The Battle of Stracin of 25 October 1944 was re-enacted for the third time near the village of Sadievo, in the Aytos area. The military history club "Brothers in Arms" organised the event, and more people and vehicles took part this year.
This report follows our earlier article on the "Stracin 1944" re-enactment, which Ivan Ilarev, head of the Military Club in Aytos, announced on 16 October.
Hundreds of spectators gathered at the German bunker north of Sadievo. The organisers chose the site again because the terrain is the closest to the historical record.
The re-enactors wore authentic Bulgarian and German army uniforms and used weapons and military vehicles from the Second World War. Light and heavy machine guns and explosions sounded during the fight. Spectators also saw motorcycles with sidecars, medical teams and "fallen" fighters.
The Ministry of Defence, Aytos municipality and the Military Club in Aytos backed the event.
Stracin was one of the major battles fought by the Bulgarian army in the Second World War. The advance towards the Vardar river valley included fighting for fortified positions there. Its aim was to cut the retreat route of German troops from Greece to Central Europe.