Bulgaria

As the world moved towards WWII, King Boris III of Bulgaria strove to stay neutral. But by 1939, Bulgaria was an unwitting ally of Germany forced to follow Nazi dictates, including the deportation and execution of all 50,000 of it Jewish population. Beyond Hitler's grasp is the dramatic true account of the Bulgarians conspiracy to outwit the Germans - and keep every one of Bulgaria's Jews from ever being deported. This monumental work actually reads like a thriller, involving beautiful spies, the Church, a secret mole, and a compassionate king committed to his countrymen.

Richard Crampton presents a general introduction to Bulgaria at the cross-roads of Christendom and Islam. This concise history traces the country's growth from pre-history, through its days as the center of a powerful medieval empire and five centuries of Ottoman rule, to the political upheavals of the twentieth century which led to three wars. It highlights 1995 to 2004, a vital period during which Bulgaria endured financial meltdown, set itself seriously on the road to reform, elected its former King as prime minister, and finally secured membership in NATO and admission to the European Union. First Edition Hb (1997) 0-521-56183-3 First Edition Pb (1997) 0-521-56719-X

Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia were all German allies in the Second World War, unlike the other countries of Europe which had either been forcibly occupied by the Nazis or remained neutral. SOE Missions mounted within their borders were thus doubly hazardous for they were conducted in enemy-populated territory, heavily policed by military forces and gendarmerie. Furthermore all these states had well developed and experienced security services, usually supplemented by Gestapo and Abwehr units. A further complication to the activities of SOE in these countries was that they had all been effectively conceded by Western Allies to Russia; not surprisingly therefore, operations in the Soviet 'sphere of influence' were to prove diabolically difficult.

This is a story about the courage of individuals in the face of overwhelming odds. Hunger, ill-health, exhaustion, cold and treachery all combined to make life for those members of SOE who parachuted into these Fascist outposts of Fortress Europe as insufferable as it was dangerous. For weeks on end, the SOE missions moved continually at night, chased by enemy troops, betrayed by local villagers, awaiting air drops that never came and listening out for orders that were rarely specific. Thus the picture that emerges of SOE activities in these countries is one of heroic proportions, with courage, dedication and daring displayed by every mission.

Although nearly all SOE personnel were either killed or captured, the impact of their clandestine operations served as a persistent irritant, continuously undermining Germany's strategic and political assumptions about the loyalty of her allies.

CHAPTER I: A VISITOR

On a delightful evening in May, Chorbaji Marko, bareheaded and in dressing gown and shppers, was sitting at supper with his family in the courtyard. As usual,, the table was laid at the foot of the vines ; on one side flowed the? clear, cold brooklet, which sang night and day like a swallow as it rippled past; on the other, the; high, hedge of clustering ivy made an evergreen cover for the wall all the year round. A lantern shone down from an overhanging branch of lilac, which spread its odorous blossoms over the heads of the assembled family. The family was a large one. Round Marko, his old mother and his buxom wife, were crowded a complete circle of children, great and small, all armed with knives and forks, and ready for a terrible onslaught on their victuals ; they fully personified the Turkish, saying : *' Saman doushmanlari " (foes to their fodder), i From time to time their father cast an approving glance at the execution done by the teeth of these indefatigable workers, and encouraged them with a smile and a merry " Set to, young 'uns. Fill up the jug again, Pena." And the maid would go to the well, where the great wine jar was cooling, and fill the earthenware jug ; while Marko, handing it to the children, would say, " Drink, you young rascals ! " and so the jar would go round the table. Eyes brightened, cheeks sparkled, and lips parted in a smile of satisfaction, and Marko would turn to his wife, and seeing a look of disapproval on her face, would say, " Let them drink in my presence. I won't stint them of wine—for I don't want them to become drunkards when they grow up."

Marko was a thoroughly practical man. His education had been but slight—he was of the old regime —but thanks to his natural common sense, he understood human nature well, and knew that people always hanker most after what is forbidden. For the same reason he always entrusted his children with the key of his money-chest, so as to prevent any inchnation to theft. " Gocho," he would say, " go and open the cypress-wood chest and bring me the money-bag "; or else, as he went out, " My boy, just count out twenty liras in gold, and give them to me when I come in."