MMP Books seems to be on a campaign to provide camo and markings enthusiasts with a nice line of quality books on those air arms or subjects that have not been all that well covered. Bulgaria is definitely one of those whose aircraft camouflage schemes have been only sparsely covered.

Bulgaria was partnered with Austria-Hungary and Germany in WWI and so was under the same draconian international rules right after the war. This meant no air force, though there was limited civilian flying. It wasn't until a few years after Germany started its military build up that Bulgaria began looking to rebuild its air force. One of the places that it was able to get arms at all was from Germany so it is quite understandable that most of the aircraft that eventually got into service were from that source.

These aircraft were mostly new build planes, though they were also able to obtain a number of ex-Czech types when the need to fill squadrons became critical. Most aircraft remained in the camouflage scheme with which they were delivered, though some were repainted or overpainted with local colors.

This second volume covers three aircraft, but for the most part they were planes that were widely used and so the coverage on these types is extensive.

The first type covered is the Bf-109G. Bulgaria received a considerably number of these planes of different variants, though the G-2 was the version that was initially supplied, and in fairly large numbers. The 109G was the most potent fighter to enter Bulgarian service during the war and its operations and colors consume the majority of the book. It is with this aircraft that most Bulgarian aces were able to achieve their best scores.

The second is the Avia B-135. Only a small number were ever bought and the time from the signing of the contract until the aircraft were eventually delivered was years, which in a war means that the planes were fairly obsolescent by the time they arrived. They served with advanced fighter schools and were not well liked at all by those who flew them.

The third type is the Dewoitine D.520. This aircraft was ordered as there was a need for more fighters once the USAAF started bombing raids in Bulgaria. Most of the planes were new build as the factory in southern France had been taken over by the Germans and new planes were being produced for Luftwaffe use. They arrived in the scheme you see on the book cover though without the white band and Bulgarian insignia. Initially they flew in Luftwaffe markings. Although quite capable fighters in 1940, by 1943/44 they were showing their age. Despite this, Bulgarian pilots had quite a bit of success with these planes against US bomber streams. 

Typical of this series there are superb and quite large photographs of not only planes but some of the luminaries. Though not all planes saw combat, when they did, those combats are included in the book, so you get a war history in addition to a look at the planes and their markings. There is an incredible amount of information included in here and that is what makes it such a great book. This is not one of your weekend read, but an interesting and informative reference that all who are interested in the subject need to have in their collection.

April 2020

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