Colonel Milko Zhelezov

Born in Varna on November 4, 1872, Milko Zhelezov Graduating from high school in his hometown with full honors, he then attended His Majesty’s Military School – also with honors and a specialty – artilleryman. He served in the 5th Artillery Regiment, the Coastal Battery and the Shumen Fortress Battalion.

Studying at the Higher Artillery School in St. Petersburg from 1904 to 1906, he focused on two areas: fortress and coastal artillery. Here he created the first calculation tool in artillery history, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 3rd degree from the Russian monarch.

He was the first organiser of coastal artillery defence of the sea boundary in Bulgaria. With the precise fire of the guns he commanded, he on October 6, 1912, foiled a Turkish squadron’s effort to attack Varna harbor.

Zhelezov fought in the Vidin area against the Serbian army during the Second Balkan war in 1913 as commander of an artillery battalion, where he earned his first Order of Bravery.

Zhelezov was the commander of the Coastal Artillery Group of Batteries in the Navy and the Varna Fortification Point at the start of World War I. Therefore, at the start of the conflict, he was assigned a combat task: to instantly fire on any enemy ship inside the range of his cannons. From a distance of 15.2 kilometers, the massive Russian squadron of 22 warships and naval aviation with 60 cannon barrels pounded targets around and in the port of Varna on October 14, 1915. Errors in the supply and construction of the weapons caused his battery range to be as much as 10 km. He was left with no option except to be quiet. His failure to fire was seen as a sign of goodwill toward the Russians. The Palace dismissed him from his position and dispatched him as a unit commander in the 5th Artillery Regiment close to Razgrad.

Before long, he started fighting to free Dobrudja. In the Tutrakan fight, he stood out with bravery. His two-battery separation beat back the attack of a better enemy, defeating Romanians, Russians, and Serbs. Prince Boris, who was there during the fight at the command post next to Zhelezov, was pleased by his abilities and promoted him to lieutenant colonel and awarded him the Order “For Bravery”. Zhelezov was elevated to colonel at the war’s conclusion and awarded his third Order of Bravery. In an almost totally unarmed fleet, he was reinstated as commander of the now devastated Coastal Artillery Group.

Colonel Zhelezov filed his report and retired on February 1, 1921, after 51 years of service, involvement in three wars, and receipt of 10 orders and medals.
Col. Zhelezov was tried by the so-called “People’s Court” when the communist government took power in Bulgaria following World War II. He was eventually permitted to return after being extradited from Varna. On October 28, 1955, he passed away in Varna.

A monument to Colonel Zhelezov was unveiled in 2016 in the courtyard of the Naval Museum in Varna.

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