Mardan Mammad oglu Musayev ( Azerbaijani: ''Mərdan Məmməd oğlu Musayev''; 1 January 1907 – 25 March 1982) 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 ...

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 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 ...

. Musayev was awarded the title for his actions in the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, in which he fought in the capture of

Beryslav Beryslav (, ) is a city in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Beryslav Raion, housing the district's local administration buildings. Beryslav hosts the administration of Beryslav urban hromada, one of ...

. He reportedly killed a German machine-gun crew during the crossing of the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

and days later saved the life of his company commander during the crossing of the

Inhulets The Inhulets () or Ingulets () is a river, a right tributary of the Dnieper, that flows through Ukraine. It has a length of and a drainage basin of . The Inhulets has its source in the Dnieper Upland in a ravine (balka) to the west of Topylo ...

. During the subsequent capture of the Shevchenko State Farm Musayev captured another machine gun, reportedly killing 20 German soldiers. For these actions he received the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 3 June 1944. Postwar, he worked in the Tovuz Rayon market.

Early life

Musayev was born on 1 January 1907 in the village of

Əlimərdanlı Əlimərdanlı (also, Alimardanly) is a village and municipality in the Tovuz Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3,060. Notable natives * Mardan Musayev — Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the ...

in what is now

Tovuz Rayon Tovuz District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north-west of the country and belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Gadabay, Shamkir, Samukh, Agstafa, as well as th ...

to a peasant family. In 1936, he graduated from the Geokchai Agricultural College and worked as a foreman in the Tovuz

Machine and tractor station The machine tractor station (MTS) (, , МТС) was a state enterprise for ownership and maintenance of agricultural machinery that were used in kolkhozy (collective farms operated by the government). Each MTS was responsible for around 40 kolkho ...

World War II

Musayev was drafted into the Red Army in 1941. He fought in the defense of the North Caucasus and in battles on the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

. He was wounded, but after recovery returned to the front. Musayev 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 1942. During the battle for the Ukrainian village of Lepekhino fire from Musayev's heavy machine gun reportedly destroyed six machine guns and killed two German snipers. For his actions Musayev received the

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

3rd class. By March 1944 Musaev led a squad of the motorized infantry battalion in the 5th Guards Mechanized Brigade, part of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps. He fought in the Bereznegovatoye-Snigirevka Offensive, part of the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive. On the night of 10 March during the battle for Beryslav, a group of soldiers were given the task to cross the Dnieper and conduct reconnaissance. Musayev crossed to the right bank and under heavy small-arms and mortar fire, he reportedly attacked the German trenches and destroyed a machine gun, killing the crew and eight other German soldiers. On 13 March during the crossing of the Inhulets, in an action against a German infantry battalion, his company commander came under fire. Musayev defended his commander and reportedly killed a German officer and seven soldiers. During the later capture of the Shevchenko State Farm, heavy machine gun fire prevented the advance of the company. Musayev advanced and despite being wounded did not leave the battlefield. He shot the crew of the gun and captured it, reportedly killing 20 German soldiers. For his actions Musayev 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 3 June 1944.Hero of the Soviet Union citation, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
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Postwar

Postwar, Musayev was demobilized. He returned to Tovuz Rayon and worked in the local market. He died on 25 March 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musayev, Mardan 1907 births 1982 deaths Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet Azerbaijani people Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of Glory Communist Party of the Soviet Union members People from Tovuz District