Fariz Majid oghlu Safarov ( az, Fariz Məcid oğlu Səfərov; 20 June 1920 – 27 August 1964) was an

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

Soviet Army

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and Hero of the Soviet Union. Drafted into the Red Army in 1939, Safarov fought in combat from 1942. He reached the rank of Senior Sergeant by September 1943 and led a machine gun crew in the Battle of the Dnieper. For his reported actions, including taking command of his company after the commander was wounded, Safarov received the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He continued to serve postwar and retired in 1957 with the rank of major. He worked in Baku and died in 1964.

Early life

Safarov was born on 20 June 1920 in

Nehrəxəlil Nehrəxəlil (also, Nehrakhalil) is a village and municipality in the Agdash District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 1,262. Notable natives * Fariz Safarov — Hero of the Soviet Union. References

* Populated places in Agdash ...

to a peasant family. He received secondary education and graduated from a training course for Russian language teachers in Baku. He then worked as a teacher. In 1939, Safarov was drafted into the Red Army.

World War II

Safarov fought on the front from 1942. In 1942, he joined the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

. He was a senior sergeant leading a machine gun crew of the 78th Guards Rifle Regiment in the

25th Guards Rifle Division The 25th Guards Rifle Division 'Chapayevskaya' was a division of the Soviet Red Army. The division was reorganised and reformed several times until the collapse of the Soviet Union, when it entered service in the Ukrainian Army as the 25th Mechanis ...

by September 1943. Safarov fought in the Battle of the Dnieper. On the night of 26 September, he crossed the river with a small detachment at the village of Voyskovoye in

Solone Raion Solone Raion ( uk, Солонянський район) was a raion (district) of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, southeastern-central Ukraine. Its administrative centre was located at the urban-type settlement of Solone. The raion was abolished on 18 Jul ...

. The group captured a bridgehead. In the morning German troops counterattacks and during one attack Safarov ran out of ammunition for his machine gun. When a German machine gunner reportedly approached the Soviet trench Safarov shot him and turned the machine gun around. To relieve Safarov's group, a rifle company was sent over the Dnieper. When the whole company had been landed, a stray bullet struck its commander. Safarov reportedly took command of the company itself and asked for reinforcements. The reinforcements encircled the German troops, who committed tanks in an effort to break out. Safarov's company reportedly destroyed five tanks. In this action, he was wounded but reportedly did not leave the battlefield. Safarov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 5 October. On 19 March 1944 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.Hero of the Soviet Union citation, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> In 1944, Safarov graduated from the Krasnodar Machine Gun-Mortar School.

Postwar

Safarov continued to serve in the military after the end of the war. In 1957 he retired with the rank of major. He lived in Baku. Safarov died on 27 August 1964 and was buried in the Alley of Honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Safarov, Fariz 1920 births 1964 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Soviet military personnel of World War II from Azerbaijan Soviet Army officers Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner People from Agdash District