| Azerbaijani Red Army | |
|---|---|
| Azerbaijani:Azərbaycan Qızıl Ordusu;Russian:Азербайджанская Красная армия | |
 | |
| Active | 1920–1922 |
| Country |  Azerbaijan SSR |
| Allegiance | Soviet Armed Forces |
| Branch |  Soviet Army |
| Type | Field army |
| Size |
|
| Part of | Caucasian Front(until mid-1921) |
| Garrison/HQ | Baku |
| Colors | Red |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Chingiz Ildyrym,Aliheydar Garayev,Ali-Agha Shikhlinski,Samad bey Mehmandarov |
Azerbaijani Red Army[1] (Azerbaijani:Azərbaycan Qızıl Ordusu;Russian:Азербайджанская Красная армия, abbreviated asAzKA), also known as theRed Army of Azerbaijan[2][3][4] (Russian:Красная армия Азербайджана), was afield army of thepro-BolshevikRed Army in theAzerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic during theRussian Civil War.
After theRed Army invasion of Azerbaijan in April 1920 and the following Sovietisation ofAzerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Provisional Revolutionary Committee (Azrevcom) and Council of People's Commissars became the highest bodies of state power in the country. Azrevcom then proclaimed the Azerbaijani Socialist Soviet Republic, would later be known as theAzerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic.
On 28 April 1920, the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs (Narkomvoenkomrat, NKVM) was established by the Azrevcom[5] andChingiz Ildyrym became the first People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs.[6] On the same day, he issued a decree to declare the insignia of theAzerbaijani Democratic Republic (ADR) and establish new external signs for the Soviet Azerbaijani military.[7]
The next day, by a new order from the military department, the Azerbaijani servicemen were to remove orders and other insignia, including those from cold steel.[7] On the same day, Azrevcom issued a decree to subordinate the Azerbaijani National Army in operational terms to the command of the11th Red Army, reorganising it on the "basis of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army into units corresponding to the numerical strength, preserving the nameAzerbaijani.[8] On 5 May 1920, NKVM established new insignia for the Azerbaijani servicemen.[7]
On 4 May, the first issue of the press body of the Central Committee of theAzerbaijani Communist (Bolshevik) Party (AC(b)P), the firstRed Army newspaper of the Azerbaijani SSR,Gyrmyzy Asgar (Qırmızı Əsgər, The Red Soldier), withAliheydar Garayev as its editor-in-chief. In the first issue of the newspaper, it was indicated that it sets itself the task of explaining to the servicemen of the Red Army "their responsibilities to protect the Soviet Republic," and each Red Army serviceman was required not only to read it carefully, but also to write to it about his needs. In total, three issues of this newspaper were published, the last of which came out on 7 May 1920.[9]
In terms of personnel, the new-established Azerbaijani Red Army at first, in fact, was an army inherited from theAzerbaijani National Army of the ADR.[10] The soldiers and officers of the old army continued to serve, but under new regime. So, on 30 May, Ildrym temporarily appointed the formerminister of war of the ADR,Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, as his deputy.[11] As the commander of the 20th Rifle Division,Mikhail Velikanov, later noted, the previous military units did not "undergo radical reorganization, but continued to exist without any changes in the leadership and command lines" as the "revolutionary capabilities of this army were overestimated."[12]
Members of the new AC(b)P began to get sent to the units of the old army, which were tasked with concentrating the political leadership in their hands. Ahmad Rzayev was appointed commissar of the troops that were located inGanja, on the recommendation of the Azrevcom. On 4 May, the People's Commissar of the Azerbaijani SSR issued a decree to appoint Habib Jabiyev the commissar of the 6th Goychay Infantry Regiment.[13] On 7 May, the Azrevcom issued a decree on the organization of the Azerbaijani Red Army (AzKA) and theAzerbaijani Red Fleet.[7] It also issued to decree to subordinate the army that had been renamed by that time and fleet to the command of the 11th Red Army and Volga-Caspian Flotilla in the terms of operational, administrative, organizational manner.[8] The subjugation of the old ADR units to the11th Red Army was not only a political action. Replenishment of the composition of the units in the garrisons was deemed necessary, since the size of the 11th Red Army, which had entered theSouth Caucasus, was small in numbers.[14]
In pursuance of this decision, on 11 May, a decree was issued by the commander of the 11th Red Army,Mikhail Levandovsky, the member of the Revolutionary Military Council (RMC), Konstantin Mekhonoshin, and chief of staff, Alexander Remezov to transfer the Azerbaijani troops stationed inAresh,Zakatal andNukha districts to the 2nd Cavalry Corps in operational and combat terms. In the meanwhile, the Azerbaijani servicemen inGanja,Jebrail,Jevanshir,Kazakh,Shamkhor, andShusha districts were transferred to the 32nd Division, while the Azerbaijani servicemen stationed inBaku,Lenkoran, andShemahkha districts were transferred to the28th Rifle Division, and the Azerbaijani servicemen stationed inGoychay, andKuba districts were transferred to the 20th Penza Rifle Division. According to the same decree, the inspectors of the 11th Red Army were tasked with developing a plan for the reorganization of the Azerbaijani troops, and it was also ordered to form the Consolidated Azerbaijani Red Soviet Rifle Division.[15]
On the same day Ildrym wrote that the reorganization of the fleet would be carried out jointly with the commander of the Caspian Red Fleet. The mobilization and formation of units was carried out by the Naval Commissariat of the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic.[13] On 16 May, the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs issued a decree, according to which the 1st Javanshir Infantry Regiment was renamed the 1st Azerbaijani Workers 'and Peasants' Rifle Regiment, 3rd Ganja Infantry Regiment was renamed the 3rd Azerbaijan Red Rifle Regiment. Per the same decree, the1st Infantry Division was combined into the 1st and 2nd Red Rifle Brigade, which became part of the 1st Azerbaijani Red Division.[13] The Consolidated Azerbaijani Red Soviet Rifle Division, formed on the basis of the 1st and 2nd infantry divisions and the cavalry division of the old army, comprised a rifle brigade, a cavalry brigade, and a light artillery division.[7] The headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division was named the headquarters of the Consolidated Azerbaijani Red Soviet Rifle Division,[13] and the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division was reorganized into the headquarters of the rifle brigade.[7]
At about the same time, by the decree of the NKVM, the Azerbaijani Military School was renamed the Red Command Courses. Manual reorganization of educational participation was assigned toShikhlinski.[16] In accordance with the decree of the NKVM, on 17 May, the replenishment and formation of army units was carried out on a volunteer basis.[7]
The development of theSoviet Azerbaijani Armed Forces was changed after theGanja Uprising of May 1920, when the still unreorganized units of the1st Infantry Division of the formerADR raised an uprising. The RMC of the11th Red Army was tasked to suppress the uprising. According to theBolshevik leadership, the development of an army inAzerbaijan was a controversial issue and the Bolshevik army was tasked with the suppression ofcounter-revolutionary organizations in the country.[17]
The Azerbaijani Bolsheviks came under suspicion of theBolshevik regime for their closeness to the rebels. After the suppression of the uprising, the RMC was able to afford purging them. Ultimately, the Azerbaijani army, together with all its institutions, was disbanded at the request of the RMC. The exceptions were volunteers rifle and cavalry units, including the 2nd Karabakh Cavalry Regiment, the 5th Baku Infantry Regiment, the Baku Fortress Battalion and a number of other units. Guard units were reorganized as well. Theclass criterion had a role in the selection of personnel. Admission of volunteers was done only on the recommendation of theCommunist Party, and the probationary period was six months. The Bolshevik military authorities was to be "guided exclusively by revolutionary consciousness" when selecting commanders, and were tasked to not to be "ashamed of appointing soldiers to the highest command positions" and not to accept the people from thebey andkhan families.[18]
Aliheydar Garayev then replacedChingiz Ildyrym as the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs. The central office of the NKVM also had to change its personnel. Garayev, who played an important role in the creation of the Azerbaijani Red Army, began to lead the state body. In accordance to a decree issued by Garayev, on 19 June, the formation of the first military units of theSoviet Azerbaijan began, including Lenin's International Azerbaijani Regiment and the Red East Rifle Regiment.[19] On 21 June 1920, Azrevcom appointed Garayev the new People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs.[20] He was a member of the RMC of the 11th Red Army and theCaspian Flotilla, and was directly involved in military activities. In May 1921, he became a member of the RMC of theRed Banner Caucasus Army. The activities of the People's Commissariat for Military Commissariat continued to concern the accounting and distribution of people liable for military service, and the establishment of units and formations.[21]
In mid-June, the formation of the Consolidated Azerbaijani Red Soviet Rifle Division, 5 rifle brigades, 2 rifle regiments, cavalry brigades, several artillery divisions, technical troops and a reserve artillery battery began. The composition of the unit was arranged as follows:[22][20]
However, in fact, not all parts of the unit were formed. This was influenced by the still-existing, voluntary principle of deployment of troops and specialists, as well as the deployment of troops, which led to a shortage of ordinary soldiers. By mid-July 1920, the size of the Azerbaijani Red Army was a little over 5,500 servicemen.[22]
On 17 August, Azrevcom issued its first decree on mobilization into theRed Army, according to which all citizens born in 1898–1902 inclusive, living inBaku District, were subject to conscription.[23] The day of the beginning of mobilization was set on 25 August, and the conscription had to be completed within ten days.[24] The Extraordinary Military Mobilization Commission formed for this purpose began to engage in political work among the population. According to the results of the mobilization, 3,274 people from among those liable for military service at the Baku Provincial Military Commissariat came to the recruiting offices, of which 2,670 people entered active military service. Among the persons mobilized in Baku and Baku District, 2 thousand people were sent to the Consolidated Azerbaijani Red Soviet Rifle Division for replenishment, which allowed completing its formation.[25]
On 30 September, an agreement on the military-economic union between theAzerbaijani SSR and theRussian SFSR was signed inMoscow, and in addition to it, the parties concluded several agreements. In accordance with the provisions of the document concluded by both republics, the Azerbaijani SSR retained the AzKA and its own navy. The number and armament of AzKA were determined by one fully equipped division. As for the number of ships and the armament of the fleet, a special agreement was provided for this. The construction of a system of bodies of military-administrative management was connected with the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of Azerbaijan, provincial and district military registration and enlistment offices. According to the same normative legal act of the RMC of the Caucasian Front for the period of hostilities, the army and republican bodies of military-administrative control were subordinate to theRussian Red Army. The commander of the RSFSR naval forces at the same time became the Commander of the Azerbaijani fleet. The appointment and removal of that post was administrated by the RMC of the Russian SFSR. Per the agreement, if the citizens of the Russian SFSR, present in the AzKA and AzVMF, were considered as carrying the Azerbaijani service and they could be recalled at any time, then the consent of the Azerbaijani government should be obtained to dismiss the Azerbaijani military personnel. The People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the Azerbaijani SSR was assigned the right to establish the uniform of servicemen of the AzKA and AzVMF. After the dissolution of the Caucasian Front, further relations between the Azerbaijani and Russian armed forces was planned to be determined by a subsequent agreement.[26]
In November 1920, the division, which was in the stage of formation, was reorganized into a Separate Consolidated Azerbaijani Brigade, headquartered inBaku. It consisted of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rifle regiments, headquarteredSabunchu,Surakhani, andBibi-Heybat respectively, a separate cavalry regiment, a sapper company, a communications company, and a training battalion. In June 1922, the Separate Consolidated Azerbaijani Brigade was again deployed into a division consisting of three rifle regiments, a separate cavalry squadron, a light artillery battalion, a consolidated artillery park, an artillery school of junior command personnel, an automobile detachment, a reconnaissance air squadron, and other logistical support units.[26]
In mid-July 1920, the Azerbaijani Red Army was composed of 5,500 servicemen.[27] On 17 August of the same year, Azrevcom issued a decree, signed byAliheydar Garayev andNariman Narimanov, on mobilizing citizens to replenish the army.[28] In May 1921, there were 36 thousand people in the ranks of the Azerbaijani Red Army, but by the end of the year its composition was reduced to ten thousand.[29]
In August 1922,Bakinsky Rabochi, aBolshevik newspaper based inBaku, published the memoirs of the then chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Azerbaijani SSRSamad aga Agamalioglu in two issues.[30] According to these memoirs, during his trip toMoscow, he managed to arrange a meeting withVladimir Lenin, who at that time was very ill, as in May 1922, he had his first stroke. During the meeting, Lenin inquired about the size of the Azerbaijani Red Army, and Agamalioglu, as he did not remembered the exact number, gave an approximate figure. However, Agamalioglu explained that it was very difficult to create a large proletarian army in a poor country like Azerbaijan.[31]
Aviation and military-sports schools, military-political courses were opened inBaku under the leadership ofAliheydar Garayev.[32] According to theBolshevik military authorities inAzerbaijan, the cadets had to learn, first of all, how to shoot, use bayonet and grenade, adapt to the terrain, use a shovel, find cover, and get acquainted with their main duties on and off duty. For the team of officers in training, "mastering the instructions from the field manual and understanding theexisting examples of the civil war" was considered a priority.[33]
On 19 August 1922, the Red Command Courses changed their name to the Azerbaijani Soviet Combined Military School, and on 14 March, to the Azerbaijani Combined Military School.[34] By the early 1922, the school had graduated about 300 officers.[35]
The People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of the Azerbaijani SSR faced certain difficulties while forming the national command staff. In 1921, Garayev decided to enlist the former officers of theImperial Russian Army and theAzerbaijani National Army,Ali-Agha Shikhlinski andSamad bey Mehmandarov to the Red Army. The Bolshevik government of Azerbaijan, in turn, raised the issue of these officers serving in the army to the Soviet authorities. With a special telegram fromSergo Ordzhonikidze, these two officers were sent to the order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of Azerbaijan. Shikhlinski and Mehmandarov were enlisted in the headquarters of the Azerbaijani Red Army, and on 1 December, Shikhlinski was tasked with performing special assignments under the People's Commissar of Azerbaijan, and was appointed artillery teacher at the Azerbaijani Combined Military School.[32][36] The former Deputy People's Commissar for Military Affairs, a former lieutenant general of the Red Army,Alexander Todorsky, later described Shikhlinski and Mehmandarov as the two key military specialists serving in Azerbaijan.[37]
In order to prepare the children of the poor populace and the soldiers serving in the Azerbaijani Red Army for admission to the Azerbaijani Combined Military School, the 1st Azerbaijan Red Cadet Corps was established in October 1922, and the 2nd Azerbaijan Red Cadet Corps was established in May of the same year. In September of the same year, both establishments became known as the 1st and 2nd Azerbaijani proletarian military schools.[38]
On 5 May 1922, by the decree of the Second All-Azerbaijani Congress of the Soviets of the Workers, the Peasants, the Red Army and the Sailors' Deputies, the Azerbaijani Red Army was awarded theOrder of the Red Banner.[39]
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