THE 9 SEPTEMBER PARADE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005300940006-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 8, 2007
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 1, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/06/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005300940006-7
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET--U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, V.S.C. Secs. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law.
COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT The 9 September Parade
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 12 November 1954
NO. OF PAGES 6
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES 25X1
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. At the 9 September Parade in Sofia the troops were presented by Lieutenant General
Dikov, commander of the Sofia garrison, to Colonel General Panchevski, Minister of
National Defense. The parade lasted from 8:15 to 8:55 a.m. and was carried out in
the following order:
I.
Troops on foot Officers Student Officers Men
a. A General with his orderly
b. The "G.S. Rakovski" Academy,
preceded by its flag:
(1)
Two officers (a General
and his aide)
2
(2)
Three officers (one
colonel)
3
(3)
(4)
225 infantry officers
(15 rows of 15)
225
(5)
4
(6)
225 officers of various
arms
225
(7)
(8)
Four officers
4
(9)
225 officers of various arms
225
' ;nnton distribuf;n' in," fed by "X"; Field distribution by "$"
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c. The "Suvorovtt Schools
(1) Four officers
(2) 120 students (12 rows of 10)
d. The "Nakhimov" Naval School:
(1) Four officers
(2) 120 students (12 rows of 10)
e. The "Vasil Levskitt School preceded
by its flag:
(1) Four officers
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Officers Student Officers Men
14
(2) 225 infantry students (15 rows
of 15)
(3) Four officers
(!t) 225 artillery and
engineer students
Four officers
225 tank students
Four officers
225 Air Force students
Four officers
225 Border Guard students
225
225
225
225
2 25
f.
Interior Troops:
(1)
Four officers
(2)
225 men (15 rows of 15)
225
g.
Infantry:
(1)
Four officers witI
(2)
Four officers
(3)
225 men (15 rows of 15)
225
(14)
Four officers
(5)
225 men
225
(6)
Four officers
(7)
225 men (artillery?)
225
(8)
Four officers
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Officers Student Officers Men
(9) 225 men
(30) Four officers
(11) 225 men
h. Navy student officers:
(1) Four officers
(2) 225 students (15 rows of. 15)
II. Motorized infantry:
a. One jeep with flag
(3 officers, one driver)
b. Two jeeps
c. 30 Molotov trucks (in pairs),
each with one officer next to
the driver and 16 men per truck
d. One jeep
e. 28 Molotov trucks
f. One jeep
g. 30 Molotov trucks
III. Mounted cavalry:
a. Four officers
b. A bugler
c. 60 horsemen (5 rows of 12)
d. One officer
e. 60 horsemen
IV. Artillery:
a. Antiaircraft:
(1) One jeep with standard (no
number
(2) 12 cannons, 37 mm.
(3)
officer next to each driver
and 12 men per truck, plus
two men per cannon)
with Molotov trucks (one
One jeep
225
225
225
3
6
30
3
28
3
1
2
510
1
176
1
30
510
60
60
3
1
12
3
1
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Officers Student Officers
Men
(4) 12 cannons, 85 mm.
with Molotov trucks one
officer next to each driver
and 12 men per truck)
12
156
b.
Mortara:
(1) One jeep
3
1
(2) Six 120 mm. mortars with ZIS
trucks (one officer and one
driver, with 12 men per truck)
6
78
(3) One jeep
3
1
(4) 12 mortars, 160 mm., ZIS with
Field artillery:
(1)
One jeep without standard
number
156
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3 1
(2) One jeep
(3)
(4)
(5)
driver and 12 men per truck) 12
with Molotov trucks
one officer next to each
12 ZIS guns, 76.2 mm.,
One jeep
12 76.2 mm.
guns
d,
122 mm.,
(1) One jeep
3
(2) 12 howitzers with ZIS trucks
(one officer with the driver
and 12 men per truck)
12
e. Rocket Launchers:
(1)
(2)
One jeep
12 rocket launchers, M 8
with 24 ramps (24 rounds]
(one officer with the
driver)
f. 122 mm. cannons without gun muzzle:
(1) One jeep 3
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156
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(2) 12 cannons with Tatra trucks
(one officer with the driver
and 16 men per truck)
g. 15 mm. Howitzers:
(1) One jeep
(2) Eiglt howitzers with Tatra
trucks (one officer with
the driver and 16 men per
truck)
V. Armored troops:
a. One jeep with standard
b. 10 motorcycles with sidecars
(one driver and one passenger
armed with a machine gun)
d. Four elf-propelled
artillery mounts
e. 36 tanks, L___] (85) (plus
two tow-tanks in front of
the Mausoleum)
f. Five I self-propelled artillery
moun s
a. 36~ (in 12 flights of three),
which flew over the parade as the
tanks passed by
b. Onel (flying overhead during a
good portion of the parade
2. The following observations were made during the 9 September Parade in Sofia:
a. All men in the trucks were armed with rifles;
b. The total strength, outside the Tank Corps and the Air ?brce amounted to
6,993 as follows:
(1) 1,008 officers (of whom two were generals)
(2) 1,350 student officers
(3) 4,635 men (of whom 240 were military school boys)
c. In comparison with the 1953 parade it should be noted that the infantry and
the motorized infantry had a stronger representation. Also, new materiel was
shown (160 mm. mortars and
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d. The uniforms of the men and the appearance of the materiel were excellent,
The men wore new uniforms for the most part and the materiel was either
new or freshly repainted.
e. The parade was noteworthy for its order and its fast pace; it is true that
drills had been going on for several weeks along the large boulevards or in
Liberty Park.
f. The shouting of "hurrah" by each group as it passed by General Panchevski
was taken up in a louder voice by the' folloxih'g'group; but was,more mechanical
than enthusiastic.
3. The civilian parade lasted from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., and was poorly
carried out except for the sport groups, and appeared rather naive with its
banners, portraits, etc. No political allusion was made to the capitalist
countries.
4? Either by error or as a prank, an entire group of young girls between the ages
of 10 and 114 threw their bouquets of flowers to the group of westerners located
beyond the platform at the Mausoleum.
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