General of the army Batyn Dorj (; 17 September 1914 — 23 July 1982) was a Mongolian statesman and military leader in the

Mongolian People's Republic The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It w ...

. He was one of the first 11 generals in Mongolia. Dorj is regarded as one of the most influential and consequential Mongolian government, military and social figures of the twentieth century.

Biography

He was born in Mongolia in the Barzan area on the territory of the Aldarkhaan, in what was then the Bogd Khanate. The early 30s, he worked as a firefighter and collective farmer. From 1935-1936, he studied at the cavalry school under the 1st Cavalry Division and in 1937, he joined the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party. During

World War Two World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he participated in the

Battles of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, J ...

, serving as head of the

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north c ...

Garrison as well. Until 1940, he held various positions from platoon commander to commander of the 7th Cavalry Division on the western border, guarding the

Aimags of mongolia An aimag (, ; xal, әәмг, ), originally a Mongolian word meaning 'tribe', is an administrative subdivision in Mongolia, Russia, and in the Inner Mongolia region of China. Mongolia In Mongolia, an aimag is the first-level administrativ ...

from the troops of the Republic of China and Ospan Batyr's Armies. From 1940-1948, he was Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the MPR, serving as Head of the Directorate of Border and Internal Troops. After graduating from the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...

in 1952, he was appointed commander of a separate cavalry brigade. In 1956, he was made the Minister of People's Troops and Public Security, and then from 1959-1961, the Minister of Public Security. For most of the 1960s, he was in diplomatic work, consistently holding the posts of Ambassador to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

(1961-1963),

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

(1963-1966), and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

(1966-1968). During this period, he also had close relations with the leadership of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

. In July 1969, he became Minister of Defense of the Mongolian People's Republic. The following year, he graduated and attended courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff. In 1971, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the People's Revolution, he became the first officer to hold the rank of general of the army in the republic. During this period he was elected six times to the Great People's Khural and served on the Central Committee of the MPRP. He was dismissed in 1978, and from then on until his death he was the Chairman of the Committee of Honored Revolutionary Figures of the All-Russian State Art Academy.

Awards

MPR

* Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (1974) *

Order of Sukhbaatar The Order of Sukhbaatar (or Order of Suche Bator) is a state decoration of Mongolia, originally instituted on 16 May 1941. It was awarded to Mongolians and foreigners "for special services to defenses, economic and cultural construction of the Mon ...

* Order of the Red Banner of Merit * Order of the Red Banner of Labor *

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

Foreign countries

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisa ...

Order of the Red Banner (People's Republic of Bulgaria) Order (decoration), Orders, State decoration, decorations and medals of Bulgaria are regulated by the law on the Orders and Medals of the Republic of Bulgaria of 29 May 2003. The National Museum of Military History (Bulgaria), National Military Hi ...

* Order of the Red Banner (

) * Order of the Red Banner (

)

Ranks

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

(1944 *

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(1956) *

Colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

(1969) * General of the army (1971)

Legacy

In 1982, the 0130th Frontier Post of the

Mongolian Border Guard The General Authority for Border Protection ( mn, Хил хамгаалах ерөнхий газар) is an agency that is part of the Government of Mongolia and acts as a reserve force for the Armed Forces of Mongolia. It guards the country's ent ...

was named after him. Monuments to Dorj are located in his native Aldarkhaan as well as in the

Khovd Province Khovd ( mn, Ховд, Howd, ) is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia, located in the west of the country. Its capital is also named Khovd. The Khovd province is approximately 1,580 km from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital. It takes ...

. On his 100th anniversary in 2012, efforts were launched to release memoirs and create research books in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorj, Batyn Mongolian military personnel Recipients of the Order of Lenin People from Zavkhan Province 1914 births 1982 deaths Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Frunze Military Academy alumni Ministers of Defence of Mongolia Ambassadors of Mongolia to North Korea Ambassadors of Mongolia to Yugoslavia