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

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

Starshina ( rus, Старшина, p=stərʂɨˈna, a=Ru-старшина.ogg or ) is a senior military rank or designation in the military forces of some Slavs, Slavic states, and a historical military designation. Depending on a country, it had differen ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. 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 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a front. Ov ...

, 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. These were the two components of the socialized farm sector that began to eme ...

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/Saltis — Hero of the Soviet Union The title H ...

to a peasant family. He joined the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in 1931. Jafarov 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 and served in combat from November 1942 with the 1368th Rifle Regiment of the

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 Azerb ...

. Jafarov fought in the

Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, opening the Caucasus region of the southern Soviet ...

. 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 in ...

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 prior ...

. Near

Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...

, his squad repelled several German counterattacks and 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 Melitopol is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Molochna River, which flows through the eastern edge of the city into the Molochnyi Lyman estuary. Melitopol is the second-largest city ...

, 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 (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

. Jafarov continued to serve with the division during the war. He fought in the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

. On 29 May 1945 he received the

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

2nd class for his actions. Order No. 51 32nd Rifle Corps, available online a
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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 and 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 origin of the city name is Persian ("naft" meaning oil or petroleum) and Azerbaijani ("çala" meaning trench), meaning oil trench. History Thro ...

. 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