Ali-Agha Shikhlinski
Encyclopedia
Ali-Agha Ismail-Agha oglu Shikhlinski was lieutenant-general of the Russia
n tsarist army
and Deputy Minister of Defense and General of the Artillery of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
.
uyezd
. He descended from an old noble family first mention which relates in 1537. His mother Shah Yemen Khanum was a grandchild of a famous poet Molla Vali Vidadi
. In August 1876 he entered Tiflis military school and graduated in 1883. He then finished Mikhaylovsky Artillery School in Saint Petersburg
in 1886, received the rank of podporuchik and was assigned to 39th artillery brigade, located in Alexandropol. In the course of military service he was promoted to poruchik
, then shtabs-kapitan
and appointed as commander of the training team. In 1900, Captain Shikhlinski was transferred to Transbaikal
artillery battalion. He took part in China Relief Expedition
of the Russian army.
During the Russo-Japanese War
Shikhlinski was the commander of an artillery battery
. He especially distinguished himself during the siege of Port Arthur
when, despite being severely wounded in his leg, he personally aimed the guns which lost their guncrews and repulsed attacks of superior Japanese forces. For the services in battle on September 28, 1905, he was decorated with the Order of Saint George 4th degree. He was also awarded a golden sword and conferred the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
In January 1906, Shikhlinski was seconded to Tsarskoye Selo
Officer's Artillery College, which he finished with honors in August of the same year and was appointed the instructor of the Artillery College. During his service as the instructor of the college Shikhlinski published a number of works on artillery, including a book titled “Use of Field Artillery in a Battle”, and invented an original target-finding device, which was called “Shiklinski triangle”. In 1908 Shiklinski was promoted to the rank of colonel
, and in 1912 he was conferred the rank of major-general and assigned the deputy chief of Officer's Artillery College.
started in 1914 Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was appointed the commander of St. Petersburg garrison artillery. In January 1915 Shikhlinski was seconded to the Northwestern front
to manage the training of heavy artillery guncrews. On May 23, 1915, he was appointed the general for errands at the commander-in-chief of the Northwestern front, and after division of the front into two held the same position at the Western front
. On October 31, 1915 he was appointed to the position of the general for errands at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He was charged with creation of heavy artillery battalions and brigades. From April 1916 16, Shikhlinski was the acting inspector of Western Front artillery. He was in charge of the artillery aspects of operations of the Western Front. On April 2, 1917 Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general.
in Russia, Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was appointed the commander of the 10th Russian army
in September 1917. After the October revolution
, he resigned from his position and moved to Tiflis, where he was charged with formation of the Muslim (Azerbaijani) corps. The corps supported the Ottoman Army of Islam in the Battle of Baku
with Bolshevik
and British forces. In January 1919, the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
appointed Shikhlinski a deputy to the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic Samedbey Mehmandarov
. On June 28, 1919, Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was promoted to the rank of General of the Artillery of the Azerbaijani army. After the Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan
and establishment of the Soviet regime in Azerbaijan
in April 1920, Shikhlinski was arrested and released two months later.
In 1920–1921, he was seconded to Moscow
, where he was an adviser to the artillery inspection department of RKKA and taught in Higher Artillery School. On 18 July, 1921, Shikhlinski was transferred back to Baku, where he taught at a military school and became a deputy to the chairman of the military science society of Baku garrison. In 1926, Shikhlinsky published the Russian-Azerbaijani Concise Military Dictionary. He resigned from military service in 1929 and wrote his memoirs, which were published in 1944.
Ali-Agha Shikhlinski died in Baku on 18 August 1943.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n tsarist army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
and Deputy Minister of Defense and General of the Artillery of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
.
Life and military career
Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was born on April, 23, in the village of Kazakhly of KazakhQazakh
Qazakh is a rayon of Azerbaijan. It has two exclaves inside Armenia, Yukhari Askipara and Barkhudarli, both of which came under Armenian control during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.- History :In antiquity, this rayon was part of the province of Utik...
uyezd
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
. He descended from an old noble family first mention which relates in 1537. His mother Shah Yemen Khanum was a grandchild of a famous poet Molla Vali Vidadi
Molla Vali Vidadi
Molla Vali Vidadi was an Azerbaijani poet.Little is known about Vidadi. He spent most of his life in his native town of Shamkir where he taught at a religious school he had established himself. According to some sources, Vidadi spent some years in Tiflis, Georgia, where we served as a court poet...
. In August 1876 he entered Tiflis military school and graduated in 1883. He then finished Mikhaylovsky Artillery School in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1886, received the rank of podporuchik and was assigned to 39th artillery brigade, located in Alexandropol. In the course of military service he was promoted to poruchik
Poruchik
Poruchik was a military rank in several Slavic countries, such as the Russian Empire and the Republic of Poland, equivalent to Lieutenant. "Poruchik" means "messenger", "officer for orders". This is a Slavic copy of the term "Lieutenant" .In Russia this rank was first introduced in Strelets New...
, then shtabs-kapitan
Senior Captain
Senior Captain is a rare military rank which is used in some countries armed forces.-Army:In some armies of the world, the senior captain is a rank between a regular Captain and a Major. The rank is often only found in armies and air forces...
and appointed as commander of the training team. In 1900, Captain Shikhlinski was transferred to Transbaikal
Transbaikal
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
artillery battalion. He took part in China Relief Expedition
China Relief Expedition
The China Relief Expedition was the name of an expedition in China undertaken by the United States Armed Forces to the rescue of United States citizens, European nationals, and other foreign nationals during the latter years of the Boxer Rebellion, which lasted from between 1898 and 1901...
of the Russian army.
During the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
Shikhlinski was the commander of an artillery battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
. He especially distinguished himself during the siege of Port Arthur
Siege of Port Arthur
The Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....
when, despite being severely wounded in his leg, he personally aimed the guns which lost their guncrews and repulsed attacks of superior Japanese forces. For the services in battle on September 28, 1905, he was decorated with the Order of Saint George 4th degree. He was also awarded a golden sword and conferred the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
In January 1906, Shikhlinski was seconded to Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
Officer's Artillery College, which he finished with honors in August of the same year and was appointed the instructor of the Artillery College. During his service as the instructor of the college Shikhlinski published a number of works on artillery, including a book titled “Use of Field Artillery in a Battle”, and invented an original target-finding device, which was called “Shiklinski triangle”. In 1908 Shiklinski was promoted to the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and in 1912 he was conferred the rank of major-general and assigned the deputy chief of Officer's Artillery College.
World War I
When World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
started in 1914 Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was appointed the commander of St. Petersburg garrison artillery. In January 1915 Shikhlinski was seconded to the Northwestern front
Northwestern Front (Russian Empire)
The Northwestern Front was a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War.It was established in August 1914. In August 1915 it was split into Northern Front and Western Front....
to manage the training of heavy artillery guncrews. On May 23, 1915, he was appointed the general for errands at the commander-in-chief of the Northwestern front, and after division of the front into two held the same position at the Western front
Western Front (Russian Empire)
The Western Front was a major unit of the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War. It was formed on the base of the Northwestern Front and disbanded in 1918.-Composition:Field Office * 1st Army...
. On October 31, 1915 he was appointed to the position of the general for errands at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He was charged with creation of heavy artillery battalions and brigades. From April 1916 16, Shikhlinski was the acting inspector of Western Front artillery. He was in charge of the artillery aspects of operations of the Western Front. On April 2, 1917 Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general.
Later years
After the February RevolutionFebruary Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in Russia, Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was appointed the commander of the 10th Russian army
10th Army (Russian Empire)
The 10th Army of the Imperial Russian Army was a military unit engaged in the First World War.- Military Fronts and engagements in which the 10th Army participated :* Northwestern Front...
in September 1917. After the October revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, he resigned from his position and moved to Tiflis, where he was charged with formation of the Muslim (Azerbaijani) corps. The corps supported the Ottoman Army of Islam in the Battle of Baku
Battle of Baku
The Battle of Baku in June – September 1918 was a clash between coalitions of Ottoman–Azerbaijani forces led by Nuri Pasha and Bolshevik–Dashnak Baku Soviet forces, later succeeded by British–Armenian–White Russian forces led by Lionel Dunsterville as part of the final battle of the Caucasus...
with Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
and British forces. In January 1919, the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
appointed Shikhlinski a deputy to the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic Samedbey Mehmandarov
Samedbey Mehmandarov
Samadbey Mehmandarov Sadykhbey oglu was an Azerbaijani General of the Artillery in the Imperial Russian Army and served as the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.-Early life:...
. On June 28, 1919, Ali-Agha Shikhlinski was promoted to the rank of General of the Artillery of the Azerbaijani army. After the Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan
Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan
The Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan, also known as the Sovietization or Soviet occupation of Azerbaijan, was a military campaign carried out by the 11th Army of Soviet Russia on April 27 - May 11, 1920 to overthrow the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and to install a Bolshevik regime...
and establishment of the Soviet regime in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
in April 1920, Shikhlinski was arrested and released two months later.
In 1920–1921, he was seconded to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where he was an adviser to the artillery inspection department of RKKA and taught in Higher Artillery School. On 18 July, 1921, Shikhlinski was transferred back to Baku, where he taught at a military school and became a deputy to the chairman of the military science society of Baku garrison. In 1926, Shikhlinsky published the Russian-Azerbaijani Concise Military Dictionary. He resigned from military service in 1929 and wrote his memoirs, which were published in 1944.
Ali-Agha Shikhlinski died in Baku on 18 August 1943.