Irbaykhan Baybulatov

Irbaykhan Adylkhanovich Baybulatov (; 1912 – 12 October 1943) was a senior lieutenant and battalion commander in the Soviet Army during the Second World War who was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Early life Baybulatov was born in 1912 to a Chechen peasant family in the village of Osmanyurt, then part of the Russian Empire. Due to an order from above discouraging commanders from nominating Vainakh peoples for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, his nationality was listed as Kumyk in official Soviet documents. In 1938 he graduated from Grozny Pedagogical School, after which he worked as a school principal in his home village.

Second World War Immediately after the launch of operation Barbarossa, Baybulatov was drafted into the Soviet Army. He trained at the officer at the Buynaksk Infantry School, which he graduated from in 1942. In January 1943 he was deployed as a platoon commander of in the 690th Rifle Regiment. During the battle for one village he led his machine gunners in repelling attacks from the German Army to break out of an encirclement. During the battle he took over the roles of his injured comrades, and was seriously injured while repelling an attack; he was mistakenly believed to be dead and a death notice was sent to his family. However, he was alive and survived his injuries after being taken to a hospital. For his courage in that engagement he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was able to return to his regiment after recovering from his injuries.

Awards

Hero of the Soviet Union