Amazasp Khachaturovich
Babajanyan
1906-1977
Amazasp Khachaturovich Babajanyan was commander of the 20th Guards Mechanized Brigade (1st Tank Army, 1st Ukrainian Front), colonel of the Guards. He was born on February 5 (18), 1906 in the village of Chardakhly, Elizavetpol district, Elizavetpol province (now the village of Chanlibel, Shamkir district, Azerbaijan). He was Armenian. In 1921 he graduated from the 4th grade of the school. A farmhand, in 1923-1924 he was a laborer on the construction of highways in Shamkhor district (now Shamkir district). In the army since September 1925. Until 1926 he studied at the Armenian United Military School (Yerevan, Armenia), in 1929 he graduated from the Transcaucasian Military Infantry School (Tbilisi, Georgia). He served as a platoon commander of a rifle regiment, platoon commander, party bureau secretary and company commander of a separate local rifle battalion (in the Transcaucasian military District). In 1930 he participated in the liquidation of armed gangs in Transcaucasia as a platoon commander of the 7th Caucasian Rifle Regiment. He was wounded. Since 1934 he served as commander of a machine gun company, commander of a machine gun battalion and assistant chief of staff of a machine gun regiment (in the Transcaucasian Military District; Baku, Azerbaijan). In 1937-1938 he was Head of the operational department of the headquarters of the air defense point of Baku. In August-October 1938 he was Chief of staff of the anti-aircraft machine gun regiment (in the Transcaucasian military district; Baku city), in 1938-1940 – assistant commander of the anti-aircraft machine gun regiment in the combat unit (in the Leningrad Military District). He was participant of the Soviet-Finnish War: in November 1939 – March 1940 – assistant commander of the 2nd anti-aircraft machine gun regiment in the combat unit. On February 18, 1940, he was wounded. Since December 1940, he served as deputy commander of rifle regiments (in the North Caucasus Military District) and assistant chief of the Department of the operational Department of the headquarters of the 19th Army (in the Kiev Special Military District). He was participant of the Great Patriotic War: in July-August 1941 – assistant to the head of the Department of the operational department of the headquarters of the 19th Army, in August 1941 – April 1942 – commander of the 395th (from September 1941 – 1st Guards) rifle regiment. He fought on the Western (July-August 1941), Bryansk (August-November 1941), Southwestern (November 1941 – March 1942) and Southern (March-April 1942) fronts. He participated in the Battle of Smolensk, the Yelnya and Orel-Bryansk operations, defensive battles in the Voronezh direction and offensive battles in the Taganrog direction. In September 1942, he graduated from the accelerated course of the M.V. Frunze Military Academy, which was in evacuation in the city of Tashkent (Uzbekistan). In September 1942 – August 1944 he was commander of the 3rd (from October 1943 – 20th Guards) mechanized brigade. He fought on the Kalinin (October 1942 – February 1943), Northwestern (February-March 1943), Voronezh (April-September 1943) and 1st Ukrainian (November 1943 – August 1944) fronts. He participated in the Rzhev-Sychev and Demyansk operations, the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod-Kharkov, Kiev defensive, Zhytomyr-Berdichev, Proskurov-Chernivtsi and Lviv-Sandomierz operations. On August 19, 1944 he was seriously wounded in the throat and sent to the hospital. He especially distinguished himself during the Proskurov-Chernivtsi operation. Small advance groups under his command rapidly liberated the cities of the present Ternopil region – Terebovlya (March 22, 1944), Kopychyntsy (March 23, 1944), Chortkov (March 23, 1944) and Zalishchiki (March 24, 1944). After capturing the city of Zalishchiki, under enemy fire, he personally reconnoitered the ford across the Dniester and was the first to cross to the right bank of the river on his tank, where the brigade captured a bridgehead. Colonel Babajanyan Amazasp Khachaturovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 26, 1944 for his skillful command of the brigade and courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders.
Address: Moscow, Frunzenskaya nab., 22, p. 2
