site.btaBulgaria to Mark 140 Years Since Serbo-Bulgarian War with Ceremonies in Slivnitsa and Gurgulyat

The 140th anniversary of the Serbo-Bulgarian War will be marked with the laying of wreaths and flowers and a solemn ceremony on Friday, the Ministry of Defence press service said. November 7 is the day of victory in the Battle of Slivnitsa.

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Efimov will take part in the ceremonies. Military personnel from the Land Forces and the National Guards Unit of Bulgaria will participate in the military ceremonies at the memorial sites in the village of Gurgulyat, Western Bulgaria, and the town of Slivnitsa, Western Bulgaria.

Wreaths and flowers will be laid at the Mother Bulgaria Pantheon of the Fallen in the Serbo-Bulgarian War near Gurgulyat and at the Five Captains Monument in Slivnitsa.

The Battle of Slivnitsa lasted three days and is considered the baptism of fire for the young Bulgarian army. The front line at Slivnitsa was divided into three parts, with 12,000 Bulgarians facing 25,000 Serbs. At 9:00 a.m. on November 5, 1885, the Serbs advanced, but Capt. Georgi Silianov's battery repelled them quickly and without casualties. On the orders of Prince Alexander of Battenberg, the Bulgarians launched a counterattack near the village of Malo Malovo. The Serbian units were forced to retreat. The decisive day of the battle was November 7. The ratio of forces was now 32,000 Bulgarians against 40,000 Serbs.

The Serbian Morava Division, stopped the previous day by Capt. Stefan Kisov and his detachment of nearly 2,000 men, advanced again. Capt. Marin Marinov, commander of the Bdin Regiment, ordered a bayonet attack, leading his soldiers himself and dying in battle. On the right flank near Slivnitsa, the Bulgarians attacked the Tri Ushi heights. Capt. Marin Marinov was also killed there. The Serbs sent new units against Tri Ushi. The Bulgarians from the central section also charged the heights. Although the Serbs had superiority of 89 against 64 Bulgarian companies, all the peaks of Tri Ushi were captured by the Bulgarians. The Slivnitsa position was saved, and in the following days the Bulgarians went on the offensive and entered Serbian territory.

The battle resulted in 1,800 casualties on the Bulgarian side and 2,100 on the Serbian. The victory served to defend the Unification of Bulgaria, which took place in the autumn of 1885.