Azerbaijan during World War II
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The military history of Azerbaijan is framed within thousands of years of armed actions of many other states in the territory encompassing modern Azerbaijan, as well as the shorter history of interventions by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in conflicts abroad. The
Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...
are the inheritors of the lands of various ancient civilizations and peoples including the indigenous
Caucasian Albania Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
ns, Iranian tribes such as Scythians and Alans, and
Oghuz Turks The Oghuz or Ghuzz Turks (Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: ٱغُز, ''Oγuz'', ota, اوغوز, Oġuz) were a western Turkic people that spoke the Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages, Turkic language family. In th ...
among others (note that several modern peoples of the Caucasus can trace their ancestries to more than one of these same ancient peoples). Azerbaijan's location on the crossroads of Asia and Europe made it possible for Azerbaijanis to have military contact with both the Asian and European military powers.


Antiquity


Caucasian Albania

Caucasian Albania Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
ns are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of Azerbaijan. Early invaders included the Scythians, who arrived in the region in the 9th century BCE.Azerbaijan
– ''US Library of Congress Country Studies'' (retrieved 7 June 2006).
The South Caucasus was eventually conquered by the Achaemenids around 550 BCE. It was around this period that Zoroastrianism spread in Azerbaijan. The Achaemenids in turn were defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. Following the decline of the Seleucids in Persia in 247 BCE, an Armenian Kingdom exercised control over parts of modern Azerbaijan between 190 BCE to 428 CE."Armenia-Ancient Period"
– ''US Library of Congress Country Studies'' (retrieved 23 June 2006)
Strabo, "Geography"
– ''Perseus Digital Library'', Tufts University (retrieved 24 June 2006).
Caucasian Albanians established a kingdom in the 1st century BCE and largely remained independent until the Sassanids made the kingdom a province in 252 CE.James Stuart Olson. An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires. Caucasian Albania's ruler, King Urnayr, officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century CE, and Albania would remain a Christian state until the 8th century."Albania"
– ''Encyclopedia Iranica'', p. 807 (retrieved 15 June 2006).

– ''Azerbaijan International'', Summer 2002 (retrieved 7 June 2006).
Sassanid control ended following their defeat to Muslim Arabs in 642 CE."Islamic Conquest."


Middle Ages


Islamic Conquests

Muslim Arabs defeated the Sassanids and Byzantines as they marched into the Caucasus region. The Arabs made Caucasian Albania a vassal state after the Christian resistance, led by Prince Javanshir, surrendered in 667. Between the 9th and 10th centuries, Arab authors began to refer to the region between the
Kura Rúben de Almeida Barbeiro (born August 21, 1987 in Leiria), better known as KURA, is a Portuguese electro house music DJ and producer. Kura has released tracks through labels such as Hardwell's Revealed Recordings, Flashover Recordings, M ...
and Aras rivers as '' Arran''. During this time, Arabs from Basra and Kufa came to Azerbaijan and seized lands that the indigenous peoples had abandoned; the Arabs became a land-owning elite.''A History of Islamic Societies'' by Ira Lapidus, p. 48. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1988), (retrieved 7 June 2006). Despite pockets of continued resistance, the majority of the inhabitants of Azerbaijan converted to Islam. Later on in the 10th and 11th centuries, Kurdish dynasties of Shaddadid and Rawadid ruled parts of Azerbaijan.


Shirvanshahs

Shīrwān ShāhBarthold, W., C.E. Bosworth "Shirwan Shah, Sharwan Shah. "Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2nd edition or Sharwān Shāh, was the title in mediaeval Islamic times of a Persianized dynasty of Arabic origin. The Shirvanshah established a native
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 ...
state and were rulers of Shirvan, a historical region in present-day Azerbaijan. The Shirvanshahs established the longest Islamic dynasty in the Islamic world.


Seljuqs and successor states

The
Seljuq Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (d ...
period of Azerbaijan's history was possibly even more pivotal than the Arab conquest as it helped shape the ethnolinguistic nationality of the modern Azerbaijani Turks. After the decline of Abbasid Caliphate, the territory of Azerbaijan was under the sway of numerous dynasties such as the
Salarids The Sallarid dynasty ( fa, سالاریان), (also known as the Musafirids or Langarids) was a Muslim dynasty, of Daylami origin, which ruled in Tarom, Samiran, Daylam, Gilan and subsequently Azerbaijan, Arran, and some districts in Eastern Arm ...
, Sajids, Shaddadids, Rawadids and Buyids. However, at the beginning of the 11th century, the territory was gradually seized by waves of Oghuz Turkic tribes emanating from Central Asia. The first of these Turkic dynasties was the
Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...
from northern Afghanistan, who took over part of Azerbaijan by 1030. They were followed by the Seljuqs, a western branch of the Oghuz who conquered all of Iran and the Caucasus and pressed on to Iraq where they overthrew the Buyids in Baghdad in 1055.


Safavids and the rise of Shi'a Islam

The
Safavid order The Safavid order, also called the Safaviyya ( fa, صفویه), was a tariqa ( Sufi order) founded by the KurdishSafaviyeh) was a
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
religious order formed in 1330s by Sheikh Safi Al-Din (1252–1334), after whom it was eponymously named. This
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
order openly converted to the heterodox branch of Twelver
Shi'a Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
by the end of the 15th century. Some Safavid followers, most notably the Qizilbash Turks, believed in the mystical and esoteric nature of their rulers and their relationship to the house of Ali, and thus, were zealously predisposed to fight for them. The Safavid rulers claimed to be the descendants of Ali himself and his wife Fatimah, daughter of the
Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...
Muhammad, through the seventh
Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
Musa al-Kazim. Qizilbash numbers increased by the 16th century and their generals were able to wage a successful war against the
Ak Koyunlu The Aq Qoyunlu ( az, Ağqoyunlular , ) was a culturally Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two tribal confederations: Akkoyunlu (Wh ...
state and capture Tabriz. The Safavids, led by Ismail I, expanded their base, sacking Baku in 1501 and persecuting the Shirvanshahs.


Russian rule

Following their defeat by Russia in the Russo-Persian War of 1803–13, Qajar Persia was forced to sign the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, which acknowledged the loss of the territory to Russia. Local khanates were either abolished (like in Baku or Ganja) or accepted Russian patronage. Another Russo-Persian war in 1826–28 resulted in another crushing defeat for the Iranian army. The Russians dictated another final settlement as per the Treaty of Turkmenchay, which resulted in the Qajars of Persia ceding Caucasian territories in 1828. The treaty established the current borders of Azerbaijan and Iran as the rule of local khans ended. In the Russian-controlled territories, two provinces were established that later constituted the bulk of the modern Republic – Elisavetpol (
Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
) province in the west, and
Shamakha Shamakhi District ( az, Şamaxı rayonu) is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the east of the country and belongs to the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region. The district borders the ...
province in the east.


Russian Civil War

Following the collapse of the Russian Empire during the Russian Civil War, the administrations in the Caucasus initially formed the Transcaucasian Commissariat in 1917. In April 1918, the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic was proclaimed, which was an attempt to form a federal union with the Republic Armenia and the Democratic Republic of Georgia. The federal republic would dissolve a month later, and the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic was proclaimed in
Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
on May 28, 1918. This was the first Democratic Republic established in Islamic World.


Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

Among the important accomplishments of the Parliament of the newly formed democratic republic was the extension of suffrage to women, making Azerbaijan the first Muslim state in the world to give women equal political rights with men. In this accomplishment, Azerbaijan preceded even such developed countries as the United Kingdom and the United States. Another important accomplishment of ADR was the establishment of Baku State University, which was the first modern-type university founded in Azerbaijan. The history of the modern Azerbaijan army dates back to Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, when the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Republic were created on June 26, 1918. The first de facto Minister of Defense of ADR was Dr. Khosrov bey Sultanov. When the Ministry was formally established, Gen.
Samad bey Mehmandarov Samad bey Sadykh bey oghlu Mehmandarov ( az, Səməd bəy Sadıx bəy oğlu Mehmandarov; October 16, 1855 – February 12, 1931) was an Azerbaijani General of the Artillery in the Imperial Russian Army and served as Minister of Defense o ...
became the minister, and Lt-Gen.
Aliagha Shikhlinski Ali Agha Ismail Agha oghlu Shikhlinski ( az, Əli Ağa İsmayıl Ağa oğlu Şıxlinski;); – )Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are in the Julian calendar with the start of year adjusted to 1 January. All other dates in this article are in ...
his deputy. Chiefs of Staff of ADR Army were Maj-Gen.
Habib Bey Salimov Habib bey Haji Yusif oglu Salimov ( az, Həbib bəy Səlimov Hacı Yusif oğlu; February 8, 1881 - December 30, 1920) was the first Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Early life Salimov was ...
(August 1, 1918 – March 26, 1919), Lt-Gen.
Mammad bey Shulkevich Maciej (Suleyman bey) Sulkiewicz ( be, Мацей Аляксандравіч Сулькевіч, translit=Maciej Aliaksandravič Sulkievič, az, Süleyman bəy Sulkeviç, russian: Матвей (Магомет) Сулькевич, translit=Matvey ...
(March 26, 1919 – December 10, 1919) and Maj-Gen. Abdulhamid bey Gaytabashi (December 10, 1919 – April 28, 1920).Azerbaijani Army marks 91 years
Some of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's notable generals include: * Lieutenant-General Samad bey Mehmandarov (1855–1931) * Lieutenant-General, Ali-Agha Shikhlinski (1865–1943) * General-Adjutant, Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski (1863–1919) * Major-General, Abdulhamid Bey Gaytabashi (1884–1920) * Major-General,
Habib Bey Salimov Habib bey Haji Yusif oglu Salimov ( az, Həbib bəy Səlimov Hacı Yusif oğlu; February 8, 1881 - December 30, 1920) was the first Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Early life Salimov was ...
(1881–1920) * Major-General,
Ibrahim bey Usubov Ibrahim bey Musa Agha oghlu Usubov ( az, İbrahim bəy Musa Ağa oğlu Usubov; March 6, 1872 – June 16, 1920) was an Azerbaijani Major General in Russian Imperial Army and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Early life Ibrahim bey Usubov was born ...
(1875–1920) * Major-General, Murad Girey Tlekhas (1874–1920) * Major-General, Emir-Kazim Mirza Qajar (1853–1920) * Major-General, Mammad Mirza Qajar (1872–1920) * Major-General, Aliyar-Bek Gashimbekow (1856–1920) * Major-General, David-Bek Edigarow (1881–1920) * Major-General, Firidun-Bey Wezirow (1850–1925) * Major-General, Khalil-Bey Talishkhanov (1859–1920) The Red Army invaded Azerbaijan on April 28, 1920. Although the bulk of the newly formed Azerbaijani army was engaged in putting down an Armenian revolt that had just broken out in Karabakh, the Azerbaijanis did not surrender their brief independence of 1918–20 quickly or easily. As many as 20,000 of the total 30,000 soldiers died resisting what was effectively a Russian reconquest.Hugh Pope, "Sons of the conquerors: the rise of the Turkic world", New York: The Overlook Press, 2006, p. 116, The national Army of Azerbaijan was abolished by the Bolshevik government, 15 of the 21 army generals were executed by the Bolsheviks.


Navy

The Azerbaijani Navy was established in 1918. When the Russian Empire collapsed, ADR inherited the entire Russian Caspian flotilla. Among the vessels of the ADR were the gunboats ''Kars'', ''Ardahan'', ''Astrabad'', ''Geok-Tepe'', ''Arax'' and ''Bailov''. The British also handed over a warship to the newly independent Azerbaijan – a former Russian vessel in the Caspian Sea.


Soviet Azerbaijan


World War II

During World War II, Azerbaijan played a crucial role in the strategic energy policy of the Soviet Union; much of the Soviet Union's oil on the Eastern Front was supplied by Baku. By the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in February 1942, the commitment of more than 500 workers and employees of the oil industry of Azerbaijan was awarded orders and medals. Operation Edelweiss carried out by the German Wehrmacht targeted
Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
because of its importance as a petroleum supplier of the USSR. Some 800,000 Azerbaijanis fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army, 400,000 of whom perished in the war. Azerbaijani Major-General Hazi Aslanov was twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union.
National military formations of the Red Army A national military formation () refers to a regiment/division in the Soviet Red Army of the Soviet Union, formed before and during the Second World War on the basis of nationalities of the personnel in their ranks. In addition to national units, r ...
were formed in all republics, including Azerbaijan. The following Azerbaijani national units were created during the war: * 27th Mountain Division * 77th Mountain Rifle Division named for Sergo Ordzhonikidze * 151st Infantry Division * 217th Infantry Division * 223rd Infantry Division * 227th Infantry Division *
271st Rifle Division The 271st Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. Formed in the summer of 1941, the division fought in the Crimean Campaign, during which it was destroyed and rebuilt twice. Designated an A ...
* 396th Infantry Division *
402nd Rifle Division The 402nd Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as an infantry division of the Red Army, and served throughout the Great Patriotic War in that role. It was raised as an Azerbaijani National division in the Transcaucasus Military District and first for ...
*
416th Rifle Division The 416th Rifle Division was formed for the first time as a standard Red Army rifle division late in 1941, after the Soviet winter counteroffensive had begun, but was soon re-designated. A second formation began in March 1942, this time as an Azer ...
87 battalions and 1123 self-defense squads were also created in the territory of the Azerbaijan SSR. Mobilization affected all spheres of life. The oil workers extended their work to 12-hour shifts, with no days off, no holidays, and no vacations until the end of the war. Baku became the primary strategic goal of Hitler's 1942 Fall Blau offensive. The German army was at first stalled in the mountains of Caucasus, then decisively defeated at the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
and forced to retreat. Similarly to other peoples of the Caucasus, some Azerbaijanis joined the German side. These units included: *
Aserbaidschanische Legion The Azerbaijani Legion (german: Aserbaidschanische Legion) was one of the foreign units of the Wehrmacht. It was formed in December 1941 on the Eastern Front as the ''Kaukasische-Mohammedanische Legion'' (Muslim Caucasus Legion) and was re-desig ...
* Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 2 * Azerbaijani Waffen SS Volunteer Formations


Soviet-Afghan War

Around 10,000 Azerbaijani nationals took part in the Soviet–Afghan War under the Soviet Army, 200 of whom perished.


Present republic


First Karabakh War

In summer 1992, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, following a resolution by the Azerbaijani president on the privatization of units and formations in Azerbaijani territory, forwarded an ultimatum demanding control over vehicles and armaments of the 135th and 139th motorized rifle regiments of the 295th Motor Rifle Division. Azerbaijan had been the deployment area of units of the 4th Army that consisted of four motorized rifle divisions (23rd, 60th, 296th and 75th) and prescribed army units that included missile and air defense brigades and artillery and rocket regiments. It also hosted the 49th arsenal of the
Main Agency of Missiles and Artillery of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated Russian acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the ...
, which contained over 7,000 train-car loads of ammunition to the excess of one billion units. The transfer of the property of the 4th Army (except for part of the property of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of the 23rd division captured by Armenian armed formations in 1992 during the regiment's withdrawal from Stepanakert) and the 49th arsenal was completed in 1992. Thus, by the end of 1992, Azerbaijan received arms and military hardware sufficient for approximately four motorized rifle divisions with prescribed army units. It also inherited 50 combat aircraft from the disbanded 19th Air Defense Army and naval ships. The Azerbaijani army suffered a series of significant defeats to Armenia during the 1992–1994
First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
, which resulted in the loss of control of Nagorno-Karabakh proper and seven surrounding raions, comprising 16% of the territory of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani sources claim that Armenian victory was largely due to military help from Russia and the wealthy Armenian diaspora, while Armenians partially deny the allegation, stating that Russia was equally supplying Armenian and Azerbaijani sides with weapons and mercenaries. The Azerbaijani army employed Russian, Ukrainian, Chechen and Afghan mercenaries and was aided by Turkish military advisers during the war.


21st century

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces were re-established on October 9, 1991, in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. Initially, the equipment and facilities of Azerbaijan's army were those of the
4th Army (Soviet Union) The 4th Army was a Soviet field army of World War II that served on the Eastern front of World War II and in the Caucasus during the Cold War. It was disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union, with its divisions being withdrawn to Russia and d ...
. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to further develop its armed forces into a professional, well-trained, and mobile military. Since 2005 Azerbaijan has increased its military budget to $2.46 billion in 2009. Azerbaijan has its own defense industry, which manufactures small arms and military aircraft. There are hopes to produce other military equipment. Azerbaijan joined the
multi-national force Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...
during the Iraq War, and from 2006 to 2008 sent troops to the northern parts of Iraq. Azerbaijan provided 250 troops. One hundred soldiers were sent on December 29, 2004, to reinforce the 150 soldiers already in the country. They provided security for the local Turkmen people, as well as for religious sites and convoys. Troops from Azerbaijan serve with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The widespread use of
drones Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...
in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a novelty not only in the military history of Azerbaijan but also in general.


Second Karabakh War

Clashes began on the morning of 27 September 2020 along the Line of Contact. Total casualties were in the low thousands. Following the capture of Shusha, the second-largest settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijani forces, a ceasefire agreement was signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia, ending all hostilities in the area. Under the agreement, Armenia returned the surrounding territories it occupied in 1994 to Azerbaijan while Azerbaijan gained land access to its Nakhchivan exclave.


See also

* History of Azerbaijan *
List of wars involving Azerbaijan This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Azerbaijan and its predecessor states, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. List Peacekeeping missions See also * List of wars involving Ru ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Military History Of Azerbaijan