Abdurahman Fatalibeyli
Encyclopedia
Abdurrahman Fatalibeyli (birth surname Dudanginski, or Abo Alioglu Fatalibeyli-Dudanginsky (Або Алиевич Дудангинский / Əbo Əliyeviç Düdənginski), born Abo Dudanginski (June 12, 1908, Dudangi
– November 1954, Munich
) was a Soviet army
major who defected to the German forces during World War II
.
, Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan
) to a Turkic father and Azerbaijani
mother.He studied in various public and military schools in Baku
. He moved to Leningrad
, where he joined the Communist Party to enter to the Military Engineering School and studied there for three years.. His classmate from the Chief of Staff Academy years future Marshal of Soviet Union, Minister of Defense of USSR Andrey Grechko said the following about Fatalibeyli: "He possessed with incredibly sharp intelligence and analytical thinking. He was a commander by birth. In the questions of military tactics none of us could compare to him."
In 1936, Fatalibeyli was expelled from the party due to having lied about his social origins and having reported himself to be of peasant stock. He later participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939, receiving the Order of the Red Star
. He became major
in 1941, but was captured by German
troops in the Baltic front in September 1941 and sent to a prisoners of war camp.
and became an interpreter of SD
officer and the deputy commander of the Einsatzgruppe D SS-Obersturmführer Heinz Schubert in North Caucasus
, but according to Cabbar Ertürk who was elected as the responsible for cultural affairs of the Azerbaijan National Committee in Berlin
, his "Turkish language
" was poor. When the Caucasus Campaign
began in August 1942, he participated to the 804th Infantry Battalion "Aslan"
(literally "Lion Battalion") as a stuff occifer of its commander Major Dr. Gloger. The battalion belonged to the 4th Mountain Division of the 17th Army
. The "Aslan" battalion advanced from Rostov-na-Donu to Armavir, and then to Malaya Laba River (Малая Лаба) and Bagovskaya (Баговская). After the death of Dr. Gloger on February 4, 1943 when the battalion retreated to the Kuban bridgehead (Kuban-Brückenkopf ), Fatalibeyli-Dudanginsky temporarily commanded the battalion until Captain Haverland was appointed as the new commander in late March. And later he served for the 806th Infantry Battalion "Igit" (literally "Brave Battalion") and I/73rd. While fighting guerrilla attacks, he received the Iron Cross
and promoted to major of the German military in 1943.
Head of the "Azerbaijan National Committee" and one of the architects of the Azerbaijani Legion
helped by Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
, Mufti
of Jerusalem, and several Moslem collaborators, such as Ali Khan (North Caucasus
) Dr. Szymkewicz, mufti of the Ostland zone occupied by the Germans (Poland and occupied areas of the USSR), and Mohammed Al Gazani, Moslem poet and one of the chiefs of the anti-Soviet Moslem Union.
In November 1943, a broadcast of radio DNB (Deutsche Nachrichten Büro) announced that the first battalion of Azerbaijanis, which had actively fought against the Bolshevism during more than one year, "proved their valor, and were included in German Storm Troops and decorated by the German Army." It was also announced that a conference about Azerbaijan had place in Berlin on November 7, under the command of major Dudanginski. A dispatch dated November 16, 1943 mentioned specifically that this conference had been followed "by the Mufti of Jerusalem" and "the representatives of the peoples of the Caucasus
, the Ural
and Turkestan
."
More than 700 Azeris participated in the battle of Berlin
in 1945. Abo surrendered to Allied forces, and began to work for American intelligence. After the war, Fatalibeyli was cleared by the U.S. War Department's Office of Strategic Services
(OSS), a forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency
.
In 1953 he began working for CIA-funded Radio Liberty in Munich
, becoming chief of the Azerbaijani desk. In September 1954, the body of Leonid Karas, a Belarusian writer, was found in the Isar River near Munich. Two months later (on 24 November), Fatalibeyli was found garroted in the apartment of Mikhail Izmailov. Although never conclusively proved, KGB
involvement was suspected in both cases.
Last living contemporary witness, working with Fatalibeyli at Radio Liberty.
Beschir Alizade
Sharur
Sharur is an rayon of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.-History:Sharur formed part of the territory of the Nakhichevan Khanate until its abolition in 1828. In the Russian empire it was made a part of the Armenian Oblast. After the oblast was abolished, it became a part of...
– November 1954, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
) was a Soviet army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
major who defected to the German forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Soviet Union
Fatalibeyli was born in the village of Dudangi (in present-day SharurSharur
Sharur is an rayon of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.-History:Sharur formed part of the territory of the Nakhichevan Khanate until its abolition in 1828. In the Russian empire it was made a part of the Armenian Oblast. After the oblast was abolished, it became a part of...
, Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
) to a Turkic father and Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
mother.He studied in various public and military schools in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. He moved to Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, where he joined the Communist Party to enter to the Military Engineering School and studied there for three years.. His classmate from the Chief of Staff Academy years future Marshal of Soviet Union, Minister of Defense of USSR Andrey Grechko said the following about Fatalibeyli: "He possessed with incredibly sharp intelligence and analytical thinking. He was a commander by birth. In the questions of military tactics none of us could compare to him."
In 1936, Fatalibeyli was expelled from the party due to having lied about his social origins and having reported himself to be of peasant stock. He later participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939, receiving the Order of the Red Star
Order of the Red Star
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
. He became major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1941, but was captured by German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
troops in the Baltic front in September 1941 and sent to a prisoners of war camp.
Nazi Germany
After (or during) imprisonment in Poland, he joined the WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and became an interpreter of SD
SD
SD may refer to:* Salvia Divinorum* Southern Cross Decoration , a South African military award* Stage directions* Sisters of the Destitute, a Syro-Malabar Catholic women's order* Spasmodic dysphonia...
officer and the deputy commander of the Einsatzgruppe D SS-Obersturmführer Heinz Schubert in North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
, but according to Cabbar Ertürk who was elected as the responsible for cultural affairs of the Azerbaijan National Committee in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, his "Turkish language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
" was poor. When the Caucasus Campaign
Battle of the Caucasus
The Battle of Caucasus is a name given to a series of German and Soviet operations in the Caucasus area during the Soviet-German War.-1941 operations:...
began in August 1942, he participated to the 804th Infantry Battalion "Aslan"
Azerbaijani Legion
The Azerbaijani Legion, or in German, Aserbaidschanische Legion, was one of the foreign units of the Wehrmacht. The Azerbaijani Legion was formed in December 1941 as the Kaukasische-Mohammedanische Legion and was re-designated 1942 into two separate legions, the North Caucasian legion and the...
(literally "Lion Battalion") as a stuff occifer of its commander Major Dr. Gloger. The battalion belonged to the 4th Mountain Division of the 17th Army
17th Army (Germany)
The German Seventeenth Army was a World War II field army.-Commanding officers:* General der Infanterie Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel * Generaloberst Hermann Hoth...
. The "Aslan" battalion advanced from Rostov-na-Donu to Armavir, and then to Malaya Laba River (Малая Лаба) and Bagovskaya (Баговская). After the death of Dr. Gloger on February 4, 1943 when the battalion retreated to the Kuban bridgehead (Kuban-Brückenkopf ), Fatalibeyli-Dudanginsky temporarily commanded the battalion until Captain Haverland was appointed as the new commander in late March. And later he served for the 806th Infantry Battalion "Igit" (literally "Brave Battalion") and I/73rd. While fighting guerrilla attacks, he received the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
and promoted to major of the German military in 1943.
Head of the "Azerbaijan National Committee" and one of the architects of the Azerbaijani Legion
Azerbaijani Legion
The Azerbaijani Legion, or in German, Aserbaidschanische Legion, was one of the foreign units of the Wehrmacht. The Azerbaijani Legion was formed in December 1941 as the Kaukasische-Mohammedanische Legion and was re-designated 1942 into two separate legions, the North Caucasian legion and the...
helped by Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Haj Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From as early as 1920, in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state he actively opposed Zionism, and was implicated as a leader of a violent riot...
, Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Jerusalem, and several Moslem collaborators, such as Ali Khan (North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
) Dr. Szymkewicz, mufti of the Ostland zone occupied by the Germans (Poland and occupied areas of the USSR), and Mohammed Al Gazani, Moslem poet and one of the chiefs of the anti-Soviet Moslem Union.
In November 1943, a broadcast of radio DNB (Deutsche Nachrichten Büro) announced that the first battalion of Azerbaijanis, which had actively fought against the Bolshevism during more than one year, "proved their valor, and were included in German Storm Troops and decorated by the German Army." It was also announced that a conference about Azerbaijan had place in Berlin on November 7, under the command of major Dudanginski. A dispatch dated November 16, 1943 mentioned specifically that this conference had been followed "by the Mufti of Jerusalem" and "the representatives of the peoples of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, the Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
and Turkestan
Turkestan
Turkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
."
More than 700 Azeris participated in the battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
in 1945. Abo surrendered to Allied forces, and began to work for American intelligence. After the war, Fatalibeyli was cleared by the U.S. War Department's Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(OSS), a forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
.
Cold War
By 1948, he had been invited to Egypt and was a military adviser for the Arabs during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.In 1953 he began working for CIA-funded Radio Liberty in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, becoming chief of the Azerbaijani desk. In September 1954, the body of Leonid Karas, a Belarusian writer, was found in the Isar River near Munich. Two months later (on 24 November), Fatalibeyli was found garroted in the apartment of Mikhail Izmailov. Although never conclusively proved, KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
involvement was suspected in both cases.
Last living contemporary witness, working with Fatalibeyli at Radio Liberty.
Beschir Alizade