WesWorld

October 4
The Bulgarian Army announced, with some visible chagrin, that due to a serious breakdown in communication all of the K31 rifles delivered from Switzerland were chambered for 7.5x55mm GP11 Schmidt-Rubin ammo, rather than the intended 8x57mm Mauser round. As all ammo to date has been delivered from Switzerland, the problem had gone unnoticed for over a year.

Explaining the problem to the Sobranje, General Vladimir Ketskaro pointed out that the cause was a breakdown in communications between the Bulgarian Army and the Swiss manufacturer. The Bulgarian Army had ordered both 8mm and 7.5mm K31 rifles for trials, and had announced its satisfaction with both; but when the 100k-rifle order was made in mid-1935, the Army failed to communicate its preference for the 8mm K31. With Swiss production lines already geared up for the 7.5mm chambered K31, no production changes were made. "The fault would unfortunately appear to be ours, and I take responsibility," General Ketskaro stated plainly.

Nevertheless, Minister of War Tsanev pronounced that the Bulgarian Army had decided to use the 7.5mm Schmidt-Rubins, and planned to complete the order with the 7.5x55mm GP11 round. "Discarding thirty thousand rifles would be foolish, and rebarreling them to 8mm Mauser would be expensive," Tsanev stated to the Sobranjie. "There was some discussion about selling the Bulgarian K31s to the Swiss Army in exchange for increased production of 8mm K31s in 1937, but this was rejected, again due to cost."

Following pointed questions by members of the Sobranjie, General Ketskaro repeated his earlier statements that the 7.5mm round was not below standard compared to the 8mm Mauser round. "The 8mm Mauser chambering was selected due to its presence in the Turkish arsenal," Ketskaro said, "as well as the existence of a small quantity of Mauser-chambered Steyr Mannlicher rifles in our own arsenal. However, the number of 8mm-chambered small arms is currently smaller than our existing delivery of 7.5-chambered K31s, so it makes no sense to look back now."

Also in small-arms news, the Bulgarian Army has announced the order of two hundred further examples of the STPR-36 or "Radichkov" semi-automatic rifle. Unsurprisingly, the order was tendered for 7.5x55mm GP11 ammo...

October 18
Two Bulgarian Bf-109B fighters were written off today following a collision. During practice, the two fighters were landing on the same runway, and the trailing Bf-109 bounced upon hitting the ground, failing to slow down and overtaking the lead plane. The two Bf-109s collided and both planes suffered collapsed landing gear and structural damage. Both pilots were pulled unharmed from the wreckage.

Kapitan Dobri Kolarov, the VNVV's best demonstration flier and a yato commander, commented to the press that he was unsurprised at the accident. "Both pilots were new to flying Strelas," he said. "And Strela is a tricky kite to fly for new pilots. They only had three hundred flying hours, and only fifteen on type. Strela is a good fighter, but not good for trainees."

October 31
Two new riverine patrol boats have been launched today for service on the Danube River. Built using German technical assistance and plans, these two vessels, the Kliment Turnovski and Petko Karavelov, will be deployed to Vidin and Rousse, respectively.

November 8
The brand-new destroyer Drazki was launched today in Varna, despite an unusual storm with sleet, snow, lightning, and thunder. Although there were some concerns about launching the ship on an icy slipway, the decision was made to continue the launch before conditions worsened. As the Drazki slid down the ways, kicking up freshly-fallen snow and ice, she was struck by a bolt of lightning, though no one was harmed and the destroyer was pronounced undamaged.

Veteran sailors aboard the nearby cruiser Stara Zagora immediately had a fistfight to determine if lightning strikes make a ship lucky or not. By the time military police and senior NCOs sorted out the fight, the Drazki's own future crew, watching at pierside, pronounced that lightning strikes during a snowstorm would be interpreted as a fortuitous omen, and the ship would become the pride of the Royal Bulgarian Navy.

November 23
The new river monitor Krum, named after a medieval Bulgarian tsar, was launched today with a small ceremony in Varna.

December 18
The river monitor Boris was launched today in Varna.

October, at Bulgarian Naval HQ in Sofia
Admiral Dobrev watched the last of the admirals file into the conference room and find their seats. The Navy commander-in-chief received a few curious glances when he did not rise to start the meeting, but the Minister of War, General Tsanev, did not look troubled, and it was his meeting to chair.

"We are waiting for one more person," Tsanev said with a cagey grin.

Dobrev glanced back over to Kontra-Admiral Radoev. The Bureau of Logistics and Ships chief was whispering quietly with Kapitan Second Rank Sarafov, the Ersatz Sofia design committee head, who would be making the main section of the presentation. Although the Naval Design Board fell - technically - under the organization of the Bureau of Naval Operations, in practice, Radoev's Bureau of Logistics and Ships intertwined itself with BNO and NDB.

As if on cue, the door opened and the final man stepped into the conference room. "Gentlemen, my apologies if I've kept you waiting," Tsar Boris said quickly, acknowledging the officers who had jumped to their feet to salute. "Please, be seated, gentlemen."

Dobrev saw Vitse-Admiral Porozhinov, the fleet commander, throw a subtle but significant glance to his immediate subordinate, Kontra-Admiral Avramov, who the commander of the First Battle Squadron. Together they formed the "Big Gun" bloc of the Bulgarian Navy, and since the Tsar was present to observe their work, they clearly smelled opportunity, if only they could prevent Kontra-Admiral Radoev, the Navy's "realist", from swaying the Tsar with his talk of budgets. Unfortunately, although Radoev had no items on the meetings agenda, his protege Sarafov would have the floor for most of an hour.

"Now then, let's be down to business," General Tsanev said. "Kapitan Sarafov, I believe, will present his design committee's findings on this Ersatz Sofia project?"

Kapitan Sarafov stood and nodded to his aide, who lifted the cover sheet from an easel. "Your Majesty; Sirs. I was tasked with heading the exploratory committee to look into the construction of a proposed replacement for the predreadnought battleship Sofia. This project has received the nomenclature Project 1-39, for the first proposed project to be laid down in 1939."

"Why 1939?" General Tsanev interrupted.

"Funding for 1937 is set, and funding for 1938 is already being negotiated, Minister," Sarafov answered. "While we could conceivably rework the funding requests for 1938, we deemed it improbable that the questions regarding this vessel would be resolved before the 1938 budget becomes fixed."

Vitze-Admiral Porozhinov winced at the repetition of the words "funding" and "budget", but only Dobrev was looking. The amused C-in-C tended to agree with Kontra-Admiral Radoev's realistic assertions that the Ersatz Sofia project was a waste of time and money, but he was moving on towards retirement; Ersatz Sofia would be an impressive way to leave a legacy. Of course, as Dobrev knew too well, even the mightiest warship - the Hamidiye sprang to mind - could be taken out of commission by even the smallest of torpedo boats, like the old Drazki torpedo boats he had commanded at Kaliakra.

Kapitan Sarafov lifted the next sheet on the easel himself. "We have the choice of several different avenues of investigation with this project. First, we looked into the construction, or acquisition, of a new battleship, just as we did with the Varna. Second, we looked into the construction of a coast-defense ship. Third, we looked into the possibility of a particularly heavy cruiser, as is in vogue these days. Finally, we looked into several alternatives to inquire into something not covered by our original mandate."

Sarafov turned the easel page again to reveal the first outline drawing, and Vitze-Admiral Porozhinov nodded as he saw it: the design was made to his own specifications. "This design is Project 1-39-A, submitted in preliminary form by . It features nine fifteen-inch guns in three triple turrets, has armor comparable to any modern vessel, and features a speed of thirty-one knots. It was rejected by my committee due to excessive cost - at our current naval requisitions budget, we would be five years paying for it... assuming we did nothing else." Porozhinov, smiling one moment, winced again the next, while Kontra-Admiral Radoev at least had the grace to look neutral over the curt dismissal.

"Additionally," Sarafov continued, "Project 1-39-A was rejected due to political considerations, as the design was nearly twice the size of our maximum capital ship permitted under the Naval Treaty of Constantinople. Unless this treaty is abrogated - and I would dare to call this a first-class mistake - then Project 1-39-A is unrealistic."

The Tsar nodded immediately, forestalling any arguments. "Leaving the Constantinople Treaty is not an option at this time, unless political realities change drastically over the next few years."

"More realistically, we have evaluated several existing battleship designs fielded by other nations. First, we have some ideas of the upcoming Romanian battleships, with their heavy 15-inch armament. They're just a touch faster than the Varna, and more heavily armoured; it's possible that, good relations permitting, Italy might be interested in another costumer. However, two of my engineering experts have stated definitively that their armor protection might not be entirely sufficient; it merits further investigation. Second, we had a look at the newest Danish and Iberian capital ships at Coldmere, and they also share 15" guns, but feature a 29 knot and 28 knot speed, respectively. However they will be more expensive vessels. Third, we might be able to look into a near-cousin to the Turkish dreadnoughts, though that might necessitate working with Bharat and the political obstacles that entails.

"Finally, we've received rumors of some British battleships which may, at some time in the next few years, be up for sale; I think this merits closer investigation, but we should not count on it by any means, as the market favors sellers. And while an older battleship might be cheaper to purchase, it by no means is necessarily cheaper to operate. We'd have to look into this on a case-by-case basis, I believe."

Sarafov then glanced over to his easel. "We also looked briefly into the construction of a coast defense battleship. This has the advantage of smaller size, less expense in construction, and lower operating cost. However, fleet and ship commanders have consistently requested specifications in excess of most coast defense battleship specifications." Sarafov looked straight at Vitze-Admiral Porozhinov. "Additionally, we ran into the same problem over coast-defense vessels that we encountered over Project 1-39-A; Constantinople prevents us from building a CDS over 2,000 tons, which is rather prohibitive for what we felt the job requires.

"Nevertheless we investigated the field and determined several designs we felt were adequate. The Dutch have the Boerentange, which I believe they've recently finished, and might be useful; the Nords have the Vinland-class, and the South Africans have the heavier Excalibur. The Latvians, coincidentally, also have an armored ship using Russian 9.2-inch guns, and she appears to be quite decent. Additionally, two of my committee engineers drew up the basis of our own coast defense battleship design, which you can see here."

Porozhinov scowled at the sheet. "I would like to say that Fleet Command does not particularly want a coast defense ship. This vessel here," he said, waving towards the easel, "Is barely superior to the original Sofia, let alone anything more modern. Will this vessel even be able to drive off one of the Romanian Dacias?"

"The armament actually uses the guns taken from Sofia," Sarafov explained patiently. "And her armour and stability will be far in excess of a Dacia: so she can easily withstand any pounding which will sink the Romanian cruiser."

"But she'll never be able to flee if outnumbered," Porozhinov shot back. "Look. At fifteen knots you'll be hard-pressed to outrun many passenger ferries."

"Admittedly," Sarafov agreed.

"This is not what the Fleet wants," Porozhinov repeated insistently.

Dobrev decided to interrupt. "This is the point where I fear we've done Kapitan Sarafov a disfavor, Vitze-Admiral; the Navy has never given any definitive strategic and tactical considerations necessary to guide the design of a new capital warship. We tell Kapitan Sarafov what we do not want, and expect a perfect design."

Kontra-Admiral Radoev leaned forward to speak, but Porozhinov jumped in to prevent him from saying much. "What the fleet wants is a dreadnought of thirty or forty thousand tons with fifteen-inch guns, formidable armor, and a thirty-knot speed."

"Which is financially infeasible!" Radoev finally exploded, not noticing he had nearly cut off Tsar Boris, who leaned back to watch the argument. "The ships you demand are completely out of our price league! Yes, formidable vessels they all are, but we have no capability to build them in Bulgaria, and no budget to pay for them, and it would be foolish, bankruptcy, foolish!"

"Then propose a reasonable alternative!" Porozhinov shot back. "Your coast-defense ships are not satisfactory for the fleet!"

"Coast defense is our main mission!" Radoev said. "Coast defense has always been our mission!"

"And now the Navy will join Turkish naval operations, too," Porozhinov added. "That was what you yourself said while arguing for the two Danubes and the Drazki-class destroyer squadron."

"Perhaps we should let Kapitan Sarafov finish his briefing, gentlemen," Tsar Boris interrupted. "As I recall, he had more than two main lines of inquiry..."

The bickering admirals fell silent, and Sarafov made a polite bow. "Thank you, your majesty. My committee also looked into some of the particularly heavy cruisers - the armoured cruisers - which are being built in other countries. My designers felt that it would be preferable to pursue a vessel of this classification, as it will be cheaper to acquire than a battleship, and more capable than a coast defense ship."

Porozhinov maintained his silence as Sarafov changed sheets on the easel - but the fleet admiral still looked grumpy. Sarafov's next drawings, unlike the previous coast defense ship diagrams - looked unusually rakish. "This is Project 1-39-J, our first proposal for an armoured cruiser. Twenty-eight knots, twelve 9.2" guns in four triple turrets, and considerable armor, all on sixteen thousand tons."

"Isn't someone building something like that already?" Dobrev asked abruptly.

"Most of the armoured cruisers tend to be a bit faster, Sir," Sarafov answered. "The closest example I know of is the Belgian King Albert, but that's supposed to be a thirty-knot vessel with twelve 8" guns. We were looking for something heavier. My committee appreciated the armour suite of Project 1-39-J, as the guns would be superior to the Sofia's old twelve-inch battery, and the ship's armour is equal or superior in places. Speed, of course, we pegged to the known performance of the Romanian Dacias."

"Why Dacia?" General Tsanev asked.

"It's the closest vessel in terms of size and performance, Minister," Sarafov answered. "We've probably put more effort into finding the specifications of that design than any other armoured cruiser. A twenty-eight knot speed will match the Dacia's speed, but will also be equal to the Turkish Ulic Ali Reis. If we drop the 39-J's speed any lower, then we might as well drop it to twenty knots and make a coast defense ship out of it."

Once he was satisfied that there were no further questions, Sarafov moved on. "Our next design also featured 9.2" guns, but in three triple turrets. Project 1-39-K, however, sacrificed torpedo bulges and some armor in order to achieve a thirty-one knot speed. The benefits of this design actually run deeper than speed, however, as the design could be built for ninety percent the cost of 1-39-J. My committee believes 1-39-K still has the firepower to deal with a Dacia."

"What about the two Greek Helle-class and the Konstantinoupolis?" Admiral Avramov asked. "In my opinion Konstantinoupolis is a more formidable foe than many give credit for."

Sarafov nodded. "Difficult to say. In all honesty, such a hypothetical matchup would probably depend on outside conditions. I feel Project 1-39-K is protected adequately on the belt and turrets against 15cm shells, but Konstantinoupolis is well-protected against 9.2" shells. Konstantinoupolis also would feature seven more 15cm guns, though the extra power of the 9.2" gun gives a much heavier broadside.

"We also considered some foreign designs as well," Sarafov continued. "At least for example if for nothing else. The Russian Admiral Makarov design could be perhaps license-built, though I personally don't feel the design perfectly matches our needs. The Mexican Pancho Villa, which we saw on display at the Coldmere Naval Review, is another option we have available, as is the German Derfflinger-class cruiser. The Iberians designed a similar ship to the Pancho Villa for the Peruvian Navy, and it might also be worth investigation. Britain announced their own armoured cruiser class, the Princess Royals, and a license-built design could perhaps be ordered.

"Finally, after reviewing these foreign vessels, my team designed another armoured cruiser attempting to blend the speed of Project 1-39-K with the armour coverage of Project 1-39-J. Our final result was a ship armed with eight 9.2" guns, and armoured the same standard as 1-39-J. Thirty-two knots speed overall, making it the fastest of the designs we drew up."

"How much?" General Tsanev asked.

"Forty-two million leva," Sarafov answered instantly. "For Project 1-39-N, that is."

"How much did we spend on the two Danube-class cruisers?" Tsanev continued.

Sarafov again answered instantly. "Fourteen point five million leva each."

"And how much have we budgeted for the first flotilla of Drazki-class destroyers?"

"Right at seven million apiece; we currently have twenty-eight million leva budgeted for the first flotilla. Also, seven million for our Danube flotilla monitors, and nine-point-six million leva apiece for the upcoming Kyustendil-class contradestroyers."

Tsanev nodded. "So, for the price of your Project 1-39-N, we could buy... nearly three more Danube-class cruisers. Or six more Drazkis."

"Yes Sir," Sarafov answered.

"What do you think would be the more valuable expenditure of money, Kapitan Sarafov?" Tsar Boris finally said.

"In terms of usefulness, another pair of light cruisers, smaller than the Danubes and faster, might prove to be advantageous. Just like we saw during the South American War, the South African 'Pony Express' caused significant havoc due to the combination of a good propoganda machine and their ships' relative inability to be overtaken by the Argentines. On the other hand, more destroyers would adequately fulfill our current goals of supporting the Turkish fleet; and expanding our current order of submarines and motor torpedo boats would take care of coast protection issues better than a single heavy CDS."

Admiral Porozhinov leaned forward. "But the fleet commanders feel we need an adequate replacement for the Sofia," he said insistently. "Submarines and motor torpedo boats cannot provide the same heavy gunfire support and maneuver options we feel is necessary."

Vitze-Admiral Stoyanov coughed. "Admiral, of the ships Kapitan Sarafov has presented, and taking into account the Constantinople treaty, what ship would you like to see built?"

Porozhinov thought for several moments. "Of them all? The Danish Tyr-class, I think. Enough fifteen inch guns to be formidable; enough speed to be highly useful, and armoured well enough to survive. The only way it could be better is if she carried a third triple turret."

"Kapitan Sarafov?" General Tsanev prompted.

"Eighty million leva at the least," Sarafov answered. "We'd need to make inquiries to confirm a price, but it won't be cheap."

"Then I don't see how we could afford such a ship," Tsanev said. "Even your 1-39-N design is expensive enough."

"Unless..." Tsar Boris mused quietly. All heads turned to the Tsar. "Sorry, just a thought," Boris said. "But have you considered budgeting a set amount - say, for a light cruiser - and then seeking further funding through subscription?"

"Through what?" Radoev said, genuinely confused.

"Subscription," the Tsar repeated. "Private donations, or in many cases, loans. Such a ship would obviously be a matter of pride to the navy and the nation as a whole; you might be able to raise further money for her construction in that fashion."

Admiral Radoev spoke first, slightly tentatively. "The 1935 Naval Plan originally called for budget for a third light cruiser in 1939. Should a subscription program raise the sufficient funds, then I see no reason why we can't upgrade her design at least to armoured cruiser size."

"How much difference do you think... subscription... would make?" Porozhinov said suspiciously.

"The 1939 budget can perhaps handle as much as thirty million leva," Radoev said. "That will be a serious stretch, however. I still need to maintain the funds for a second quartet of Drazkis in 1938, and the Akulas... we also need to fund the support ships you asked for in March."

"Understood," Porozhinov answered. "But how much do you think could be raised?"

The Tsar answered. "Perhaps ten or fifteen million leva. I doubt you can pull enough in to fund a full battleship."

Admiral Porozhinov exchanged glances with Avramov, who maintained a studiously neutral expression. "An armoured cruiser like the Project 1-39-N design might perhaps suffice for my operations," Avramov said. "If the money were there, then we'd still seek a ship like the Danish Tyr, but since that seems momentarily unattainable..."

Notes:
- Project 1-39-A: Home Design BB (Bulgarian), Rejected due to Treaty considerations and Cost. 120 million Leva.
- Project 1-39-B: Ansaldo design/Regele-class (Italy/Romania) consideration. 57.64 million Leva.
- Project 1-39-C: La Luna (Iberia) / Tyr (Denmark) commission. 80 million Leva (1940 estimate).
- Project 1-39-D: Improved Osmanieh (Turkey/Bharat) for Bulgaria. 57.5 million Leva (1929 estimate).

- Project 1-39-E: Boerentange design (Netherlands). Rejected due to Treaty considerations.
- Project 1-39-F: Vinland design (Nordmark). Rejected due to Treaty considerations.
- Project 1-39-G: Russian/Latvian-inspired Design. Rejected due to Treaty considerations.
- Project 1-39-H: Home Design CDS (Bulgarian). Rejected due to Treaty considerations.
- Project 1-39-I: Excalibur design (SAE). Rejected due to Treaty considerations.

- Project 1-39-J: Home Design ACR (Bulgarian). 41.58 million Leva.
- Project 1-39-K: Home Design ACR (Bulgarian). 37.25 million Leva.
- Project 1-39-L: Makarov design (Russian). 46.89 million Leva (1932 estimate).
- Project 1-39-M: Pancho Villa design (Mexican). 38.88 million Leva (1935 estimate).
- Project 1-39-N: Home Design ACR (Bulgarian). 41.95 million Leva.
- Project 1-39-O: Derfflinger design (Germany). 50.69 million Leva (1935 estimate).
- Project 1-39-P: Princess Royal license (Britain). 41.66 million Leva.
- Project 1-39-Q: Grau license (Iberia). 38.9 million Leva (1934 estimate).

Very good piece on funding the Navy. Thanks for sharing...

Thanks. Turned out to be a lot longer than I expected!

I really wanted to show various factions within the Navy haggling over what they want out of their limited budget. The Big-Gun Admirals (Avramov and Porozhinov) want another superdreadnought, the Practical Party (Radoev and to some extent Stoyanov) wants MTBs and minesweepers, while lower-ranking officers want destroyers or submarines so that they too can command their own warship. The Minister of War - General Tsanev - just wants the admirals to stop fighting and spend their budget supporting the Danube Flotilla - which rewards the Army and not the Navy. Admiral Dobrev tries to mediate all the factions in the hope of building a strong navy which he can be remembered by when he retires in late 1937.

Very nice piece Brock, much better than my attempts at these sort of things.

The Big Gun admirals will IMHO be getting a boost in 1938, considering that the Romanian navy has recognized the vulnerablitiy of the Dacia's, and have decided to design something that will act as an escort to the Dacia's.

Seriously, Romania isn't so scared of the Bulgarian response to the Dacia's because (a) I knew it was coming, and (b) The Dacia's will have big brothers close around the time such ships are built anyhow.

Oh, and btw, the R class are 1,238 tons over the 25,000 ton battleship limit.

Quoted

Originally posted by TheCanadian
Very nice piece Brock, much better than my attempts at these sort of things.

The Big Gun admirals will IMHO be getting a boost in 1938, considering that the Romanian navy has recognized the vulnerablitiy of the Dacia's, and have decided to design something that will act as an escort to the Dacia's.

Seriously, Romania isn't so scared of the Bulgarian response to the Dacia's because (a) I knew it was coming, and (b) The Dacia's will have big brothers close around the time such ships are built anyhow.

Oh, and btw, the R class are 1,238 tons over the 25,000 ton battleship limit.

Indeed so; that'd actually become a serious problem with virtually any Bulgarian battleship purchase. Most likely, if Bulgaria took a serious shot at buying an R-class, they'd try to negotiate with Romania on that count. At the moment I can't really justify having two Bulgarian battleships when I have no active destroyers, nor submarines...

Still, Bulgaria *also* has a keen interest in Yavuz, which would end the Ersatz Sofia grumbling, and Yavuz *does* meet Constantinople standards! And I still don't know what's going to happen with the Yugoslavian War, so for the moment I'm fiddling around with little craft and working on my destroyers.

Interesting piece. These 'how to build the navy' considerations are generally interesting to do, trying to figure out what your nation actually needs vs. what they would like to have vs. what they can actually get. This of course is the reason for the delay in the Dutch Death Star. That and concerns about the armor scheme, seems to have small holes...

Quoted

Dobrev decided to interrupt. "This is the point where I fear we've done Kapitan Sarafov a disfavor, Vitze-Admiral; the Navy has never given any definitive strategic and tactical considerations necessary to guide the design of a new capital warship. We tell Kapitan Sarafov what we do not want, and expect a perfect design."

...but it mean the good Kapitan thought through a plethora of ideas, certainly a far superior approach than giving him a hint !

Quoted

Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk
Interesting piece. These 'how to build the navy' considerations are generally interesting to do, trying to figure out what your nation actually needs vs. what they would like to have vs. what they can actually get. This of course is the reason for the delay in the Dutch Death Star. That and concerns about the armor scheme, seems to have small holes...

Hehehehe!!

Haha, thats priceless. I guess the Atlanteans will turn over any intel they have on any Indian pilots with the name "Luke". I'm guessing the number will be quite low which will also make the Dutch nervous.

Reminds me of something I saw a few years ago: X-Wings painted like Spitfires and Mustangs, and TIE-fighters painted in Nazi and Soviet colors...

[SIZE=3]Report by Captain Dobri Kolarov, VNVV, 103rd Yato CO[/SIZE]
Dated October 10th, 1936

Preface
It was recently my pleasure to visit the new Maritime Fighter Squadron stationed in Chaika (502nd Yato), where I had the opportunity to extensively test a new type of machine which has been in inventory since this May in the three Maritime Yatos. This is, of course, the Rotol Supermarine Spitfire MkI of British origin, named Sokol by its pilots. The Sokol has been deployed to Maritime Fighter (fleet and coastal protection and patrol) flying from my old base at Chaika, and the new strip in Bourgas.

By way of comparison, Kapitan Emil Kristev, the 502nd Yato commander, was trained briefly by me on my own Messerschmitt Bf-109 Strela, and will provide his own report on the comparison of the Strela and Sokol, which I have attached as an addendum to my report.

Comparison of the Supermarine Spitfire MkI ("Sokol", tr. Falcon) and the Messerschmitt Me.109 ("Strela", tr. Arrow, Dart) - Kapitan Dobri Kolarov
Since equipping with the Strela (BF-109B) one year ago I have acquired over 1,200 hours on the type. For this comparison I have flown 31 hours on the Sokol, and overall found it to be a pleasing and comparable machine to the Strela.

I was first impressed by the greater space of the cockpit and the range of visibility offered, which is favorable compared to the Strela. Takeoff was fairly straightforward just like the Messerschmitt, with rudder full right as normal. Kapitan Kristev, flying my own Strela, engaged in maneuvers with me on several occasions, so that I could compare the types on an aggressive footing.

Speed and climb rate of the Sokol is superior to that of the Strela, but I felt the turning radius and maneuverability were slightly inferior. Nevertheless the controls were light and, I felt, made the machine extremely pleasant to fly. A flick-roll will achieve two and a half rolls, which I found extremely surprising in comparison to my experiences with the Strela. The Sokol's armament is on pair with the Strela, featuring four German 7.92mm MG-17s and two 15mm MG-151 cannons, replacing the eight .303 machine guns standard from Supermarine.

While flying against Kapitan Kristev, we made several exercises to compare performance, with Kristev flying my Strela, and myself flying his Sokol. After several exercises we exchanged machines again and re-ran the tests, which sharply altered my perception of the two craft. At the start of the exercise, I allowed the Strela to take a position on my tale and attempted to shake him, which I accomplished without difficulty. By comparison, when I assumed the kill position I was able to stay on the Strela's tail for some time with surprising ease, which challenged my earlier expectations of the Strela's maneuverability edge. Kapitan Kristev and I then traded aircraft, and repeated the exercise with our assigned machines. When the Sokol assumed the chasing position, I was able to shake it on several occasions through use of negative-G maneuvers, which the Sokol was unable to handle due to engine design. Conversely, when I assumed the kill position on the Sokol, I had more difficulty staying on its tail, though I was often able to manage it.

Overall, though, the type seems to be no better or worse in flight than the Strela, though I see several positive advantages of the Sokol which might be rectified in future versions of the Strela. I believe the Sokol is an excellent interceptor machine in the hands of a properly trained pilot.

[SIZE=3]Report by Captain Emil Kristev, VNVV, 502nd Yato CO[/SIZE]
Comparison of the Supermarine Spitfire MkI ("Sokol", tr. Falcon) and the Messerschmitt Me.109 ("Strela", tr. Arrow, Dart) - Kapitan Emil Kristev
This was my first experience with the Strela, as I have been flying the Sokol since May of this year, and biplanes before that time. However, I have acquired five hundred hours on the Sokol and fifteen hundred hours in other types.

My initial reaction to the Strela was that it is an extremely unwieldly and unpleasant craft to fly, particularly compared to the Supermarine Spitfire, which has much lighter controls, better maneuverability, and a superior speed and rate of climb. The cockpit is tighter and has less visibility than the Sokol, which I found consistently frustrating; indeed, on landing I nearly went off the runway due to an inability to see where I was flying. The Messerschmitt is far too stable to make a superior fighter plane, and the controls grew extremely heavy past 250 miles per hour. Armament is less than the Sokol, with two 7.92mm MG-17s and two 15mm MG-151 cannons, and while this is not a desperate loss I feel it could be significant in combat situations.

Our mock dogfights reinforced in my mind the Sokol's dogfighting superiority. I was consistently unable to shake the Supermarine off my tail when flying the Strela, and I was unable to keep the Strela on the Sokol's tail when positions were reversed. However, once Kapitan Kolarov and I returned to our normal aircraft, fortunes changed slightly in favour of the Messerschmitt. The Strela was able to break away on more occasions, particularly using negative-G maneuvers which the Sokol finds difficulty matching. However, I still felt it was easy for a Sokol to shake off the Strela in almost any maneuver.

Overall, I disliked the Strela in comparison to my Sokol, but I believe the Strela can negate many of the disadvantages when a superior pilot is at the controls.





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Just wanted a little comparison piece to contrast the VNVV's Spitfires and Messerschmitts. There was a lot of data on this matchup, and a lot of disagreement. Much of it seem to come from what plane the test pilots flew first: Spitfire pilots seemed to pan the Bf-109, while Bf-109 pilots tended to be nonplussed by the Spitfire. I tried to give each camp their best points.

Personally? I like 'em both. Which is why Bulgaria's been buying both of them!

I'd really like to find some good commentary on the Avia B-135 so I can compare them to the Me-109 and Spitfire. The general assertion is that the B-135 is closely comparable to both, but too few were made to get a good feel for what it was capable of. Indeed, only one plane possibly ever saw combat, out of twelve planes completed...

The B.135 didnt see combat during the bombings of Ploesti and Sofia? Since they sent up the B.534 I assumed that the far more advanced B.135 also was sent up.

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
The B.135 didnt see combat during the bombings of Ploesti and Sofia? Since they sent up the B.534 I assumed that the far more advanced B.135 also was sent up.

The historic Bulgarian B-135 didn't have a lot of spare parts - for instance, the 20mm cannon was never installed as intended - and only twelve were delivered. The Bulgarians used them as advanced trainers. So far as I've been able to determine, none of the B-135s were regularly sent to intercept the bombers.

On one occasion, however, a B-135 pilot encountered some B-24s returning from a bombing raid, and the pilot, Lt Yordan Ferdinandov, was possibly rewarded with a Liberator kill. My sources all say "Some sources say" and so the kill seems to be unconfirmed. The most detail I ever found was that the B-135 pilot was flying alone at the time, and possibly engaged an already-damaged Liberator.

Not that I have spent much time reading about the Bulgarian Air Force, I just found it odd but checking the OOB for 1944 it doesnt mention the B.135 among the combat detachments

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
Not that I have spent much time reading about the Bulgarian Air Force, I just found it odd but checking the OOB for 1944 it doesnt mention the B.135 among the combat detachments

I'm not surprised. I've never been able to find a solid history on the B-135s: one of my sources said they were assembled in Bulgaria; another source said Czechoslovakia and a 1944 delivery, even though the plane flew in 1938. I've seen photos of Nazi-marked B-135s, too. Twelve were supposed to be built for Bulgaria by Avia; and the Bulgarians wanted to license-build 50 of them as the DAR-11 Swallow.

Here in WW, Bulgaria got 24 from Avia in 1935-36, and is assembling more at the DAR/Avia plant starting 1936 (running initially around 24 machines per year, possibly as high as 36, I decided). I know the Czechs also have some flying examples - one of the Czech B-135s ran in the 1936 Talons over Cordoba Contest. The Dutch also might have some, too, as Fokker was apparently closely related with the WW development.

I don't know what's going to follow the B-135 as our own timeline snuffed Avia out of the design business; I expect there will be an eventual B-135 upgrade.

With a Merlin or HS-12Z it could be a wicked aircraft

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
With a Merlin or HS-12Z it could be a wicked aircraft

I'd definitely agree. It appears to have similar wing-loadings as the Spitfire - though I'm not absolutely certain of this - and had excellent handling characteristics, supposedly the equal of Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Messerschmitts of the same generation. The regular HS-12Y engine, however, was apparently a source of some trouble on the Bulgarian planes, hence why it might never have made it into combat. The WW B-135s probably have a few of the same problems, though I really haven't made much note of them.

If an upgraded B-135 is made - perhaps by the Czechs or Dutch, perhaps by me - it'll probably have a bubble canopy, better streamlining, and a HS-12Z engine; but that's not something I'm going to work on right now. My conjectural upgrade would also probably feature some enhanced armament: in my case, a pair of 20mm or 15mm cannon and two .30-cal MGs would be just about what I'd want, I think. Even a quartet of 15mm cannon would make the next machine quite well armed.

The Bulgarians are basically looking at keeping two types of single-seat fighter on hand: one foreign-built and available in quantity, and one locally-built as a backup. The B-135 is filling the latter role: Bulgaria's ordering max B-135 production out of the DAR/Avia factory as a way of increasing the local economy and keeping Bulgarian plane-builders solidly in business.

A motor-cannon, as was intended and the Hispano (but not a Merlin) was designed for, would be fine, but I'd bet if you were going to put anything more than rifle-caliber MGs in the wings you'd need to strengthen them to deal with the recoil.

That can probably be done, I presume...

Of course, but it adds weight.