On 23 July 1942 the German command issued Directive No. 45: an army group was to take the Black Sea coast, reach the oil districts of the Caucasus and then turn towards Baku on the Caspian shore. The reason was simple: much of the fuel of Soviet tanks and aircraft came from Baku oil. The goal was never reached. This lesson looks at the position of the Azerbaijan SSR in the war and at its role at the front and in the rear. The previous lesson was «Cultural change in the 1920s–1930s»; what happened in Southern Azerbaijan is in the lesson «Southern Azerbaijan in the 1920s–1940s: Reza Shah, Pishevari and the National Government».
The geopolitical position of Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijan SSR lay in the east of the South Caucasus, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. It bordered Iran to the south and, through the Nakhchivan ASSR, Turkey. The republic’s main wealth was Baku oil: on the eve of the war more than 70 per cent of the oil produced in the USSR came from Azerbaijan. That is why Baku was a target for Germany and, for the Soviet Union, one of the most important bases in the rear. To secure the southern flank, Soviet and British troops entered Iran in August 1941, and Iran became one of the routes of Allied aid (see the lesson «Southern Azerbaijan in the 1920s–1940s: Reza Shah, Pishevari and the National Government»).
The Great Patriotic WarDefinition
The war of the USSR against Germany and its allies, 22 June 1941 – 9 May 1945; this is what the Soviet Union called the Eastern Front of the Second World War.
The «Edelweiss» plan and the battle for the Caucasus
In the autumn and winter of 1941 the German army was stopped near Moscow. In the summer of 1942 Germany turned its main thrust to the south: the aim was to advance towards Stalingrad, cut the Volga route and seize the oil of the Caucasus. Germany’s own oil reserves were not enough for a long war, while the Soviet army drew most of its fuel from Baku. In Azerbaijani textbooks the plan aimed at the Caucasus is called «Edelweiss». According to it, the German troops were to cross south of Rostov, take the Maikop and Grozny oil districts, and then go over the Caucasus passes to Baku.
The «Edelweiss» planDefinition
In Azerbaijani textbooks, the name of the German command’s plan of 1942 to seize the Caucasus and the oil of Baku.
The battle for the Caucasus began on 25 July 1942. German troops reached Maikop, in August 1942 planted their flag on the summit of Elbrus and then reached the Mozdok and Malgobek direction. Hundreds of kilometres still lay before Baku, but the danger was real. The Soviet command built a defence in the Caucasus passes and along the Terek river; units called up from Azerbaijan also took part in these battles.
The Soviet counter-offensive at Stalingrad (from November 1942) put the German group in the Caucasus in danger; in early 1943 the German troops began to withdraw from the North Caucasus, and the battle of Stalingrad ended in a Soviet victory on 2 February 1943. The battle for the Caucasus ended on 9 October 1943 with the liberation of the Taman peninsula. No German soldier ever entered Baku; the front line never even crossed Azerbaijani territory. For the general course of the war see the lesson «The Second World War: the turning point and the results (1942–1945)».
Interactive
At the front and in the partisan movement
As soon as the war began, mobilisation was announced in Azerbaijan. More than 600,000 people from Azerbaijan went to the front. Rifle divisions made up of Azerbaijanis were formed or organised; among them were the 77th, 223rd, 402nd and 416th. For its courage in the liberation of Taganrog on 30 August 1943 the 416th Division received the honorary name «Taganrog».
Azerbaijanis fought in the battles for Moscow, Stalingrad, the Caucasus and Kursk, in the liberation of Eastern Europe and in the Berlin operation. More than a hundred Azerbaijanis were given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Some fought as partisans in occupied Europe.
| Person or unit | What they did | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hazi Aslanov | commander of tank units, major-general; killed in the Baltic fighting in January 1945 | Hero of the Soviet Union (1942, the Stalingrad battles); a second time after his death |
| Israfil Mammadov | for his courage at the front he became the first Azerbaijani Hero of the Soviet Union of the war | 11 December 1941 — Hero of the Soviet Union |
| Gafur Mammadov | a sailor of the 323rd Naval Infantry Battalion of the Black Sea Fleet; killed near Tuapse in October 1942 | 31 March 1943 — Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) |
| Mehdi Huseynzade | partisan in Yugoslavia and Italy, nicknamed «Mikhailo»; killed in 1944 | 1957 — Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) |
| The 416th «Taganrog» Division | a rifle division made up of Azerbaijanis; formed in 1942, it fought on the Terek line in August of that year | 30 August 1943 — the liberation of Taganrog, the honorary name «Taganrog» |
| Aspect | First World War (1914–1918) | The Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) |
|---|---|---|
| Military service | Muslims were traditionally exempt from military service; only volunteers served (the «Wild Division») | universal military duty: more than 600,000 people from Azerbaijan |
| Status of Azerbaijan | part of the Russian Empire; from 1918 the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic | the Azerbaijan SSR — part of the USSR |
The rear: oil, industry, the countryside and culture
Baku oil was the fuel source of the front. In 1941 more than 23 million tonnes of oil were produced in Azerbaijan. Output fell during the war, yet Azerbaijan remained the country’s main source of fuel. Since most oil workers had gone to the front, women, teenagers and older men worked the wells.
Industry switched, alongside fuel, to making munitions and equipment. Factories and many people were moved to the republic from the western regions; work and housing were arranged for them and hospitals were opened. In the villages women worked in the place of men, and the sowing of food crops was increased. The people made donations to the defence fund and sent gifts and warm clothes to the soldiers.
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| Baku gave more than 70 per cent of the USSR’s oil | Germany attacked the Caucasus with the «Edelweiss» plan; the Soviet leadership gave priority to defending the oil district and to output |
| The mass mobilisation of men | Women, teenagers and older men worked in the wells, factories and collective farms |
| The front approaching the western regions, and evacuation | Factories and people were moved to Azerbaijan, hospitals were opened |
| The Soviet counter-offensive and victory at Stalingrad (1942–1943), the defence in the Caucasus | German troops withdrew from the North Caucasus, the threat of an attack on Baku disappeared; Baku oil supplied the Soviet offensive operations |
Literature and the arts developed in a patriotic spirit. Poets wrote poems on front-line themes, composers wrote songs, and actors of the theatres and the philharmonic gave performances before military units with front-line brigades. In 1944 the State Anthem of the Azerbaijan SSR was created with music by Uzeyir Hajibeyli. In 1945 the film «Arshin Mal Alan» was made and the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR was founded. The later development of science, education and the arts is followed in the lesson «Culture in the 1940s–1980s».
The political regime, however, did not soften: creative work stayed under ideological control, and the republic was led by Mir Jafar Baghirov.
Interactive
- 22 June 1941
Germany attacks the USSR; the Great Patriotic War begins, mobilisation is announced in Azerbaijan
- 11 December 1941
Israfil Mammadov becomes the first Azerbaijani Hero of the Soviet Union
- 25 July 1942
The battle for the Caucasus begins (the «Edelweiss» plan)
- August 1942
German troops plant a flag on the summit of Elbrus
- January 1943
German troops begin to withdraw from the North Caucasus
- 2 February 1943
The battle of Stalingrad ends in a Soviet victory
- 31 March 1943
Gafur Mammadov is posthumously made Hero of the Soviet Union
- 30 August 1943
The 416th Division takes part in liberating Taganrog and receives the name «Taganrog»
- 9 October 1943
The Taman peninsula is liberated: the battle for the Caucasus ends
- 1944
The State Anthem of the Azerbaijan SSR is created with music by Uzeyir Hajibeyli; Mehdi Huseynzade is killed
- 1945
Hazi Aslanov is killed; the film «Arshin Mal Alan» is made; the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR is founded
- 9 May 1945
The Great Patriotic War ends in a Soviet victory
A new task is set for the army group. After destroying the enemy on the lower Don, the troops are to occupy the whole eastern part of the Black Sea coast. In the first stage the crossing to the south from the Rostov area must be secured. In the next stage the oil districts of the Caucasus are to be seized, and the mountain units are to cross the high passes.
When these tasks are done, the main forces are to turn south-east, towards the Caspian Sea. Their next objective is the largest oil centre on the Caspian shore.
Source tasks
Problem
1) Name the country not named in the text, its leader and the city that is the oil centre in the text; from the date given for the source, write the year of the event.
2) Explain one military-strategic and one economic reason for the attempt to seize that city.
3) Give two consequences of this plan that are NOT stated in the text.
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Solution
2) Military-strategic: to weaken the Soviet army by cutting it off from its source of fuel. Economic: Baku gave more than 70 per cent of the USSR’s oil, while Germany’s own oil reserves were not enough. Marks: both — 1; one — ½.
3) For example: the plan failed and the German troops withdrew from the North Caucasus in early 1943; Baku oil continued to fuel the Soviet offensive operations; Azerbaijan remained a base in the rear. Marks: two consequences — 1; one — ½; «the seizure of the oil districts» (the plan itself) is in the text and earns nothing.
Solving DİM-type tasks
A combination task
Problem
Choose the correct statements about the «Edelweiss» plan:
1. The plan envisaged the German command seizing the Caucasus and the oil of Baku
2. In August 1942 German troops planted a flag on the summit of Elbrus
3. German troops took Baku
4. The battle for the Caucasus ended in 1943
5. The plan envisaged joining Southern Azerbaijan to Iran
A) 1, 2, 3 B) 1, 2, 4 C) 2, 3, 5 D) 1, 3, 4 E) 3, 4, 5
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Solution
Chronological order
Problem
Arrange the events in chronological order:
1. The creation of the State Anthem of the Azerbaijan SSR
2. The beginning of the battle for the Caucasus
3. The 416th Division’s part in liberating Taganrog
4. The founding of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR
A) 2, 3, 1, 4 B) 2, 1, 3, 4 C) 3, 2, 1, 4 D) 2, 3, 4, 1 E) 1, 2, 3, 4
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Solution
A «… is not related» task
Problem
Which is NOT related to the activity of Azerbaijan in the rear?
A) the round-the-clock work of oil workers
B) the switch of factories to making munitions
C) donations of collective farmers to the defence fund
D) the part of the 416th Division in liberating Taganrog
E) the opening of hospitals
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Solution
Remember
- On the eve of the war more than 70 per cent of the USSR’s oil was produced in Baku, which is why Baku was a target for Germany.
- The «Edelweiss» plan aimed at the Caucasus and Baku oil; the battle for the Caucasus lasted from 25 July 1942 to 9 October 1943, and German troops did not reach Baku.
- More than 600,000 people from Azerbaijan went to the front; Israfil Mammadov was the first Azerbaijani Hero (11 December 1941); the 416th Division received the name «Taganrog» (30 August 1943); Hazi Aslanov was a tank general, Mehdi Huseynzade a partisan.
- In the rear oil workers, women and teenagers worked; industry switched to war production, and factories and people were moved to the republic.
- Culture developed in a patriotic spirit (1944 — the anthem; 1945 — «Arshin Mal Alan», the Academy), but the totalitarian regime stayed.