Azerbaijan Celebrates 74nd Anniversary of Victory over Fascism

Baku / 09.05.17 / Turan: Today, on the 74nd anniversary of the Victory over fascism, President Ilham Aliyev traditionally laid a wreath at the monument of the two-time hero of the Soviet Union, Major-General Hazi Aslanov in the mountain park near the Alley of Martyrs.

He congratulated the veterans of the Second World War who attended the ceremony, on the holiday.

On Victory Day, Ilham Aliyev signed an order on payment of a one-time grant for 1,000 manat to participants of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

The widows of fighters killed in the war or deceased later, persons awarded orders and medals for selfless labor in the rear, employees of special formations who carried out assignments in the interests of the army and navy in the rear, awarded a medal and a breastplate for the defense of Leningrad, as well as participants in the siege of Leningrad were paid 500 manats.

This order touched 9,300 people, including 400 participants of the Second World War. A total of 5 million manat was allocated for this from the state budget.

The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 affected almost every Azerbaijani family, and Baku oil played an important role in ensuring a military victory over fascism.

Every fifth inhabitant of Azerbaijan fought in WWII. With a population of 3.4 million people (1941), 681,000 went to the front (of which more than 10,000 were women). They were representatives of different nationalities and 250,000 of them were killed.

More than 400,000 soldiers and officers were awarded with military orders and medals, 14 people became full knights of the Order of Glory, and 123 - Heroes of the Soviet Union, with 44 Heroes being ethnic Azerbaijanis.

During the war years, Azerbaijan was the main supplier of oil and oil products (over 70% of the total volume produced in that period in the USSR). More than 130 types of weapons and ammunition were produced in Baku. At enterprises and collective farms, about 70 percent of the workers were women.

87 battalions and 1,123 self-defense units were established on the territory of Azerbaijan, and the 77th, 223rd, 396th, 402nd and 416th national infantry divisions, which fought from the foothills of the Caucasus to the Baltic, Eastern Europe and Berlin, were formed.

The first among the Azerbaijanis to be awarded the Hero was the assistant to the platoon commander of the 42nd Infantry Regiment, Senior Sergeant Israfil Mammadov. Twice the Hero was awarded the commander of the 35th Tank Brigade, the Guard Major-General Hazi Aslanov.

Out of personal savings, 15 kg of gold, 952 kg of silver, and 320 million rubles were transferred to the Defense Fund. Sent to the front were more than 1.6 million units of necessary goods and 125 wagons of warm clothing. Only for Leningrad until the summer of 1942 Baku enterprises collected and sent 2 wagons of black caviar, 40 tons of dried fruits, 12 wagons of tomato puree and juices, a lot of liver extract, hematogen, gelatin and other food products, as well as medicines and dressings.

440 thousand fighters wounded at the front were treated at Azerbaijan"s hospitals.

At the same time, Azerbaijanis also fought on the side of Germany in the name of creating an independent state. During the war, political emigrants formed the Azerbaijan National Committee, which was to lead the country after the Germans seized the Caucasus. In 1941, the Caucasian-Mohammedan Legion was created, which in 1942 was renamed into Azerbajdzanische.

On the Caucasian front, five battalions of about 4,500 Azerbaijani soldiers fought, who showed themselves in the best way. For example, the 804th Battalion Aslan (Brave) compared to all foreign units had a high number of rewarded soldiers for various combat "merits". The battalions Bergman and Donmek also distinguished themselves.

In the summer of 1943, the 162nd Turkic Infantry Division was formed, including the Azerbaijani regiment and a separate construction battalion. In 1944, the Azerbaijani Legion was reorganized into the united headquarters of the Azerbaijan Liberation Army.

A total of 38,000 Azeri soldiers and officers fought on the side of the Germans. -0----