Sagadat Nurmagambetov
Encyclopedia
Sagadat Nurmagambetov is a retired Soviet
and Kazakhstan
i general who served as Chairman of Kazakhstan's State Defense Committee in 1991-1992 and Kazakhstan's first Minister of Defense following the dissolution of the Soviet Union
in 1991, holding the office of Defense Minister from May 1992 to November 1995. He was an adviser to Nursultan Nazarbayev
in 1995-1996.
Nurmagambetov began his military career as a machine gun
platoon
commander in the Red Army
in World War II
. He was promoted to machine gun company and infantry
battalion
commander, winning the honorary title
of Hero of the Soviet Union
in February 1945. His battalion went on to storm the Reich Chancellory at the Battle of Berlin
in April 1945.
Nurmagambetov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy after World War II and rose to become one of the highest-ranked Kazakh officers in the peacetime Soviet Army
, attaining the rank of colonel-general. He retired from the military of Kazakhstan as an army general
in 1995.
Sagadat Nurmagambetov was named a People's Hero of Kazakhstan
in 1994, becoming the first Kazakhstani to receive this honor.
in Kazakhstan
.
Sagadat Nurmagambetov joined the Red Army
in 1942. He received accelerated machine gun
n officer's training at the 1st Turkestan Machine Gun School in Kushka
, Turkmen SSR
(now Serhetabat
in Turkmenistan
) and was sent to the front lines of the Eastern Front of World War II
in April 1943.
Nurmagambetov led a machine gun
platoon
, a machine gun company, and infantry
battalion
and was awarded the honorary title
of Hero of the Soviet Union
with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (medal no. 5214) and the Order of Lenin
by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 27 February 1945. He fought in the Battle of Berlin
and led his battalion's troops in the storming of Berlin's Reich Chancellery
in April 1945.
He attended the Frunze Military Academy from June 1946 until his graduation from the Academy in November 1949, continuing his military career as a senior operations section officer for the Turkestan Military District
staff, a motorized rifle division
's commanding officer and chief of staff
, Civil Defense Forces
of the Kazakh SSR
chief of staff, a deputy commanding officer of the Central Asian Military District, and first deputy commander of the Soviet Union's Southern Group of Forces
in Hungary
.
Nurmangambetov was elected to serve as a deputy of Kazakhstan's Supreme Soviet
from 1971 until 1994, and chosen to lead its committee on the disabled and military veterans' affairs in 1989.
Colonel-General Nurmangambetov was appointed to head Kazakhstan's State Defense Committee by Nursultan Nazarbayev
in October 1991. He was named Kazakhstan's first Minister of Defense following the State Defense Committee's reorganization as the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan in May 1992 and remained as Defense Minister in Nazarbayev's cabinet until retiring from the armed forces as an army general
in November 1995.
He was awarded Kazakhstan's highest official award, the newly-established honorary title of People's Hero of Kazakhstan
, in 1994the first Kazakhstani to attain the honor.
He was an adviser to President Nazarbayev from 1995 to 1996.
His son Talgat is a major-general in the reserve.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
i general who served as Chairman of Kazakhstan's State Defense Committee in 1991-1992 and Kazakhstan's first Minister of Defense following the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
in 1991, holding the office of Defense Minister from May 1992 to November 1995. He was an adviser to Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
in 1995-1996.
Nurmagambetov began his military career as a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
commander in the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 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...
. He was promoted to machine gun company and infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
commander, winning the honorary title
Honorary title
Honorary title may refer to:*Honorary title , primarily exists in Britain as well as some universities and colleges in the United States and Canada*Title of honor, as an award in recognition of their merits...
of Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
in February 1945. His battalion went on to storm the Reich Chancellory at 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 April 1945.
Nurmagambetov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy after World War II and rose to become one of the highest-ranked Kazakh officers in the peacetime 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...
, attaining the rank of colonel-general. He retired from the military of Kazakhstan as an army general
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
in 1995.
Sagadat Nurmagambetov was named a People's Hero of Kazakhstan
People's Hero of Kazakhstan
People's Hero of Kazakhstan is the highest distinction conferred by the Republic of Kazakhstan, along with the Order of Golden Eagle.-Overview:...
in 1994, becoming the first Kazakhstani to receive this honor.
Biography
Sagadat Nurmagambetov was born on 25 May 1924 in the settlement of Kosym in the Kazak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the Russian SFSR (later Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic), now in the Akmola ProvinceAkmola Province
Akmola Province is a centrally located province of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Kokshetau. The capital of the whole country, Astana, is enclosed in the province, but is politically separate from Akmola Province. The province's population is 748,300; Kokshetau's is 124,000. The area is 146,200...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
Sagadat Nurmagambetov joined the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 1942. He received accelerated machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
n officer's training at the 1st Turkestan Machine Gun School in Kushka
Kushka
Kushka may refer to:*Serhetabat, Turkmenistan*Kushka, Balkh, Afghanistan...
, Turkmen SSR
Turkmen SSR
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Turkmen SSR for short, was one of republics of the Soviet Union in Central Asia. It was initially established on 7 August 1921 as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR. On 13 May 1925 it was transformed into Turkmen SSR and became a...
(now Serhetabat
Serhetabat
Serhetabat is a small town in the Mary Province in Turkmenistan, located in the valley of the Kushka River. Population: 5,200 ....
in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
) and was sent to the front lines of the Eastern Front of World War II
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
in April 1943.
Nurmagambetov led a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
, a machine gun company, and infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
and was awarded the honorary title
Honorary title
Honorary title may refer to:*Honorary title , primarily exists in Britain as well as some universities and colleges in the United States and Canada*Title of honor, as an award in recognition of their merits...
of Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (medal no. 5214) and the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 27 February 1945. He fought 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....
and led his battalion's troops in the storming of Berlin's Reich Chancellery
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany in the period of the German Reich from 1871 to 1945...
in April 1945.
He attended the Frunze Military Academy from June 1946 until his graduation from the Academy in November 1949, continuing his military career as a senior operations section officer for the Turkestan Military District
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with its headquarters at Tashkent. The District was first created during the 1874 Russian military reform when by order of Minister D.A. Milyutinym the territory of Russia was...
staff, a motorized rifle division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
's commanding officer and chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
, Civil Defense Forces
Civil Defence Forces
The Civil Defense Forces or CDF were a paramilitary organization who fought in the Sierra Leone Civil War . They supported the elected government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah against the rebel groups RUF and AFRC . Much of the CDF was made up of the Kamajors group, which is part of the larger Mende...
of the Kazakh SSR
Kazakh SSR
The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Kazakh SSR for short, was one of republics that made up the Soviet Union.At in area, it was the second largest constituent republic in the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata . Today it is the independent state of...
chief of staff, a deputy commanding officer of the Central Asian Military District, and first deputy commander of the Soviet Union's Southern Group of Forces
Southern Group of Forces
The Southern Group of Forces was a Soviet Armed Forces formation formed twice following the Second World War, most notably around the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956....
in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
Nurmangambetov was elected to serve as a deputy of Kazakhstan's Supreme Soviet
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...
from 1971 until 1994, and chosen to lead its committee on the disabled and military veterans' affairs in 1989.
Colonel-General Nurmangambetov was appointed to head Kazakhstan's State Defense Committee by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
in October 1991. He was named Kazakhstan's first Minister of Defense following the State Defense Committee's reorganization as the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan in May 1992 and remained as Defense Minister in Nazarbayev's cabinet until retiring from the armed forces as an army general
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
in November 1995.
He was awarded Kazakhstan's highest official award, the newly-established honorary title of People's Hero of Kazakhstan
People's Hero of Kazakhstan
People's Hero of Kazakhstan is the highest distinction conferred by the Republic of Kazakhstan, along with the Order of Golden Eagle.-Overview:...
, in 1994the first Kazakhstani to attain the honor.
He was an adviser to President Nazarbayev from 1995 to 1996.
His son Talgat is a major-general in the reserve.
Honors
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
- Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
- Order of the October RevolutionOrder of the October RevolutionThe Order of the October Revolution was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was awarded to individuals or groups for services furthering communism or the state, or in enhancing the defenses of the Soviet Union, military and civil...
- Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
- Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 1st class - Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 2nd class - Order of the Red StarOrder of the Red StarEstablished 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...
(2x) - Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 2nd class
- Order of the Red Banner of LabourOrder of the Red Banner of LabourThe Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
- Order of the Badge of Honour
- Republic of Kazakhstan:
- People's Hero of KazakhstanPeople's Hero of KazakhstanPeople's Hero of Kazakhstan is the highest distinction conferred by the Republic of Kazakhstan, along with the Order of Golden Eagle.-Overview:...
- Order of Otan
- People's Hero of Kazakhstan
- Russian Federation:
- Order of FriendshipOrder of FriendshipThe Order of Friendship is a state decoration of Russia established by decree # 442 of March 2, 1994 of the President of the Russian Federation....
- Order of Friendship
- Ukraine
- Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class (2004)