- Ivan Fichev
Infobox Military Person
name=Ivan Fichev
lived=15 April 1860 –13 November 1931
placeofbirth=Tarnovo , contemporaryBulgaria
placeofdeath=Sofia ,Bulgaria
caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Bulgaria|1878Bulgaria
branch=
serviceyears=1877 - 1914
rank=Lieutenant General
commands=Second Thracian Infantry Division
Head of the General Staff of the Bulgarian Army
unit=
battles=Lozengrad
Lule-Burgas
awards=
laterwork=Ivan Fichev ( _bg. Иван Фичев) (born on
15 April 1860 inTarnovo , died on13 November 1931 inSofia ) was a BulgarianGeneral , Minister of Defense, MilitaryHistorian andAcademician .He was born in 1860 in Tarnovo. He was a grandson of the famous architect from the National Revival,
Kolyu Ficheto . Fichev studied in Tarnovo,Gabrovo and in Rober College inIstanbul . During theRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878) he participated in the Bulgarian volunteer corps and later served as translator for the temporaryRussia n governors in Gabrovo and Tarnovo. In 1882 he graduated the Military School in Sofia.During the
Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885 he was a commander of 2nd Company in the 5th Danube Regiment and participated in the defense ofVidin between 12 and 16 November.In 1898 he graduated the Military Academy in
Torino ,Italy . On1 January 1892 he was promoted aMajor and on 1 January 1903 - aColonel . From the beginning of 1907 he was appointed a commander of the Second Thracian Infantry Division based inPlovdiv and on 1 January 1908 Ivan Fichev was promoted aMajor General . From 1910 to 1914 he was a head of theGeneral Staff of theBulgarian Army including the twoBalkan Wars and as such was responsible for devising the general plan for the war againts theOttoman Empire .During the
First Balkan War (1912-1913) he was the head of the operations inThrace and fought in the successful battles at Lozengrad and Lule-Burgas but after the Bulgarian advance was repulsed atChataldja only 20 km from the Ottoman capital he fell into disgrace. Fichev gave up his post in the beginning of 1913 but his resignation was not accepted.During the
Second Balkan War in 1913 he continued to the a Head of the General Staff of the Army. On 14 January 1914 he was promoted aLieutenant General and from 14 September that year he was appointed a Minister of War. After theFirst World War he was aMinister Plenipotentiary in theRomania n capitalBucharest .Ivan Fiched died on 13 November 1931 in Sofia.
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