Aghashirin Agamamed oglu Jafarov (; 10 July 1906–3 May 1984) was an Azerbaijani

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

Starshina and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. He was awarded the title on 1 November 1943 for his actions during the

Battle of the Dnieper The Battle of the Dnieper was a military campaign that took place in 1943 in Ukraine on the Eastern Front of World War II. One of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost 4,000,000 troops at a time stretched on a front. Over four m ...

, where he was reported to have killed up to 300 German soldiers with his machine gun. He was discharged postwar and worked as chairman of a

Kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz., a contraction of советское хозяйство, soviet ownership or ...

Early life

Jafarov was born on 10 July 1906 in

Balıcallı Balıcallı (also, Ballydzhaly and Baladzhali) is a village in the Neftchala Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village forms part of the municipality of Boyat. Notable natives * Aghashirin Jafarov — Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of t ...

to a peasant family. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1931. He received primary education and worked as a tractor driver on a Kolkhoz.

World War II

Jafarov was drafted into the Red Army in October 1941. He graduated from courses for machine gunners. He served in combat from November 1942 with the 1368th Rifle Regiment of the 416th Rifle Division. Jafarov fought in the

Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus is a name given to a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus area on the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, Russia, opening the Caucasus region of t ...

. For his actions he received the

Medal for Battle Merit A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

on 4 May 1943. Jafarov fought in the

Donbass Strategic Offensive (August 1943) The Donbas strategic offensive was the second of two strategic operations of the Soviet Red Army on the Eastern Front of World War II,, with the goal of liberating the Donetsk Basin, or Donbas, from the forces of Nazi Germany. Situation Prio ...

. Near

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog Th ...

, his squad repelled several German counterattacks. Jafarov reportedly led one of these. The squad reportedly killed more than a platoon of German soldiers, destroyed two machine guns, captured four machine guns, two light machine guns, and ammunition. On the next day his squad was surrounded. Jafarov reportedly organized a perimeter defense and killed 56 German soldiers. The squad broke out and rejoined the battalion. In October 1943, Jafarov fought in the Melitopol Offensive, part of the Battle of the Dnieper. Near Semenivka on the outskirts of Melitopol, he reportedly took a machine gun and four other soldiers at night and moved behind German lines. Early in the morning his machine gun was located and attacked. Wounded three times, Jafarov reportedly continued to fire, killing up to 300 German soldiers. These actions reportedly diverted a number of German troops, enabling the capture of the heights. On 1 November Jafarov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the

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 ...

. Jafarov continued to serve with the division during the war. He fought in the Battle of Berlin. On 29 May 1945 he received the

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 ...

2nd class for his actions. Order No. 51 32nd Rifle Corps, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref>

Postwar

Jafarov was discharged with the rank of Starshina. He returned to Balıcallı and was kolkhoz chairman. He served on the village council in Neftchala District. He also worked in the office of the Aznefterazvedka drilling trust. Jafarov died on 3 May 1984 and was buried in

Neftçala Neftchala () is a city and the capital of the Neftchala District of Azerbaijan. Etymology The city name is of Persian ("naft" meaning oil or petroleum) and Azerbaijani ("çala" meaning trench) origin, meaning oil trench. History Throughout ...

. A street in Neftçala was named for Jafarov.

References

1906 births 1984 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Soviet military personnel of World War II from Azerbaijan People from Neftchala District {{DEFAULTSORT:Jafarov, Aghashirin