Исторически преглед

Издание на Института за исторически изследвания при БАН

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И.Ист.И.

“The Smell of Gunpowder Is Strong, and the Fire Is Approaching Us”: The Diary of Lieutenant General Konstantin Lukash (5 January – 8 June 1941)

„Въобще мирише на барут, и то силно. Пожарът приближава към нас“. Дневник на ген.-лейтенант Константин Лукаш (5 януари – 8 юни 1941 година)

Исторически преглед, 81 (2025) No. 4, pp. 190-232 (ISSN 0323-9748)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/IPR4.25.JL06

Jivko Lefterov / Живко Лефтеров

Department History, New Bulgarian University

Abstract: The present documentary publication aims to introduce into scholarly circulation the previously unpublished personal diary of Lieutenant General Konstantin Lukash, kept during the first half of 1941. At that time he was commander of the First Bulgarian Army and a representative of the country’s senior officer corps. In his very first entry, dated 5 January, Lukash justified his decision to begin keeping a diary with the unfolding events surrounding the potential involvement of the Balkan states in the war, as well as with Tsar Boris III’s convocation of the Supreme Military Council in full composition. Another reason, in his view, was the need to preserve reliable notes for the future, once the events had faded from memory.

The diary reflects the author’s personal concerns and doubts about the Third Reich’s ability to win the war militarily, especially given the many uncertainties at the time related to two decisive political, economic, and military factors: the USSR and the USA. The entries also include circulating rumors in Bulgaria, reflections on the state of the army and the morale of officers and soldiers, all marked by the rapid development of events and the creation of a United Bulgaria.

Written with candor, the diary of Lieutenant General Konstantin Lukash provides additional and reliable insights into the prevailing atmosphere in this period, so full of turning points for the country and the nation. It also sheds light on his personal assessments of the events.

Keywords: diary, Lieutenant General Konstantin Lukash, Bulgaria, Second World War.