Səməd bəy Mehmandarov

General of the Artillery Səməd bəy Mehmandarov

Səməd bəy Sadıx bəy oğlu Mehmandarov (Germanized: Sämäd Baey Sadich Baey oglu Mehmandarow; Russian : Самед-бек Садых-бек оглы Мехмандаров * 16 October 1855 in Lankaran , government Shemakha , Russian Empire ; 12 † February 1931 in Baku , Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic ) was an Azerbaijani military commander, artillery general of the Imperial Russian Army, and Minister of War of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic .

Career

Mehmandarov came from an in Shusha resident Azerbaijani noble family. He obtained general education at a high school in Baku. His military career began on September 1, 1873 as a junker in the Konstantinov Artillery School in St. Petersburg . Upon graduation, Mehmandarov was assigned the rank of ensign in the 1st Turkestan Artillery Brigade in 1875, commanding a mountain force of the 3rd Battery.

From November 1875 to February 1876 he took part in the military campaign of the tsarist army to the Khanate of Kokand in Ferganathal . For his bravery in the fight against the Matschoh rebels (in today's Tajikistan ), Mehmandarov received his first military award in October 1876, the Order of St. Stanislaus 3rd class. In December of the same year he was promoted to Podporutschik and a year later to Porutschik .

From the autumn of 1879, Mehmandarov continued his service in the 2nd Artillery Brigade stationed in St. Petersburg. Because of his excellent military achievements, he was awarded the Russian Order of St. Anne, 3rd class, in March 1881 . In November 1882 he was promoted to staff captain .

In June 1885, Mehmandarov was transferred to the Caucasus , where he had served in the 38th Imperial Artillery Unit for 9 years . In December 1890 he was promoted to captain . In September his brigade was transferred to the Warsaw Military District in Poland . Here Mehmandarov advanced from a simple member of the local military tribunal in 1894 to its chairman in 1896. In the same year he received the Russian Order of Saint Anne in 2nd class. At the same time he was appointed commander of the 2nd battery of the 3rd artillery division, Mehmandarov was promoted to lieutenant colonel on January 1, 1898 .

In view of the relocation of the 1st battery to Transbaikalia and its renaming to the 2nd battery as part of the Transbaikal artillery division , Mehmandarov was seconded with his unit to the Transbaikal artillery battalion in April 1898.

From July 1900 to March 1901, Mehmandarov took part at the head of his battery in the campaign of the tsarist army under the command of Major General Paul von Rennenkampff to China ( China Relief Expedition ) to put down the so-called Boxer Rebellion . He was promoted to colonel in January 1901 for his military steadfastness during this campaign . Between May and July 1902 he briefly held the position of commander of the Transbaikal artillery division.

On February 1, 1903, Mehmandarov went to the officers' artillery school in Tsarskoe Selo (today the town of Pushkin near St. Petersburg) to undergo further training there. During his absence, his unit was temporarily commanded by Captain Əliağa Şixlinski . After graduating from school with honors, Mehmandarov returned to Transbaikalia in October of the same year and again took command of the 2nd battery. Just two weeks later, he was awarded the Golden Sword for Valor for his outstanding achievements in the fight against the Chinese insurgents .

Major General Mehmandarov

Russo-Japanese War

With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War , Mehmandarov was appointed Commander in Chief of the 7th East Siberian Rifle Artillery Division on February 18, 1904 . The loss-making siege of Port Arthur occupies a special position in his military career . The Russian lines of defense consisted of a total of three fronts. Colonel Mehmandarov's artillery unit was tasked with defending the eastern front line, which was most heavily attacked by Japanese troops. Mehmandarov himself was in the forefront uninterruptedly throughout the siege. On October 13, 1904, he suffered a severe concussion during an offensive by the Japanese. Ten days later, while the fighting was still active, he was promoted to major general for his heroism against the Japanese and was awarded the Order of St. George 4th class. In December 1904, when the situation of the Russian defenders was becoming increasingly hopeless, Mehmandarov spoke out categorically against surrender at a meeting of the War Council. However, after the entire Russian garrison was taken prisoner of war on December 20, the Japanese leadership offered the Russian generals, admirals and other high-ranking officers the prospect of a return home. The condition was that they should never go to war against Japan again . Mehmandarov was one of the very few officers who had voluntarily chosen to be prisoner of war. From December 23, 1904 to November 18, 1905, Major General Mehmandarov was imprisoned in the Japanese city of Nagoya . In January 1905, when he was absent, he received the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class, for his exemplary behavior and heroic deeds against the Japanese in Port Arthur.

Major General Mehmandarov in 1904

After his release, Mehmandarov was appointed commander of the 75th Artillery Unit in December 1905, which a short time later was renamed the 7th East Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade . Between July 1906 and July 1907 he was used as the commander of the 7th East Siberian Infantry Division and the 3rd Siberian Army Corps . During his 6-month vacation in St. Petersburg from September 1907, Mehmandarov took part in the trials of the Russian Supreme Military Tribunal in view of the transfer of the Port Arthur fortress to Japan by order of the War Ministry. His outstanding achievements brought Mehmandarov to the rank of lieutenant general in July 1908 , where he was assigned to the 3rd Siberian Army Corps as artillery chief. In May 1910 he was appointed artillery inspector of the 1st Caucasian Army Corps . In December 1913, Mehmandarov took command of the 21st Infantry Division of the 3rd Caucasian Army Corps .

First World War

After the beginning of World War I, the 3rd Caucasian Army Corps was transferred to Warsaw, where Mehmandarov's division managed to maintain its own positions in the costly battles and to strike back. For these services he was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd Class in September 1914. On December 11, 1914 he became Commander in Chief of the 2nd Caucasian Army Corps. The award of the Order of St. Vladimir 2nd class as well as the Golden Sword for bravery was an expression of Mehmandarov's exceptional leadership qualities. Only three months later he was promoted to general of the artillery. In April and October 1915, Mehmandarov enriched his medal collection with the Imperial-Royal Order of the White Eagle and the Alexander Nevsky Order .

Mehmandarov as Minister of War of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan

After the February Revolution of 1917 the tsarist army began to gradually dissolve. The increasing desertion went hand in hand with the reluctant impeachment of former imperial commanders by self-appointed revolutionary military committees. On March 28, 1917, General of the Artillery Mehmandarov was dismissed by decree of the Officers and Soldiers' Deputy and accepted into the reserve corps of the Minsk Military District. But a short time later, Mehmandarov declared his military career over.

Service in the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan

After the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (ADR) on May 28, 1918, Mehmandarov was appointed as Minister of War in the newly formed government of Fətəli Xan Xoyski in November of the same year . and officially confirmed in office at the end of December. The formation of the Azerbaijani National Army is closely related to his name. Mehmandarov retained the post of Minister of War until the occupation of Azerbaijan by the Red Army in April 1920.

War Minister Mehmandarov (seated third on the left) with the members of the ADR Cabinet of Ministers in December 1919

Red Army

After the violent suppression of the anti-Soviet uprising in Gəncə following the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in Azerbaijan, Mehmandarov was imprisoned together with Əliağa Şıxlinski and other high-ranking officers of the defunct ADR. It was only saved from possible reprisals by the interference of the first Prime Minister of the Azerbaijan USSR Nəriman Nərimanov , who was able to convince Lenin in a letter that these were useful cadres for the Soviet army. After his release, Mehmandarov was sent to Moscow in early August , where he was first employed in the All-Russian General Staff and then in the local artillery commission.

In July 1921, Mehmandarov returned to Azerbaijan and taught between 1924 and 1928 in the Azerbaijani War School for Commanders in Baku (today the Azerbaijani Officers' College - Geidar Aliyev ). On June 1, 1928, he was released into retirement by the Revolutionary War Council .

Mehmandarov died in Baku in February 1931 and was buried in the Çəmbərəkənd (German: Tschämbäräkänd) cemetery. In 1939, an amusement park called Sergei Kirov (now Avenue of the Martyrs ) was built on the site of the cemetery, as a result of which the grave of Mehmandarov was lost.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Исмаилов Э. Э .: Георгиевские кавалеры - Азербайджанцы. Москва 2005, p. 130 .
2. ↑ Новицкий, Василий u. a .: Мехмандаров, Самед-бек Садых-бек оглы . In: Военная энциклопедия Сытина . tape 18 . Санкт-Петербург 1915.
3. ↑ Ф.П. Кесаманлы: АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНЦЫ - ВЫДАЮЩИЕСЯ ВОЕНАЧАЛЬНИКИ РУССКОЙ АРМИИ. 2013, Retrieved August 4, 2018 (Russian). 
4. ↑ Шихлинский А.А: Мои воспоминания . Баку 1944, p. 51 .
5. ↑ Э. Э. Исмаилов: Золотое оружие с надписью « За храбрость ». Списки кавалеров 1788-1913 . Москва 2007, p. 353 .
6. ↑ Военное министерство Российской империи (Ed.): Список генералам по старшинству. Часть 1, 2 и 3 . 1913, p. 236 .
7. ↑ Ларенко П. Н .: Страдные дни Порт-Артура. Русско-японская война: Взгляд побеждённых. Москва 2005, p. 481 and 547 .
8. ↑ Мехман СУЛЕЙМАНОВ: Российский офицер - патриот Азербайджана. IRS Наследие, 2017, accessed August 4, 2018 (Russian). 
9. ↑ Военное министерство Российской империи (Ed.): Список генералам по старшинству . Санкт-Петербург 1916, p. 17 .
10. ↑ Русская армия в Великой войне: Высочайшие приказы. Бесплатное приложение к журналу Разведчик № 1277. Retrieved August 5, 2018 . 
11. ↑ Л. С. Гапоненко: Рапорт временно командующего II Кавказским армейским корпусом В. О. Бенескула военному министру А. И. Гучкову о смещении солдатами 2-й Кавказской гренадерской дивизии командного состаива корпуса и д. Революционное движение в русской армии. 27 февраля - 24 октября 1917 г. Москва 1968, p. 49-51 .
12. ↑ Легендарный генерал Самед бек Мехмандаров - 160 - Kavkaznews.az . In: Kavkaznews.az . October 16, 2015 ( kavkaznews.az [accessed August 5, 2018]).
13. ↑ Аскеров-Кенгерлинский А .: Трагедия Азербайджана . No. 3 . «Хазар», Баку 1990, p. 84 .
14. ↑ Русская армия в Великой войне: Шихлинский А.А. Мои воспоминания. Retrieved August 5, 2018 . 
15. ↑ Шамистан Назирли: Самед бек Мехмандаров - 160 December 6, 2015, accessed August 5, 2018 (Russian).