Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
September 9, 1944
[No. 185]

ORDER

OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

To Army General Tolbukhin

To Admiral Oktyabrsky

The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on September 8 crossed the Romanian-Bulgarian border, advanced up to 170 kilometres in two days, captured the important communications hub Shumen (Shumla), the large Danube port of Ruse (Rustchuk), and in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet captured the towns and major Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas.

Our troops commenced operations in Bulgaria because the Bulgarian Government was unwilling to sever its relations with Germany and was sheltering German armed forces on Bulgarian territory.

As a result of the successful actions of our troops, the objective of the military operations has been achieved: Bulgaria has severed relations with Germany and declared war on her. Bulgaria has thus ceased to be a bulwark of German imperialism in the Balkans, which it had been for the last thirty years.

In the operations conducted on the territory of Bulgaria, distinction was won by the troops of Lieutenant-General Shlemin, Lieutenant-General Gagen, Lieutenant-General Sharokhin; tankmen of Major-General of Tank Troops Zhdanov, Major-General of Tank Troops Katkov, Lieutenant-General of Tank Troops Sukhoruchkin; sailors of Captain 1st Rank Derevyanko, Captain 2nd Rank Ratner, Major Kotanov; and airmen of Lieutenant-General of Aviation Yermachenkov.

To commemorate the success achieved, the units and formations which particularly distinguished themselves in the operations on the territory of Bulgaria shall be recommended for conferment of the designations "Rustchuk," "Shumla," "Varna," and "Burgas."

Today, September 9, at 23:00 hours, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, in the name of the Motherland salutes the valiant troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet who distinguished themselves in the operations on the territory of Bulgaria, with twenty artillery salvoes from two hundred and twenty-four guns.

For excellent operations I express my thanks to the troops, ships, and units under your command which took part in the operations in Bulgaria.

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN

September 9, 1944 [No. 185]