Legendary military commander Bauyrzhan Momyshuly was born today

Lifestyle • 24 December, 2019

Legendary military commander Bauyrzhan Momyshuly was born today

Legendary military commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, writer Bauyrzhan MOMYSHULY was born on December 24, 1910 in Zhambyl region.

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Momyshuly was a primary school teacher before the World War II broke out and he was sent to the war. For his heroic deeds he was awarded with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and many other decorations. He passed away in 1982. Monuments to Bauyrzhan Momyshuly can be found not only in his motherland but also in Nur-Sultan and the Moscow Region.

He is an author of several military books such as "Moscow Behind Us", "Our General", "One Night's Tale", "Our Family", "The Officer's Diary", "Psychology of War: Part 1", "Psychology of War: Part 2" and "Meetings in Cuba".

When the Russo-German War began in Jun 1941, Momyshuly was made a battalion commander in the 1073th Regiment of the 316th Rifle Division. In Sep 1941, he saw action near Ruza River near Volokolamsk in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Between 16 and 18 Nov, in the village of Matryonino, his battalion successfully fended off a German attack despite being cut off from the rest of the division; this accomplishment, plus the overall success achieved by the 316th Rifle Division overall, the division was given Guards status, thus renamed Panfilov 8th Guards Rifle Division, on 23 Nov. In late Nov 1941, he was promoted from the rank of senior lieutenant to the rank of captain. On 5 Dec, he was seriously wounded in combat, but opted to recover on the front lines in order to be with his comrades. In Apr 1942, he was promoted to the rank of major. In Aug 1942, his superiors recommended him for the award of Hero of the Soviet Union, but this was ultimately rejected. Later in the same year, he joined the Communist Party. In Oct, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In Jun 1943, he was promoted to the rank of colonel. He spent late 1943 and early 1944 in a hospital due to the wounds received in Dec 1941. After being released from the hospital in Mar 1944, he studied at the Higher Military Academy named after Marshal K. E. Voroshilov in Moscow, Russia. In Jan 1945, he was made the commanding officer of 9th Guards Rifle Division in the 1st Baltic Front; he led this unit into the Ostpreußen (East Prussia) region of Germany in the final months of the war. He was awarded the Order of Lenin after the end of the war.

In 1946, Momyshuly studied at the Voroshilov academy once again. In 1948, he was appointed by the Council of Minister of Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic as the chief of the Voluntary Society for Cooperation with the Armed Forces. In late 1948, he was made the deputy commanding officer of 49th Independent Infantry Brigade in the East Siberian Military District. Between 1950 and 1955, he was an instructor at the Military Academy of Logistics and Transport. He retired from military service in 1955 at the rank of colonel. He wrote several highly acclaimed books in his retirement, and also lectured at the Kazakh Academy of Sciences.

He passed away in Almaty in 1982 and was buried at the Kensai Cemetery. He was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union in Dec 1990. After the establishment of the Republic of Kazakhstan, he became a People's Hero of Kazakhstan.

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