Salahaddin Hasan oglu Kazimov ( az, Salahəddin Həsən oğlu Kazımov; 22 December 1920 – 2 July 1978) was an

Internal Troops The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) (russian: Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел, Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del; abbreviat ...

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

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 ...

. Kazimov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 16 October 1943 for his leadership of an artillery battalion 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 ...

. In a twelve-day period during the battle, his battalion's guns were reported to have killed up to 180 German soldiers and destroyed eleven tanks. Postwar, Kazimov served in the Internal Troops and became Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR. Kazimov and Minister of Internal Affairs Arif Heydarov were shot by an officer of the

Shusha / hy, Շուշի , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg , image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govhar ...

prison. He was wounded in an armed attack on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR and died on July 2, 1978.

Early life

Kazimov was born on 22 December 1920 in either Zaqatala or the village of Kaas to a teacher's family. His ethnicity is given as either Tsakhur or Azerbaijani. He graduated from the Physics and Mathematics department of the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute in Baku.

World War II

In 1941, Kazimov was drafted into the

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, after ...

. In 1942 he graduated from an accelerated course at the Tbilisi Artillery School. He fought in combat from April 1942. In 1943 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 became a battery commander in the 8th Rifle Division's 62nd Artillery Regiment. Kazimov fought in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

and was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

on 14 July for his actions. During the crossing of the Dnieper on the night of 22 September, near the village of Navozy, Kazimov's battery destroyed German firing points, enabling the crossing. On 23 September the battery crossed the Dnieper near the village of Verkhniye Zhary, where it fought in the expansion of the bridgehead. In a twelve-day battle for the bridgehead his guns reportedly destroyed eleven German tanks and killed up to 180 soldiers. On 16 October 1943, Kazimov 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 b ...

. In early 1944, Kazimov was appointed commander of a ''division'' (artillery battalion). By this time he had reached the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He fought in battles in Poland. Kazimov transferred to the 256th Artillery Regiment of the 9th Rifle Division By late spring, he fought in the

Prague Offensive The Prague offensive (russian: Пражская стратегическая наступательная операция, Prazhskaya strategicheskaya nastupatel'naya operatsiya, lit=Prague strategic offensive) was the last major military ...

. On 9 May, Kazimov was wounded and evacuated to a hospital. On 10 June he was awarded the

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky ( ''orden Alexandra Nevskogo'') is an order of merit of the Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious se ...

.Order No. 183 60th Army, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
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Postwar

Postwar, Kazimov served in the Internal Troops. Between 1956 and 1960 he was chief of staff of a convoy escort division of the Internal Troops. On 30 December 1956 he was awarded the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

. Kazimov reached the rank of Major general and became Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR. On June 29, 1978, he and Minister of Internal Affairs Arif Heydarov were shot in Heydarov's office by Shusha prison officer Zia Muradov. Kazimov was wounded and died on July 2. Kazimov was buried in the

Alley of Honor The Alley of Honor ( az, Fəxri Xiyaban, Honorary ''Allée'') is a public cemetery and memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Alley includes burials of famed Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan-affiliated expatriates, including several Presidents, scientists a ...

in Baku.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazimov, Salahaddin 1920 births 1978 deaths Soviet military personnel of World War II from Azerbaijan Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Azerbaijan Communist Party (1920) politicians Soviet major generals Soviet murder victims Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky People from Zaqatala Deaths by firearm in the Soviet Union