Azi Aslanov

Azi Akhadovich Aslanov
Born	(1910-01-22)January 22, 1910 Lankaran, Baku Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	January 24, 1945(1945-01-24) (aged 35) Liepāja District, Latvia, Soviet Union
Buried at	Martyrs' Lane
Allegiance	USSR
Service/branch	Red Army
Years of service	1929 — 1945
Rank	Major General
Commands held	10th Motor Transport Bataillon 55th Separate Tank Regiment 35th Guards Tank Brigade
Battles/wars	Winter War Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union (twice) Order of Lenin (twice) Order of the Red Star Order of Alexander Nevsky Order of Suvorov, 2nd Class Order of the Great Patriotic War, 1st Class (posthumously)

Azi Akhadovich Aslanov (Russian: Ази Ахадович Асла́нов), commonly described as A. A. Aslanov,^[1] known as Hazi Aslanov or Hezi Aslanov (Azerbaijani: Həzi Əhəd oğlu Aslanov); January 22, 1910, Lankaran — January 24, 1945, Latvia) was an Azerbaijani Major-General of the Soviet armoured troops during World War II. Aslanov was awarded twice Hero of the Soviet Union.^[2]

Early years

Azi Aslanov was born on January 22, 1910 in Lankaran in a working class family. When he lost his father at the age of 13, he quit local school number 1 and worked in the Lankaran Brick Plant.^[3][4]

In 1929, Aslanov graduated from the Transcaucasian Preparatory Military School in Baku and continued his education at Leningrad Cavalry School, where he passed courses at the Military Academy of Armored Forces.^[5]

After graduation, he was appointed commander of a 15th Cavalry Regiment platoon of 3rd Cavalry Division Bessarabia named after Grigory Kotovsky in June, 1931.^[6] In June, 1933, he was appointed commander of the separate tank company. In 1937, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.^[7] Aslanov also served as deputy commander for the technical part of company, commander of 2nd Rifle Division and 60th Rifle Divisions, followed by motor transport battalion of the Kiev Military District, where he gained captain rank in February, 1939.^[8]

Battles

Winter War

He served during the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland and fought in the Karelian Isthmus, then took part in the breaking of the Mannerheim Line during the Soviet-Finnish War.^[8] He was promoted to the major in November, 1940.

Battle of Moscow

In August, 1941, he replaced the injured commander of a tank battalion, composed of 12-15 machines type T-26, BT-5, BT-7 and T-34.

In the fierce fights near the areas of Shostka, Bakhmach, Piryatin, his tankers fought to the last tank, while Aslanov personally led his battalion in the attack. In one of these battles, Azi Aslanov, received two bullet wounds in his right leg and severe shrapnel wound to the head, but continued to remain in the service. When the battalion lost all of its tanks, the Major was recalled to the reserve in September, 1941. He also appointed of 10th deputy for the technical units, where he fought in the areas of Piryatin, Okhtyrka, Bohodukhiv and Kharkiv.^[8] The next year, he received command of the 55th Tank Regiment.

Battle of Stalingrad

Later in 1942, he led the 35th Guards Tank Brigade from Stalingrad through Borisovo, Vileyka, and Minsk to Vilnius and Riga, and participated in the battles of Rostov and Taganrog. His brigade liberated the town Pleshinitsy. Aslanov was famous for his "thrust from flank" technique, which was launching an attack by heading straight toward the enemy, while other Soviet troops were sent to attack from the sides.^[9]

Death

The funeral of Azi Aslanov in Baku.

On January 24, 1945 near Priekule, in the Liepāja District during the reconnaissance, Major General Azi Aslanov was seriously wounded and died after five and a half hours. He died heroically on the battlefield and was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree for his leadership Tank Brigade.^[10]

Awards and honors

Aslanov's bust on his grave in the Martyrs' Lane of Baku.

Azi Aslanov received his first star in 1943 for the heroism in Stalingrad. The second one was supposed to be given for the cross of Berezino river, under the recommendation of General of the Army Ivan Chernyakhovsky, but because of discriminatory treatment, he got it posthumously, 46 years later, in 1991, after a special appeal by Azerbaijani intelligentsia to Mikhail Gorbachev.^[9][11]

Granite memorial plate in memory of Azi Aslanov on Mamayev Kurgan.

A subway station, school, oil tanker and a streets in Baku, Imishli and Volgograd, monument in Vialejka were named after him.^[12][13] The village in Agstafa region carries his name and his house museum functions in Lankaran.^[14][15] A special granite memorial plate was constructed in memory of him on Mamayev Kurgan.^[16]

References

• Герои Советского Союза: Краткий биографический словарь. Т.1. М., Воениз, 1987.
• Золотые Звезды Азербайджана. Баку, 1975.