Page 307 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

THE DETACHMENTS OF MACEDONO-THRACLAN
REVOLUTIONARY ORGANIZATION DURJNG
WORLD WAR I

DIMITER MINCHEV

The acrivities, dosely linked co the organization and partecipation of the detach-
menrs of the lmecnal Macedono-Adrianople's Revolutionary Organisacion (l M ARO)
during the Firsc World War is closely linked w che name of Colon nel Perar Dar-
vingov. He was nn intell•genr Bulgarian officer, who had srudied arche miliury
school in Turin from 1906 co 1909 jusc where we now havc thc possibiliry co hold
our Congress and co enjoy che hospimliry o( che scarr. Furchecmocc che Bulgaria n
guerrilla movemcm owc:d very much co the Amcrican scoucs, nnd used chelr ex-
perience during che war for lndcpendancc.
The decachmenrs of thc IMARO rcndcred grcac servicc co Bulgarian troops
during che Balkan wars, but thc army did nor use their help in che besc way, nnd
thc reasons for this are diflìcult co find. First of ali che: mai n stra regie auack was
in Eascern Thrace, where in 1hose vaUeys the decachmcnrs were not nblc ro fulfìl
the wks thac they could ha ve: fulfiUed in the mountainous regions of Macedonia.
The siruation was different during che Firsr W orld \'V'ar. Combat experience
from the former rwo wars, showed chat the activities of che derachmems could be
exclusively useful for the army. but only if che cask was well organised, and if some
of the following conditions were fulfìllcd: Bulgarian rroops were operating in che
Macedonian thcacre; thcre was some interaction bcrween che croops and che demch-
mems, th:u is co say, che common activities were organized by a coordinacing ccntcr.
The lacer was responsible for proposing the casks, foUowing rhem co cheir fulfìl-
mem and processing the information; che men and che commanders were ro be
ueated as servicemen from the army with cbe same righcs and obligations, which
derive from such a sicuacion.
To achieve ali rhis. in Septcmber 1915. when mobilisation was dednred, che
dc:cachmcms of thc organisurion passed undcr thc army. lnduding ali of che mc:n
in che dccachmenrs in che Bulgariun army was also of juridical signifìcance - (or
if they were caprured, che rcvolucionaries had co be rreaced as soldiers from che
army and noc ns highwaymcn. The small decachmencs of the organisation from the
so caUc:d " Parrisan Decachmenc" indudcd che mcrnbcrs of che Cenerai Con1mìcccc
oflMARO AJexandcr Procogcrov, Todor Alexanderov and Peccr Chaoulev are nomi·