site.btaWW2 Pilot Hero Honoured 80 Years after His Death

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, senior military officers, service persons, war veterans and members of the public attended a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the heroic feat of Captain Dimitar Spisarevski at the pilot's monument here on Wednesday.

"The name of Dimitar Spisarevski continues to inspire the alert, to provoke the indifferent and to startle everyone who is selling off Bulgaria's sovereignty and dignity," Radev said, addressing the commemoration.

Royal Bulgarian Air Force airmen Dimitar Spisarevski and Georgi Kyumyurdzhiev were killed on December 20, 1943, defending Sofia against an Allied air raid during WW II. During that mission, Spisarevski rammed his Me 109G-2 fighter plane into an enemy bomber over the village of Pasarel near the capital city. That was the first such aerial ramming in Bulgarian aviation. Another Me 109G-2, piloted by Lieutenant Kyumyurdzhiev, was shot down in that battle - only his second combat mission.  

"How much you should love your country to say: 'You will ram and bring down at least one bomber but will not let it overfly this sacred land and strafe it with bombs'? How strong you should be to remain true to your words and deliberately fly your plane into the Flying Fortress and put an end to your life as young as 27?" the head of State added. "These words are especially forceful at a time when values are falling apart, when nihilism, political impotence, hypocrisy, public apathy and lack of direction dominate," he pointed out.

Tagarev said in his speech that his Ministry highly values every example of self-sacrifice of every Bulgarian soldier who have laid their life in defence of Bulgaria. "We also appreciate the everyday effort of our service members," the Defence Minister said further. He suggested that some element of the Bulgarian fighter aviation should adopt the name of Spisarevski as its patron and perpetuate his glory and memory.

The participants in the ceremony paid floral tribute at the hero's monument.