Stoyan Stoyanov

Stoyan Stoyanov was the highest scoring Bulgarian fighter ace of the Royal Bulgarian Air Force in World War II with 14 victories.

Stoyan Stoyanov was born 12 March, 1913, in the village of Galata (now a part of the city of Varna). Five months earlier, his father, a flag bearer of the 8th Sea-Regiment of Varna in the Balkan war, was killed in a battle against the Ottoman Army near the town of Edirne, near 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 a very poor child of a mother with four children, he had to sell newspapers in the streets of Varna. By finishing this school, he was able 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 joined the higher army school for army officers in Sofia (where he could be granted again full scholarship). He passed the examinations with excellent results and became a cavalry officer. He now had the chance to attend the Royal military academy in Sofia, where he was accepted in 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 then sent for training abroad in Germany. In July-September 1938, he took part in a competition course for acrobatic flying in the town of Kaufboiren. He finished this course 15 days before the rest of his Bulgarian colleagues –students in this course - and in September 1938 began a second course in the Higher school for fighter pilots at Werneuchen (near Berlin) together with six of his Bulgarian colleagues. In 1939 he finished this school. In Germany, he trained his colleagues Ch. Toplodolsky and D. Spissarevsky (who both became top aces later). Stoyanov was trained to fly a variety of planes: Gothaer, Bücker Bü 181 Bestman, Stiglec, Focke-Wulf, Arado-45 , Arado-68, Heinkel He 51, Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser, Messerschmitt Bf 109 Dora, Bf 109 Emil, Bf 109 (G2 and G6) and others.

In 1939 back home as instructor in the fighter pilot's school in airfield Karlovo, he trained pilots to fly Bf 109s delivered to the BRAF. In 1939 he met Mina, an 18-year-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 based at Karlovo, equipped with the Bf 109 G-2 and G-6.

World war II career and awards

For his initial victory claim on 1 August 1943 (when the strategic bombing Operation "Tidal Wave" of the Allied air forces commenced), he was decorated personally by the Bulgarian King Boris III 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 24 June 1944.

His last aerial victory was on 26 August 1944. In September 1944 he was promoted to Captain. On 22 November 1944, he received his third medal for bravery and was promoted to air force major, this time for combat against German ground forces in Macedonia and Kosovo (Bulgaria joined the Allied Forces in their fight against Germany, after a political change of government, on 9 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 Yak-9M fighter planes. He trained many new pilots to fly on them. He was dismissed in 1956 and with a low military pension. He worked for 30 years as a guide in the museum Rila Monastery, a national museum and tourist site in the Rila Mountains, while his family lived 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 of general-major (retired). Five years later he passed away.

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 Munich
* Philippe Saintes: "Le comte de BF 109". AVIONS n124, p 43-53, July 2003

External links

* [http://vstoyano.sky.prohosting.com/]