The Bulgarian army was also equipped with German tank equipment during World War II.
In 1943-44 Bulgaria purchased 91 (97) tanks Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.G and Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H. From the photos it is clear that there was also a version of Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. J. The machine may have been supplied by Germany, or it is possible that it may have been Bulgarian payload material.
After the war the tanks served until the 1950s. The machines were subsequently used to build permanent fortress palposts on the Bulgarian-Turkish and possibly Bulgarian-Greek border, where individual wrecks are probably still there today. These permanent fortresses are situated in inaccessible terrain, which was practically inaccessible during the socialist regime because it was a military border zone, whose defences included minefields until the mid-1990s. Today, these remains are the target of looting. But at the same time, military fans are keen to save these precious machines and hand them over to the museum.
The machines have been placed in hardened tank trenches or have been concreted over. In the photos below of the modification without the gun, it can be seen that crew entrances have been made in the sides of the hull, probably closed with doors, and makeshift seats for the crew can be seen in the engine compartment.
Some Pz.Kpfw. IV were, or still are, on the polygon in Novi Selo.
The same palposts were also created using PzKpfw.V "Panther" tanks. A total of 20 tanks were acquired by the Bulgarian Army as booty from the Soviet Army just before the end of the war (3/1945 - they were not used in combat) and after the end of the war. An internet source mentions the probable presence of 10-15 such palposts in the Makaz Pass on the Bulgarian-Greek border. The source refers to military documentation mentioning these bunkers. However, access to them is difficult. Mine fields have made movement in the area dangerous. According to more recent information, the use of turrets from Panther tanks is disinformation.
A similar use of decommissioned PzKpfw.IV tanks and their tank turrets was considered in post-war Czechoslovakia. A project and a test prototype of the bunker was created. However, after unsatisfactory results of sniper tests, this project was stopped.
ostpanzer.com
Veža zbavená kanóna a otvory po kanóne a bočné výstupné dvierka zavarené plátami ocele s výstrelnými otvormi pre streľbu z ručných zbraní.
Full PzKpfw.IV Ausf.J
In 1943-44 Bulgaria purchased 91 (97) tanks Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.G and Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H. From the photos it is clear that there was also a version of Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. J. The machine may have been supplied by Germany, or it is possible that it may have been Bulgarian payload material.
After the war the tanks served until the 1950s. The machines were subsequently used to build permanent fortress palposts on the Bulgarian-Turkish and possibly Bulgarian-Greek border, where individual wrecks are probably still there today. These permanent fortresses are situated in inaccessible terrain, which was practically inaccessible during the socialist regime because it was a military border zone, whose defences included minefields until the mid-1990s. Today, these remains are the target of looting. But at the same time, military fans are keen to save these precious machines and hand them over to the museum.
The machines have been placed in hardened tank trenches or have been concreted over. In the photos below of the modification without the gun, it can be seen that crew entrances have been made in the sides of the hull, probably closed with doors, and makeshift seats for the crew can be seen in the engine compartment.
Some Pz.Kpfw. IV were, or still are, on the polygon in Novi Selo.
The same palposts were also created using PzKpfw.V "Panther" tanks. A total of 20 tanks were acquired by the Bulgarian Army as booty from the Soviet Army just before the end of the war (3/1945 - they were not used in combat) and after the end of the war. An internet source mentions the probable presence of 10-15 such palposts in the Makaz Pass on the Bulgarian-Greek border. The source refers to military documentation mentioning these bunkers. However, access to them is difficult. Mine fields have made movement in the area dangerous. According to more recent information, the use of turrets from Panther tanks is disinformation.
A similar use of decommissioned PzKpfw.IV tanks and their tank turrets was considered in post-war Czechoslovakia. A project and a test prototype of the bunker was created. However, after unsatisfactory results of sniper tests, this project was stopped.
ostpanzer.com
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Veža zbavená kanóna a otvory po kanóne a bočné výstupné dvierka zavarené plátami ocele s výstrelnými otvormi pre streľbu z ručných zbraní.
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Full PzKpfw.IV Ausf.J