Stoyan Stoyanov

The highest scoring Bulgarian fighter ace of the Royal

Bulgarian Air Force in World War II. Stoyan Stoyanov was born on the 12-th of March, 1913 in the village of Galata (nowadays a part of the city Varna). Five months earlier, his father who was a flag bearer of the 8th Sea-Regiment of Varna in the Balkan war, was killed in a battle against the Turkish army near the town of Edirne, not far from Istanbul.

Education

Being a war orphan, he was accepted in a school for war-orphans in Varna. There he was a good student but being very poor child of a mother with 4 children, he has had to sell newspapers in the streets of Varna to earn some petty cash. By finishing this school, he had the privilege to continue his secondary education in the national Seminary (in Sofia), where he entered in 1930.

Military schools and training

In 1934 he graduated from the Seminary and so could join the higher army school for army officers in Sofia (where he could be granted again full scholarship). He passed with excellent results the examinations and became a cavalry officer. So he had now the chance to attend the Royal military academy in Sofia, where he was accepted in the late 1934 for the aviator’s course. In 1938 he finished the higher school for fighter pilots and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. For very good results, shown in flying, he was than sent for training abroad - in Germany, without any competition. In 1938 from July till September, he took part in a competition course for acrobatic flying in the town of Kaufboiren (Germany). He finished this course 15 days before the rest of his Bulgarian colleges –students in this course and in September 1938 began a second course in the Higher school for fighter pilots in the village of Werneuchen (near Berlin) together with 6 of his Bulgarian colleges. In 1939 he finished this school incl. a course for flying on gliders. In Germany, he has trained his colleges - Ch. Toplodolsky and D. Spissarevsky (both became top aces later) for master flying . Stoyanov was trained to fly on different planes: Gota, Buker Besman, Stiglec, Fokke-Wulf, Arado-45 , Arado-68,Heinkel-51, Stosser, Me-109-Dora, Me-109-Emil, Messerschmitt-Bf 109-(G2 and G6 ) and some others. In 1939 back home as instructor in the fighter pilot's school in airfield Karlovo , he trained about 20 pilots to fly on Me-109 delivered to BRAF. In 1939 he met Mina - a 18 years old girl, who lived in the town of Karlovo /near the airfield /and he married her in August, 1940. From the second half of 1943 he was appointed as commander of the 3/6 air squadron in the airfield of Karlovo, equipped with Me-109 G2 and G6. Here he started his aerial WWII combats.

World war II Carrier and awards

For his first victory on August 1st, 1943 (against the bombers executing the well known "Tidal Wave Operation" of the Allied Airforces )he was decorated personally by the Bulgarian King Boris the Third with the "Commander’s medal for bravery". He also received the Iron Cross-2nd Class, from the German Embassy. A second medal for bravery was given to him on the 24-th of June, 1944. His last aerial victory in the fight against the Allied Air Forces was on the 26-th of Aug., 1944. In Sept.1944, he was promoted to captain. On 22. of November 1944, he got his third medal for bravery and was promoted to Air force major, this time for his fighting results against German ground forces in Macedonia and Kosovo. ( Bulgaria joined the Allied Forces in their fight against Germany, after a political change of the government on the 9th of September, 1944) .

After the war

Stoyanov remained in the Air Force of PR Bulgaria for a couple of years. In March 1945 Bulgaria received 120 Russian fighter planes Yak- 9M for the Bulgarian Air force. He trained many new pilots to fly on them. He was dismissed in 1956 and left with a low pension, he started work (for 30 years) as a guide for visitors of the museum Rila Monastery, a national museum and tourist site, placed far and deep in the Rila Mountains, while his family lived about hundred miles away in Sofia .

After the fall of communist regime

 As late as after 1989 Stoyanov was honoured as ace No 1 of Bulgarian Royal Air Force in WWII. In 1992 he was raised to the rank General-Major (retired).Five  years later he passed away. 

Air kills

• 1/08/43 ------ -----B-24(Liberator) --------shot
• 1/08/43 ------------B-24 ------------------damaged
• 24/11/43----------- B-24 ------ -----------damaged
• 10/12/43------------P-38(Lightning)--------damaged
• 20/12/43------------B-24 ------------------damaged
• 10/01/44------------P-38 ------------------shot
• 23/06/44----------- B-24 ------------------shot
• 24/06/44 ---------- B-24 ----------------- shot(shared victory)
• 26/08/44------------P-38-------------------shot

References

• Stefan Semerdjiev: Ace in Defense of Bulgaria. Military History (USA), August 1999, p. 50-56
• Stefan Semerdjiev: Bulgarian Eagles. Airpower (USA), September 2003, p. 14-23
• Jay Stout. FORTRESS PLOESTI-The campaign to destroy Hitler's oil(USA-2003),p. 68-70, 180-185
• J.Dugan and C. Stewart. PLOESTI-The great grand-air battle of 1 August 1943(USA-2002) p.202-203
• Hans W. Neulen: Am Himmel Europas , 1998- Muenchen
• Philippe Saintes: "Le comte de BF 109". AVIONS n124, p 43-53 ,Juillet 2003

External links

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Category: Lists of World War II flying aces