпедоносцы. М., «Яуза» - ЭКСМО, 2012. стр.76-79