View source for Bulgarian Volunteer Corps

{{infobox war faction
| name             = Volunteer<br />({{langx|bg|опълченци}})
| war              = the  [[Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876-1878)]] and the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878]]
| image            = <div style="background-color:#DCDCDC">[[File:Flag of Stiliana Paraskevova.svg|border|300px]]</div>
| caption          = The [[War flag|standard]] of the Bulgarian Opaltchentsi
| active           = 1877–1878
| ideology         = [[National awakening of Bulgaria|Bulgarian nationalism]]
| leaders          = Collective leadership
| groups           = 
| headquarters     = [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
| area             = [[Bulgaria]]
| size             = 40,300
| partof           = 
| predecessor      = [[Bulgarian Legion]]
| successor        = [[Military of Bulgaria|Bulgarian army]]
| allies           = {{flag|Russian Empire|1858}}<br />{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}<br />{{flagicon|Serbia|civil}} [[Principality of Serbia|Serbia]]<br />{{flagcountry|Principality of Montenegro}}
| opponents        = {{flag|Ottoman Empire}}
| battles          = [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878]]
}}

[[File:Opalchentsi reconstruction.jpg|thumb|Reenactors dressed as Opalchentsi at the official commemoration of the 133 anniversary of the [[Liberation of Bulgaria]]]]
'''Opalchentsi''' ({{langx|bg|опълченци}}) were [[Bulgaria]]n voluntary army units, who took part in the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878]]. The people in these units were called ''opalchenets-pobornik'' (опълченец-поборник) roughly meaning "folk-" or "regiment-combatant" .

The Bulgarian voluntary army units for the Russo-Turkish War were gathered after the [[manifesto]] of [[Alexander II of Russia]], announcing the War. The meeting point of the Bulgarian volunteers in Russia was the city of [[Samara, Russia|Samara]]. The Bulgarian Opalchentsi were given the [[Samara flag]] bearing the images of the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Holy Mother]] and [[Saints Cyril and Methodius]] (the flag is kept in the National Museum of Military History in Sofia). The Opalchentsi took an active part in the [[Second Battle of Shipka Pass|Second]] and [[Fourth Battle of Shipka Pass]] and after the end of the war went on to form Bulgaria's [[Military of Bulgaria|army]].

==Structure==

Major General [[Nikolai Stoletov]] was appointed Chief of the Bulgarian Militia, with his chief of staff being Colonel Efim Rinkiewicz. Other staff officers were also appointed - Colonel Engelhart, Lieutenant Colonel [[:bg:Фьодор Де Прерадович|Fyodor De Preradovic]] and others. The command staff consisted of 136 officers, among which were Bulgarian officers and non-commissioned officers in the Russian Army:  
*Lieutenant-Colonel [[:bg:Константин Кесяков|Konstantin Kesyakov]],
*Captain [[:bg:Райчо Николов|Raicho Nikolov]],
*Lieutenants Peter Alexiev, Delev, [[:bg:Петко Стоянов (офицер)|Petko Stoyanov]], Konstantin Shivarov, [[:bg:Атанас Узунов (офицер)|Atanas Uzunov]], [[:bg:Димитър Филов|Dimitar Filov]], [[Danail Nikolaev]], [[:bg:Стефан Любомски|Stefan Lyubomski]],
*Sub-lieutenants [[:bg:Стефан Кисов|Stefan Kissov]], [[:bg:Аврам Гуджев|Avram Gudzhev]], [[:bg:Олимпий Панов|Olympiy Panov]] and [[:bg:Коста Паница|Costa Panitsa]].

Friendly doctors were appointed, including the Bulgarians [[:bg:Константин Бонев|Konstantin Bonev]], [[:bg:Сава Мирков|Sava Mirkov]], [[:bg:Константин Везенков|Konstantin Vesenkov]], Andrei Bogdanov, Ivan Panov, [[:bg:Яков Петкович|Yakov Petkovich]].

The militias were trained by Russian officers. They were armed with the [[Chassepot]] rifle, which was bought by the Ministry of Defense and the Moscow Slavic Committee. In terms of numbers and structure, the militia was comparable to a reinforced wartime infantry division. It consisted of 3 militia brigades, each consisting of 2 militia "druzhina" (the equivalent of a battalion) of 5 companies each. Later on, 6 more independent detachments formed later are included.

The Bulgarian militia units were commanded by:
*1st Militia Brigade, commanded by Colonel Korsakov,
*2nd Militia Brigade, commanded by Colonel [[:bg:Леонид Вяземски|Leonid Vyazemski]],
*3rd Militia Brigade, commanded by Colonel [[:bg:Михаил Толстой|Mikhail Tolstoy]].

Other independent detachments were:
*7th Militia druzhina, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Tizenkhausen,
*8th Militia druzhina, commanded by Staff-captain Merchanski,
*9th Militia druzhina, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Lvov,
*10th Militia druzhina, commanded by Major Dorshlung,
*11th Militia druzhina, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Gasparevski,
*12th Militia druzhina, commanded by Major Kornilovech.

==Honours==
One of the poems in [[Ivan Vazov]]'s ''[[Epic of the Forgotten]]'', namely "[[The Volunteers at Shipka|Opalchentsite na Shipka]]", is dedicated to them.
[[Opalchenie Peak]] in [[Vinson Massif]], [[Antarctica]] is named after the Bulgarian Volunteer Force in the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War and the [[Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps]] in the 1912–1913 [[Balkan Wars]].<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=137201 Opalchenie Peak.] SCAR [[Composite Antarctic Gazetteer]].
</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Samara flag]]
*[[Romanian War of Independence]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* С. Кисьов. ''„Българското опълчение в Освободителната руско-турска война 1877–1878 г.“''

{{Great Eastern Crisis}}

[[Category:Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]]
[[Category:Military history of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Battle of Shipka Pass]]