Firearms used by communist forces across Europe between 1935-45 [Part II: Bulgaria]

Valkay · February 17, 2026, 8:29am

Hello bajtársak and fellow forumdwellers,
This is a continuation of the topic Firearms used by communist forces across Europe between 1935-45 [part I] if you haven’t read that, I advise reading that too.

A quick recap
This is not a suggestion and the goal is to discuss firearms that can be tied to the Soviet faction one way or another with the end goal of adding some of them to the game.
Should anyone wish to make a dedicated suggestion of any of these guns, he is more than welcome to, I included my sources to make that easier.

Subtree of nations in the tech tree
The nation specific subtree holds weapons and vehicles unique to the nation.
Weapons and vehicles in the subtree can only be used by squads of the said nation, to maintain historical accuracy and make playing with different nations slightly more unique.
So for example, if the Beretta 38/43 was in the Italian subtree, only Italian squads could use it.
It’s completely separate from the main tech tree, not just Italy and Britain but also the US and Germany would have them.
This also helps to increase the size of the tech tree without bloating it.

The sub tree could have no requirements and special requirements to research equipment.
Special requirements could be that the player must first unlock a certain gun, such as in order to research the Beretta 38/43 you must research and buy the Beretta 38/42 first.

I will simply scrap this idea if people show no interest in adding guns to potential subtrees.

Bulgarian guns

Bulgaria officially joined the war on the side of the Axis in 1941 and participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece to liberate their former territories but avoided direct conflict with USSR and did not participate in Operation Barbarossa and the Bulgarian army was mostly involved in anti-partisan warfare in the Balkans.

That however had changed in September 1944, after Romania had switched sides in August thus Soviet forces reached the borders of Bulgaria. After a swift coup d’etat in the Bulgarian fatherland, the country switched sides, joining the Allies and mobilising the Bulgarian army against its former allies, liberating Belgrade and fighting the Axis in the Balkans, Hungary and Austria.

Considering Bulgaria´s involvement in the war, their weapons and vehicles used in the conflict as well as the operations they participated in, it would be logical to make Bulgaria a subfaction of the Soviet faction. Since it is most unlikely that we would ever see the Greco-Italian war or invasion of Yugoslavia in game in which Bulgarian troops could realistically participate with the Axis.

Standard issue weapons of the Bulgarian army

Mannlicher M1890 carbine

The Mannlicher M1890 is the carbine variant of the Austro-Hungarian straight pull bolt-action M1888 rifle, designed for the needs of the cavalry, gendarmerie and navy. Bulgaria ordered 10218 rifles for their own cavalry.

Ammunition: 8×50mmR Mannlicher
Muzzle velocity: 545 m/s (with M1888 ball cartridge)
magazine: 5 rounds (Integral clip-loaded box)
Weight: 3.3kg
Length: 1005mm
Barrel length: 498mm

Source:

Mannlicher M1890 Carbines Austro-Hungarian Weapons

Would you like to see Mannlicher M1890 carbine in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see Mannlicher M1890 in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

Bulgarian Mannlicher 1888/90 self-loading rifle

The 1888/90 self-loading rifle is a Bulgarian semi-automatic rifle based on the Austro-Hungarian produced Mannlicher 1888/90 which was common in the Bulgarian army and it is claimed that, toward the end of World War I, Bulgaria converted about 1,200 Mannlicher 1888/90 rifles, but most were destroyed by the Inter-Allied Commission of Control after the First World War so they must have been rather rare by the Second World War.

Ammunition: 8×50mmR Mannlicher
Muzzle velocity: 620 m/s (with M1890 ball cartridge)
Magazine: 20 rounds (estimated)
Weight: 4 kg
Length: 1280 mm
Barrel length: 765 mm

Sources:

https://www.militaryrifles.com/austria/mannlicher1888 https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenWeapons/comments/v41qlp/bulgarian_mannlicher_188890_selfloading/

Would you like to see Mannlicher 1888/90 self-loading rifle in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see Mannlicher 1888/90 self-loading rifle in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

ZB-39

Bulgarian contract light machine gun ordered from Czechoslovakia, the gun is chambered in 8x56mmR and has a curved magazine holding 25 rounds. It is a close relative of the Bren machine gun which was also developed by Czechoslovakia for Britain.

Ammunition: 8x56 mmR (M30S)
Muzzle velocity: 750 m/s
magazine: 25 rounds
Weight: 10.8 kg
Length: 1160 mm
Barrel length: 572 mm
Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute

Sources:

https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-277522
ZB-39 - Quartermaster Section

Would you like to see ZB-39 in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see ZB-39 in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

Bulgarian prototype weapons

Spasov M1936/1938 LMG
M1936 1938

Spassov was a WW1 veteran and an officer of the Bulgarian army, he had believed that the key to winning modern battles were light machine guns so he worked really hard and spent his last coin on creating the best LMG for Bulgaria.

It was an excellent design for its time, earning attention on international scale, the British army even offered a very high price for the patent in 1929, but Spassov rejected their offer out of patriotism, however his design was rejected by the Bulgarian army out of jealousy. One gun was sent to the USSR in 1938 “I give it to your fatherland because mine does not want to take advantage of it”.

There are two surviving guns today, one in the Artillery Museum in the city of Saint Petersburg and the other in National Museum of Military History, Bulgaria.
Based on photos and documentation, multiple variants existed of this prototype.

Ammunition: 8x50mmR then 8x56mmR
Muzzle velocity: 730 m/s (estimated with 8x56 mmR)
magazine: 30 rounds (estimated)
Weight: unknown
Length: unknown
Barrel length: unknown
Rate of fire: 500-600 rounds per second (estimated)

Would you like to see Spasov M1936/1938 LMG in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see Spasov M1936/1938 LMG in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

Spasov M1939

This design is suspiciously similar to the ZK-383 which was the standard issue submachine gun of the Bulgarian army at the time. It is possible that Spasov copied the design because it was feared that ZK-383 shipments would stop due to the outbreak of the war.
However the magazine the M1939 is displayed with in the museum is clearly a Schmeisser magazine, these magazines were already in use by the Bulgarian police but not the army (until 42) so maybe this gun was designed for the Bulgarian police.
It is rumored to have seen some production, but I can’t back up this claim with any source.

Ammunition: 9x19 parabellum
Muzzle velocity: 390-400 m/s (estimated)
magazine: 32 rounds (post ´42 MP40 magazine)
Weight: unknown
Length: unknown
Barrel length: unknown
Rate of fire: 600-700 rounds per second (estimated)

Would you like to see Spasov M1939 in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see Spasov M1939 in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

Spasov M1944
SpasovSMG1

Appears to be a simplified MP40 and it probably is one.
In 1944 Bulgaria joined the Allies so naturally Germany stopped supplying ZK-383 and Mp40 SMGs, so most likely the design was a quick stopgap which was ultimately pointless since the Soviets supplied Ppsh and PPS guns instead.

Ammunition: 9x19 parabellum
Muzzle velocity: 390-400 m/s (estimated)
magazine: 32 rounds (post ´42 MP40 magazine)
Weight: unknown
Length: unknown
Barrel length: unknown
Rate of fire: 500 rounds per second (estimated)

Would you like to see Spasov M1944 in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see Spasov M1944 in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

Spasov M1944 Tri-gun
trigun

Built by combining three M1944 guns, the Spasov Tri-gun is a peculiar gun that is more famous than all of the other Spasov designs combined. It’s like a hybrid Mp40/I and Type 100 LMG, the gun-weeb has been fascinated by this gun for the past two decades, it would surely be popular in game too.

Ammunition: 9x19 parabellum
Muzzle velocity: 390-400 m/s (estimated)
magazine: 96 rounds (in three separate magazines, each holding 32 rounds)
Weight: unknown
Length: unknown
Barrel length: unknown
Rate of fire: 1500 rounds per second (estimated, each barrel firing 500 rpm)

Would you like to see Spasov M1944 Tri-gun in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If yes, how would you like to see Spasov M1944 Tri-gun in the game?

As tech tree weapon
As Bulgarian subfaction weapon
As event weapon
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

Sources of all Spasov guns:

Very few sources are available, to accurately add these guns, the Bulgarian National Museum of Military History would need to be contacted.
https://naparniki2020.bg/product_info.php?language=en&idarticles=2853
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5bkLWjMQzw&t=135s
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=212747
Болгарский пулемёт - Кто знает? : История оружия

Other guns

Fusil ametrallador Trapote Modelo 1933 in 7mm Mauser
Trapote-M1933-lmg-2
This is a Spanish light machine gun used by the Republicans during the Spanish civil war. It did not make it to the previous Communist firearms topic, so I included it here, at the end.
The FA Trapote m/33 was Designed by Andrés Trapote, an artillery officer of the Spanish army. Produced by Fábrica de Armas de Oviedo in Asturias in limited quantities, with only 400 produced, it’s a very rare machine gun.
One example of the FA Trapote m/33 is preserved at the museum of the Spanish Army Academy of Artillery in Segovia.

Ammunition: 7mm Mauser (7x57mm)
Muzzle velocity: unknown
magazine: 15 or 20 rounds magazines
Weight: 9,2kg (empty)
Length: 1180mm
Barrel length: unknown
Rate of fire: 650 (adjustable between 60-650)

Sources:

Firearms secret projects | Page 13 | Secret Projects Forum
República - Armas - Infantería - Subfusiles

Would you like to see FA Trapote m/33 in game?

Yes
Yes, but not for Soviets
No

0 voters

If you recall the previous topic, Spanish CW guns are limited to event, BP and premium because they are a little bit out of place in WW2.

If yes, how would you like to see FA Trapote m/33 in the game?

As event
As premium/event squad
As battle pass weapon

0 voters

This concludes my series for now.
Thank you very much for your time and attention!