28 Facts About Hamazasp Babadzhanian

Hamazasp Khachaturi Babadzhanian or Babajanian was a Soviet military officer of Armenian origin who held the rank of Chief Marshal of the Armoured Troops.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian was a recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's family was unable to support him financially for long and he was forced to return to home, where he went to work in the fields.

In 1925, Hamazasp Babadzhanian applied to the Red Army's Aleksandr Myasnikian Combined Military School in Yerevan, Armenia.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian was given various postings throughout the Soviet Union, serving as a commander of a battalion and later as a deputy for the army corps based in the Transcaucasian Military District.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian rounded out his studies at the Frunze Military Academy in 1937, attaining the rank of major.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian served with distinction in the fighting and was later given command of the 751st Rifle Regiment, based in the North Caucasus Military District.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's unit was involved in a rearguard action during a temporary Soviet retreat, putting up stiff resistance against Axis forces before turning to the offensive.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's unit was the first to re-enter the city of Yelnya on September 8,1941, an accomplishment that earned it a period of respite from the fighting.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's maneuver was successful in driving a wedge between the defending forces, which suffered heavy casualties and withdrew from their positions.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's regiment went on to capture the village of Vipolzovo and Shumakovo Station, the beginning terminus to the Kursk-Belgorod railway line, and drove deep into the region of Sedvenskiyi, south-east of Kursk.

In July 1943, Hamazasp Babadzhanian's was sent north to take part in the Battle of Kursk.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian was given command of the 20th Tank Brigade, which at the time was part of the Soviet Guards 8th Mechanized Corps.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's brigade was tasked with blocking the Germans' northern and southern advances toward Kursk by taking up position at an intersection near Oboyan.

The brigade sustained heavy losses from German armor assaults, and Hamazasp Babadzhanian himself was wounded during the course of the attacks.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian rapidly recovered from his injuries and returned to active duty.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's unit was incorporated into the 1st Ukrainian Front and sent once more to take part in the struggle to evict the Axis out of Ukraine.

The tanks under Hamazasp Babadzhanian's command distinguished themselves in particular in the battle of Koziatyn, which resulted in the annihilation of the German 70th Motorized Rifle Division.

In March 1944, Hamazasp Babadzhanian led his brigade across the Dniester in a drive to retake the town of Stanislav.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian's forces arrived in time to take part in the battle for Berlin, fighting in heavy street battles, alongside units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, and participating in the seizure of the Reichstag.

On July 11,1945, Hamazasp Babadzhanian was promoted to major general in the Soviet tank forces.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1948, and was appointed to responsible command positions.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian served as the 1st Deputy Commander of the Carpathian Military District from 1950 to 1951.

In November 1956, Hamazasp Babadzhanian led the 8th Mechanized Army to Budapest, during the Soviet intervention that led to the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian was a deputy of the Soviet of Nationalities during its sixth and seventh convocations, representing the Moldavian SSR.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian became Chief Marshal of the Tank and Armored Troops on April 29,1975 and held the position until his death.

Hamazasp Babadzhanian died in Moscow on November 1,1977, and was buried with full honors at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

On 23 May 2016, a monumental statue of Marshal Hamazasp Babadzhanian was erected in the Armenian capital Yerevan on a street bearing his name.