Atanas Endekov

Atanas Endekov
Endekov in 1916
Nickname(s)	'The Butcher'
Born	(1857-11-04)4 November 1857 Zovahr, Syara
Died	17 March 1926(1926-03-17) (aged 72) Gbvec, Syara
Allegiance	Republic of Syara
Service/branch	Army of the Syaran Republic
Years of service	1883–1920
Rank	Colonel General
Battles/wars	Divide War Desopya Campaign
Awards	see below

Atanas Endekov was a Syaran general best known for commanding Syaran forces during the Desopya Campaign, the land portion of the Divide War. Endekov was appointed commander of the Army of the Syaran Republic (Armija na Republika Sijar; ARS) shortly after the Cacertian invasion of northern Syara. He would remain in control of the Syaran armies for the duration of the war, where Syara ultimately succeeded in repelling Cacerta from Syaran soil.

Endekov was originally the chief logistical officer of the War Ministry at the onset of the Divide War, and maintained his headquarters in the Syaran capital of Zovahr. Endekov, like most Syaran generals, did not believe a Cacertian invasion was likely and thus was the only Colonel General in the Makedonian realm when Cacertian forces did make landfall. Endekov was quickly given control of all local Syaran forces and ordered to drive the Imperial Cacertian Army out of Makedon. Caught off guard, Syaran forces struggled to contain the technologically and tactically superior Cacertian troops. It was only after repeated Syaran assaults across the entire front were the Cacertians halted; Endekov's tendency to utilize frontal attacks on Cacertian forces and positions earned him the moniker "Butcher" by many of his own men. During the course of the Desopya Campaign Endekov was successful in keeping Cacertian forces off balance with frequent offensives, eventually securing a victory over the Cacertian Empire thanks in large part to Syaran superiority in numbers and firepower. He retired not long after the conflict ended and died in 1926.

Endekov's reputation and legacy has been a controversial one, and debate regarding his performance in Desopya has been ongoing since the conclusion of the Divide War. Critics point to his reliance on frontal assaults and blunt tactics that resulted in incredibly heavy Syaran casualties during the war, while supporters argue that Endekov did the best with a Syaran army that was simply outmatched by the Cacertians in numerous areas. Writing on the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, Syaran historian Budimir Lončarveić noted "Endekov never held a battlefield command and earned his first exposure to combat fighting on the proverbial doorstep of the Syaran capital. While never a good tactician Endekov grasped certain strategic realities of the war faster than many of his peers, and his long term 'big picture' view point allowed Syara to maximize it's strengths while minimizing its weaknesses."