Squad Ports

"In order to keep the preparation of the squad secret, as well as its boarding on the steamer, the boys spread out in the towns along the Danube: Oltenica, Giurgevo, Zimnich, Turnu Magureli.... They kept a secret from everyone. And when the matter could not be settled, they secretly whispered that this detachment was going to Serbia... But the real secret: the plan for the detachment to cross the Bulgarian coast, was known only by Botev, its voivode, and two or three of his comrades." - writes Ivan Vazov on the occasion of the preparation of the Boteva platoon.

The need to keep the intentions a secret is obvious, which is why a limited number of people are dedicated to the plan to capture the "Radetski" and to disembark the detachment on the Kozloduy coast. Many of the Chetniks actually think they are traveling to Serbia, and most of them have never seen their voivode. Dressed as ordinary passengers and without giving the appearance of knowing each other, all the groups of Chetniks boarded from Giurgevo, Zimnich, Turnu Magurele, Korabia and Becket, together with weapons, ammunition and uniforms hidden in chests and suitcases.

"And this is how cleverly the plan was designed - reports the Chetnik Spas Sokolov - at each port several boys and weapons boarded. If the plan was designed so that we would all board from one port, it is natural that we would arouse doubt and suspicion in the captain of the steamer, who could easily hand us over to the Turks already in Ruse or Nikopol. But which head, whose mind devised this? The inimitable genius of Boteva!”