National Order "For Military Merit".

[Ruiz]

Order for Military Merit, 4Th class with war bravery ribbon and laurel wreath. Boris III .

[CtahhR]

Here is Document #4477 for a Cavalier's Cross awarded to Sanitary Captain Georgi Lazarov Simitchiev of the Military "of our name" School (His Majesty's Military School or the Boris III Military School - National Military University "Vasil Levski" today) on 6th May 1943.

By this time, Bulgaria was in serious need of trained medical officers and staff and that need would grow ever greater over the next two years. Boris III would himself be dead only 3 months and 22 days later.

It looks like someone's had a jolly good cuppa over this Document, maybe Simitchiev was a little worried during the transition.

[CtahhR]

Here is Document #1003 awarding the Officer's Cross to Commander of the 19th Infantry Shumen Battalion Lieutenant-Colonel Vasil Marinov Vasilev on 23rd November 1921.

It would be rather interesting to find out what deeds this commander did to obtain this military award during a turbulent peacetime.

Vasilev was born on 25th June 1884 in Sevlievo and served in the Bulgarian Army from 1905 until 1934. He retired with the rank of Major-General and lived in Sofia through the Second World War and People's Republic until his death in early 1965.

It's always intereting to obtain a piece to someone with a wikipedia page - even if it's only in one language - Васил Василев (генерал-майор, р. 1884).