Theodor

That is usual to see. TABSO and later Balkan are very often written in Latin alphabet. After all, as airlines these had to deal with a big part of the world. Even in the former Socialist block, most countries used the Latin, not the Cyrillic.

This one is just a badge for the ship Radetzky. The ship has a significant historical role - the group of rebellions led by Hristo Botev landed from it in 1876, to fight against the Ottomans. It was an Austro-Hungarian ship on the Danube. The Austrians offered it to several Bulgarian governments, but found no interest! It was retired, but still kept for years, waiting for reaction from Bulgaria... Some public organizations tried to raise funds and get it, but not successful. Finally it was scrapped in 1924. For the event of 90 years of Botev's exploit, the schoolkids of Bulgaria gathered money and a Hungarian river tugboat was reconstructed into something quite similar to the original Radetzky. I do not know about this badge - if it was given to those who donated, or to anyone.

I think this one is rare - Bulgarian River Sailing - for long years conscientious work

Also found in my box 3 badges related to sailing. I think these were not very common, as the sea fleet is small and the river fleet even smaller.

First, a badge of the institution Bulgarian River Sailing - Russe /on the Danube/

the typical 2-piece Class /or Grade... what would be the correct/ badges - this one for a driver

Here are a couple of badges for drivers.

First, what do you need to do, in order to get a flat *ss and a small badge? Simple, become truck driver and make 300 000 km /anyone see such badge with different number?/

good they did not change all, the tradition is seen!

Going far from the original thread, but this is also a bit related

a simple advertising badge - Tabso the earlier name of the Bulgarian Airlines /TABSO comes from Transportno Aviatsionno Bulgaro-Suvetsko Obshtestvo or Transport Aviation Bulgarian-Soviet Society/.

Any idea about the numbering system?

Sorry, no idea...

Next 2 pages. So annual dues? Membership tarriff?

Sports Rank

Given to him IV rank in Chess, according to Protocol... etc. etc.

On the right page - the Rank is valid till... date

First 2 pages inside:

Classification Card to comrade Vladimir Kostov Ivanov.... member of the Apothecary Department of DSO "Red Banner".

This was a football club - Spartak /Sofia/. In 1944 the teams Rakovski /1910/ and FK'13 were merged in Football Club "Rakovski". In 1947 the Fooball Club "Junak" was added to that, as well as some football teams of the MVR /Ministry of Interior/. And the club that was produced from all that merging, was named Spartak and got the colors white and blue. And it was a football team of the MVR.

On 22 January 1969 it was merged with Levski /Sofia/ and the whole thing became the football club Levski-Spartak. The club Spartak was restored in 1990. Participated in C amateur group. In 2007 merged wit hthe Lokomotiv-101 /Sofia/ football club.

Nice document!

And here is an other DOSO badge, wireless operator

We will test reading skills when it arrives.... there seems to be much hand-writing on this one!

I read it even now If you want, can tell you what it is? Or you want to try yourself first?

Nice! Not a common find, quailty and pack are not easy to see

Yes, not WW2. The tabs have a little in common with the royal ones, but the boards have much different size and cut.

The "Otechestven front" , OF /Motherland Front/ was at first a secret alliance of the evil powers in Bulgaria and later a formal state organization in the socialist republic.

Established secretly in 1942 on initiative of the Bulgarian communist party, it was a coalition of: the Bulgarian Communist Workers Party /as the Communist party was named at that time/, one of the left wings of the Agrarian Union, the Workers Socialdemocratic Party and the political group "Zveno" /"Zveno" was a small political swamp,,, I mean, organization; union of opportunists; only 2 -3 hundred officers, intellectuals and mostly self-proclaimed intellectuals. Their ideas varied from far left to far right, the uniting idea of this strange mob was the denial of the parliamentary democracy and the struggle for an authoritarian style of rule; they already had made the coup of 19 may 1934/.

So, in other words, the OF was not at all a wide coalition and not at all united all who were against the alliance with Hitler. It was a very narrow coalition of the left to far left forces and yet not all of them /the Communist party, another similar party, one of the communist streams of the peasants' union and the dangerous rope-dancers of the criminal union Zveno/. No matter what the propaganda said, their aim was clear - getting Bulgaria out of the war, knocking the government, establishing a pro-Soviet dictatorship and... getting Bulgaria back in the war, this time on the other side /they did all that brilliantly, of course backed by the Red Army/

On 9 September 1944 the OF made a coup against the Bulgarian democratic government - which had already declared the country goes out of the war, free elections will be made and etc. The country was steering out of the conflict, after had already avoided conflict with the USSR /never declared war/, but of course, the USSR had different plans for the region and the local communists were here to assist. The officers traitors from Zveno managed to involve parts of the army in the coup, but still the State could kick them very easy. However, the coup was left to be, as the Red Army was advancing through the Danube from the North. Some wise men saved the country from a bloodshed, no matter most were killed within the following 5 months. By the way, most of the Zveno traitors also did not see good days after the war, many of those idiots bitterly regretted involving with the CP and the OF, but it was too late.

After the war, the OF remained as an organization in the socialist republic. I remember there were OF clubs in the districts, also all people had to pay membership tax - you did not join the OF, the OF joined you

After 1989 OF was renamed to Motherland Union and became a political party /totally unimportant/, closely tied to the Socialist party /the former Communist party/. Right now the chairman of that "party" /and son-in-law of Kimon Georgiev, former prime-minister from Zveno/ is the national Ombudsman /sp?/ of the country. And also the Socialist party /the "former" Communist party/ has majority in the Parliament and has the Government - prime minister is the Russian-born son of a former partisan and then whole life highest communist leader... Add to that a communist president with Secret Services slanderer past.... Well guys, I think very soon there may be new emmissions of communist badges for your collections

Left side is titled with COUNCIL OF MINISTERS and under it a quote from the witty peasant Todor Jivkov

The right side goes like this:

Central Council of the Professional Unions

Passport of the Victory

For achieved high results in the jubilee competition in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria, the comrade Nikola Damyanov Nikolov is honoured with "Passport of the Victory" and golden badge. Date, signed by Minister and professional union chairman /may be the Chairman of the organization/.

the "b." (?) 'Labor' ('Trud').

V - from Vestnik /Newspaper/

Found on a local site - now I know what the 3rd grade looks like..... it is the same!

the jumps

As Rick mentioned booklets, I remembered having a booklet related to this badge. It is not for the badge, it is a book for paratrooper jumps. So, I was wrong - not only glider flying, but parachute jumps, too. Now I remember a friend's father telling exactly this - in the late 40's he did together para jumps and glider flying.

Here is the booklet with an image of the badge. The entries are from 1947 - he did jumps from 300, 500 and 700 meters, with RZ-20 parachute and jumped from Ju-52!

much newer version, flat back!

and without searching at all, just found a newer version of that badge on one site! Coincidence!