Panteley Kiselov

Panteley Georgiev Kiselov (23 October 1863 – 14 October 1927) was a Bulgarian soldier and general who fought in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885, the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 and World War I. He is best known as commander of the 4th Preslav Infantry Division during the Romanian Campaign of 1916 and victor of the Battle of Tutrakan.

Biography Born in Svishtov in 1863, Panteley was the third child born to Georgi Kiselov and his wife Tomitsa Kiselova. His three brothers were named Simeon, Iliya and Angel and his two sisters were named Elena and Eudikia. Georgi was a wealthy merchant who desired his children to succeed him in the family business and accordingly took special care for their education, enrolling them in the local school of Svishtov and even hiring a personal tutor to oversee their progress. Panteley was eager to study foreign languages, especially French, and a special relation with his tutor Georgi Borov who provided the young boy with the various books he was interested in.

On 28 June 1877, Russian units crossed the Danube, liberated Svishtov and established their base of operations in the town. The soldiers were met with euphoria by the local Bulgarian population, including the then fourteen-year-old Panteley Kiselov. The boy interacted with different Russian officers and soldiers and expressed a desire to serve in the military. After the war he learned that a military school was to be opened in the new Bulgarian capital of Sofia and decided to continue his education there. Georgi Kiselov support the decision of his son but soon after he lost a great part of his fortune in unsuccessful business deals, succumbed to illness and died.

During the battle General Kiselov maintained full command independence and even allowed himself to disobey the orders of field marshal Mackensen, who was the supreme commander of the Bulgarian, German and Ottoman forces for the invasion of Dobrudja. After this engagement he became one of the most well known and respected Bulgarian commanders.

Following the Battle of Tutrakan the Bulgarian Third army continued its advance deeper into Romanian territory. The 4th division and general Kiselov took part in all of the remaining major battles in this theater and achieved great success against Romanian and Russian forces it faced. Thus the campaign ended in success after four months of struggle. The Bulgarian High Command felt free to transfer the 4th division to the Macedonian Front in early 1917, where the general received his promotion to the rank of lieutenant general and remained until the very end of the war following the Vardar Offensive of 1918.

Later life

Following the Great War, Panteley Kiselov was promoted to General of the Infantry, which was the highest rank in the Bulgarian Army, and moved with his family to Sofia where he died following a heart attack on 14 October 1927.

Awards Order of Bravery, 1st class Order of St Alexander, 3rd class with swords and 5th class without swords Order of Military Merit, 4th class German Iron Cross (1914), 1st and 2nd class Ottoman War Medal ("Gallipoli Star", "Iron Crescent")