Israfil Maharram oglu Mamedov (or Mammadov, , Azeri Cyrillic: Исрафил Məhəррəм oғлу Мəммəдов,

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Исрафил Магеррам оглы Мамедов; 30 May 1919 – 5 May 1946) was an Azerbaijani

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. He was the assistant commander of a

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

of the Soviet 42nd Rifle Regiment during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was the first Azerbaijani to be awarded the title of

, on 11 December 1941. Mammadov was awarded the title for reportedly killing 70 German soldiers and three officers.

Early life

Mammadov was born on 16 March 1919 in Chaparly to a peasant family. He graduated from the

Kirovabad Ganja (; ) is Azerbaijan's third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati r ...

Industrial College. He worked at a textile mill. Mammadov volunteered for the Red Army in 1939.

World War II

Mamedov received the rank of

Senior Sergeant A Senior sergeant is often a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many nations. It is usually placed above sergeant. Police in Australia and New Zealand use the rank Senior Sergeant as a rank above sergeant, but below an I ...

and fought in military operations on the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

as an assistant platoon leader in the 42nd Rifle Regiment of the

180th Rifle Division The 180th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Red Army, formed thrice. The division was first formed in September 1939 but this unit was disbanded a few months later. It was reformed in August 1940 from Estonian personnel afte ...

. He joined the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in 1941. Mammadov fought in battles around

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

. He led 20 soldiers in defending the command post and communication line near Pustynka settlement in the

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

. His troops were cut off from the main Soviet forces. After the artillery preparation the Germans commenced a new attack, assuming that the Soviet forces were weakened. Understanding their strategy, Mammadov ordered his troops to hold fire, allowing the enemy to get within 10–15 meters. After three German assaults, he launched a counter-attack with

bayonets A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or Spike bayonet, spike-shaped melee weapon designed to be mounted on the end of the gun barrel, barrel of a rifle, carbine, musket or similar long gun, long firearm, allowing t ...

. The Germans lost over 300 soldiers and retreated. Mammadov personally killed approximately 70 enemy troops, including three officers. For his actions, Mammadov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

on 11 December 1941 from

Pavel Kurochkin Pavel Alekseyevich Kurochkin (; – 28 December 1989) was a Soviet army commander. Military career Pavel Kurochkin was born in the village of Gornevo, Smolensk Governorate. He joined the Red Army in 1918. Kurochkin completed cavalry cours ...

. He was the first Azerbaijani to receive the title.

Post-war

In 1943, Mammadov was medically retired. He lived in

, working in the Azerbaijan

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

Central Committee. He died on 1 May 1946 in a military hospital in

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

and was buried in Kirovabad.

Personal life

Mammadov married Yevdokia Ivanovna and had two daughters, Galina and Svetlana.

Legacy

A street in

Ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

was named after Mammadov, and a museum and monument were built in the same place. A school in Ganja was named after him, as well as a school in Chaparly.

References

* ''Легендарные герои-комсомольцы''. Вып. V и VI, 1973.

External links

Israfil Mammadov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamedov, Israfil Soviet military personnel of World War II from Azerbaijan Heroes of the Soviet Union 1919 births 1946 deaths People from Shamkir District Recipients of the Order of Lenin