Formation of the bulgarian armed forces and their losses in combat operations against Nazi Germany (September 1944 - May 1945)

The losses of the Bulgarian armed forces during combat operations against Nazi Germany are analyzed. The paper considers the peculiarity of the transition of the Bulgarian armed forces to the side of the Allied forces in the fight against Nazi Germany in the period from September 1944 to May 1945. The problems preceding the turning point are analyzed, the characteristics of the actions of the 3rd Ukrainian Front of the Red Army on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, to whose operational subordination the Bulgarian People’s Army was transferred, are given. The stages of the reformation of the Bulgarian troops into a single 1st Bulgarian army are investigated. The issues of interaction between Soviet and Bulgarian military formations in the framework of the implementation of common combat tasks are reflected. The participation of Bulgarian troops in alliance with the Red Army in major operations of the Great Patriotic War allowed Bulgaria to defend its pre-war territory and achieve worldwide recognition at the final stage of the defeat of Nazi Germany.