Hmayak Babayan

Hmayak Babayan
Born	15 August 1901 Zykhchi, Kars Oblast, Russian Empire
Died	21 April 1945(1945-04-21) (aged 43) Malchow, Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany
Buried	Myślibórz, Poland
Allegiance	Russian Empire First Armenian Republic Soviet Union
Service/branch	Imperial Russian Army Army of the First Armenian Republic Red Army
Years of service	1917–1945
Rank	Major general
Commands held	390th Rifle Division 76th Rifle Division 338th Rifle Division 35th Mechanized Brigade
Battles/wars	World War I Russian Civil War World War II
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner (2) Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class

Hmayak Grigoryevich Babayan (Russian: Амаяк Григорьевич Бабаян; Armenian: Հմայակ Գրիգորի Բաբայան; 15 August 1901 – 21 April 1945) was an Armenian Red Army major general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Born to a peasant family in modern-day eastern Turkey, Babayan joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1917, fighting in the Caucasus Campaign. After the collapse of the Imperial Russian Army, he became a soldier in the army of the First Republic of Armenia. After the Soviet occupation of Armenia, Babayan joined the Red Army, in which he became an officer. Stationed in Belarus before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he was wounded twice in the first months of the war. Commanding a regiment during the Battle of Moscow in December 1941, Babayan was seriously wounded. After recovering, he took command of the 390th Rifle Division, fighting in Crimea, which was destroyed in May 1942. Babayan was seriously wounded in Crimea and evacuated.

In March 1943, he was given command of a rifle brigade, which was soon converted into the 76th Rifle Division, which he led during the Battle of Smolensk in the summer and early fall of 1943. Babayan was seriously wounded a third time during the battle, and after recovering took command of the 338th Rifle Division in spring 1944. He led the 338th in Operation Bagration and the Kaunas Offensive during the summer of 1944, but was relieved of command later that year. Babayan took command of the a brigade in the 1st Mechanized Corps in February 1945, which he led in the Vistula–Oder Offensive, the East Pomeranian Offensive, and the Battle of Berlin. Babayan was killed in action during the Battle of Berlin while personally leading an attack and posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.