Sayra Jafarli, especially for Vestnik Kavkaza
Today Russia and the world celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The importance of this historical event only increases with each year. The memory of the peoples of the former Soviet Union about the war is supported by common values. Victory Day, which because of unity is an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who fought and worked on the home front during wartime. Vestnik Kavkaza tells about those people who led the country to victory. Sayra Jafarli, a writer for Vestnik Kavkaza, speaks about her grandfather.
My grandfather was a participant in the Leningrad defense, the Oder attack and the liberation of Prague – Ghazanfar Musaevich Jafarli, born on May 25, 1920, in Azerbaijan, in the city of Kirovabad, now Ganja. When the war began, he finished training at the mechanics and mathematics faculty of the Azerbaijani State University. In July 1941 he was sent on training courses for officers of the defense forces, and at the end of the courses joined the army.
Participation in war operations:
From 1941 to 1943 - North-Western Front, the commander of a platoon.
From 1943 to 1944 - the Leningrad Front, commander of a battery.
From 1944 to 1945 - the First Ukrainian Front, battery commander.
Awards:
Medal "For Service in Battle"
Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree
Order of Alexander Nevsky
Medal for the Victory over Germany
Medal for the Liberation of Prague
He was demobilized from the army in 1946. After returning to Azerbaijan he worked in the communist party and government services. Later he worked on his specialty, a Ph.D., was assistant professor of the Azerbaijani State University and was an organizer of the first computer center in the country.
I did not know my grandfather, and my grandfather spoke about the terrible war to my dad. There were severe frosts, not enough food, people did not sleep for days, all the time they had to be on guard, and it took a lot of strength. At that time, when he participated in the defense of Leningrad, the cold was so severe that the bread that they brought was frozen to the extent that it could not be cut with a knife, and they cut it with an axe, and his comrades warmed it over a fire.
In the spring of 1945, while crossing the river Oder, the battery was fired on, and their they were blown from the raft by the discharge. But, nevertheless, they were able to escape and bring their weapons to the other side, take a position and carry out the order. Despite these harsh conditions, the soldiers still retained their dignity, showing fortitude and courage. And with a lot of hard work, still they survived this terrible time, defended the homeland and won.
