Not much is known of the Bulgarian pioneers pilots of hydro planes during WWI!
The name of Ensign 2nd class Lefter Angelov Antonov would've stayed hidden for some more for the collecting community if not for the lucky chance of me revealing what was once written and then carefully and thoroughly deleted, scratched off on his German Imperial issue badge for Naval Sea Pilots.
It's is funny how some people/collectors don't take the time to study the given object more, but that I guess puts the ones like me in advantage!
Armed with this, with the help of other fellow researchers I started uncovering more and more details, not only about him, but about the well forgotten times of "back then"!
According to a book called "Annual proceedings of the naval museum - Varna, volume I" from 2001 - Ensign second class Lefter Antonov was among the first group sent to Germany's naval bases to become a Naval Sea Pilot.
On August 1st 1916, he among 3 others (poruchik Sava Ivanov, who later became the commanding officer of the Bulgarian Naval Station at for sea planes in Varna, Georgi Malchev and Tsoncho Djurov) with an order of the Command of the Bulgarian Army were awarded the title "Military Pilot - Aviator" which came with the award of the Bulgarian Pilot Badge. This book only mentions a few of his sorties in 1917, maybe more is available in the military archives!
Antonov was trained to be a sea pilot in 1916 in Germany at Naval Station List and sent back to Varna Autumn of 1916 where he had several flights. At around this time the Germans left Varna and moved towards Konstanza. Only a few German experts stayed as support for the Bulgarians. Varna became the first Bulgarian sea flying station, proudly named “BULGARIA”.
This are the flights that could be researched out of the war diary of Varna:
He was awarded the Bulgarian pilot badge on April 1917 and on 23rd September 1917 the Prussian Kriegerverdienstmedaille.
There is a bit more info about his death and that of his observer Unteroffizier Ivan Ivanov.
On January 11th 1920 two hydroplanes were sent from Varna to Burgas on a reconnaissance mission in regards to the big railroad strike. One of them was unit number 1271, Hansa Brandenburg W12 with Pilot Lefter Antonov and observer Ivan Ivanov. Due to bad weather conditions at a height of around 300 meters the plane got exposed badly to the heavy winds, capsized, did not recover and fall over the rocky beach of the town of Anhialo (today's Pomorie)!
All this was observed and reported by the crew of the other plane named after the first fallen Bulgarian navy pilot "Poruchik Liapchev". The crew of "Poruchik Liapchev" along with the help of a local seamen tried to recover the bodies of their fallen comrades for over six hours, but without success!
I came across a few pictures of Bulgarian navy pilots from WWI, but none was known for sure to be him! I have suspicions, but nothing more! I knew that years ago his Imperial German Naval Sea Pilot badge came in to the collector who owned it in a set, with another one - a German made WWI Bulgarian Pilot Aviator Badge, of course it was not known, that these badges once belonged to one of the few Bulgarian naval sea aviators, as the name was still hidden back then, but they both came from the same place, same picker. Years later I managed to get this same Bulgarian Pilot Badge as well and reunite the two!
Unfortunately no picture of Antonov could be found for this article. I would be glad for more information to Antonov or any pictures. Please contact the webmaster if you have any details.
German see pilot badge of Lefter Antonov awarded on 26th Oct. 1916
Bulgarian pilot badge of Lefter Antonov awarded on April 1917
