Stefan Nerezov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Стефан Михайлов Нерезов |
| Born | (1867-11-12)12 November 1867 |
| Died | 16 April 1925(1925-04-16) (aged 57) |
| Allegiance |  Bulgaria |
| Branch |  Bulgarian Army |
| Years of service | 1885 – 1920 |
| Rank | General of the Infantry |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
Stefan Mikhailov Nerezov (Bulgarian:Стефан Михайлов Нерезов) (born 12 November 1867 – 16 April 1925) was aBulgarianGeneral and Chief of the Bulgarian Army Staff.
Stefan Nerezov was born inSevlievo, at the time part of theOttoman Empire.[1] After the liberation of Bulgaria he was a volunteer in the Student's Legion during theSerbo-Bulgarian War and took part in the defense of the unification of thePrincipality of Bulgaria and the province ofEastern Rumelia. After the war he served for a short time as acorporal in the 12th Infantry Regiment and in 1887 he was accepted in Sofia Military School. In 1896, he graduated from theTurin Military Academy inItaly. He was assigned as a junior adjutant in the 4th Artillery Regiment.[2]
With his return to Bulgaria he performed different duties in the General Staff of the Army and in some of the field units. In 1903 Prince Ferdinand took him in his retinue and made him Commandant of the Palace and promoted to major.[3] In 1908 Nerezov was appointed Chief of the Operations Department of the Army Staff and as such took part in the preparations for the war against the Ottoman Empire in 1912. In 1911 he was promoted tocolonel. He served as assistant chief of the Army Headquarters.[3]
During theFirst Balkan War besides Chief of the Operations Department of the Army Staff he was also Assistant to the chief of the General Staff generalIvan Fichev. With the end of that war the growing tension between the former allies general Fichev, who was deeply opposed to a military solution of the disputes between Bulgaria and Serbia, preferred to resign from his post but his resignation was never accepted. Nevertheless, he did not take part in the preparation of the war. Some of his functions were assumed bycolonel Nerezov. Bulgaria did not have a general plan for a war against its former allies so in May colonel Nerezov submitted his suggestions for approval by the High Command. In them, he planned a simultaneous attack by all five Bulgarian armies with the bulk of the forces directs againstMacedonia while the rest drive deep into the prewar borders ofSerbia in order to cut its supply and communication lines. This planned was approved but was not fulfilled as intended.
When the war began on 16 June 1913 only two of the Bulgarian armies were ordered to attack while the other three remained idle for almost one week. This and the entry ofRomania in the war meant that Nerezov's plan was compromised. The Bulgarian High Command chose to withdraw the forces deployed against Old Serbia even though they had achieved success in the initial operations by takingKnjaževac and were poised to takePirot and advance toNiš. The Bulgarians now concentrated their forces to the south and managed to completely halt the Serbian advance after thebattle of Kalimanci and almost encircle the Greek Army in thebattle of Kresna Gorge. These successful military operations could not prevent the Romanian Army from threatening the rear of the Bulgarian Army and reaching the vicinity of capitalSofia which forced the Bulgarian capitulation.
In 1914 colonel Nerezov took the command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Ninth Pleven Infantry Division and was promoted tomajor general the next year and took command of the entire division. With the entry ofBulgaria in the war his division was assigned to theFirst Army for operations against the valleys of the riversTimok andMorava. In the following battles the Serbian Army was defeated but managed to avoid encirclement atKosovo Polje. With the end of theSerbian Campaign the Ninth Division arrived at theMacedonian front where it became part of the11th German Army.
On 25 November 1916 he was appointed commander of theThird Army on theDobrudja Front where he remained for one year. In 1917 he was appointed to command the newly created Morava Army Region in occupiedSerbia.[3]
In Summer of 1918 when the 5th Bulgarian Division was defeated at theBattle of Skra-di-Legen the Commander in Chief generalNikola Zhekov decided that a command change was needed in theFirst Army in order to increase the morale of its troops. GeneralDimitar Geshov was replaced with general Nerezov, who was described as "more healthy, more lively and more steadfast".[4] In August he was promoted toLieutenant General.
In September the Allies began their final offensive to knock out Bulgaria out of the war. The Bulgarian Army which was stretched on a 350 km front with all its forced arrayed in a single line had little reserves to prevent a breakthrough at theBattle of Dobro Pole. General Nerezov's First Army was attacked by the British and Greeks at theBattle of Doiran. The war ended in Bulgarian defeat and the First Army was demobilized in October 1918.
After the war general Nerezov served as Inspector of the Infantry and in 1919 as Chief of the Bulgarian Army Staff. In 1920 he was promoted toGeneral of the Infantry which was the highest rank in the Bulgarian Army and went into the reserve.[3]
General Nerezov died on 16 April 1925 when he was killed in theSt Nedelya Church assault inSofia.
Zhekov appointed the "more healthy, more lively and more steadfast" Lieutenant General Stefan Nerezov in his place
