Mehdi Huseynzade
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Lieutenant Mehdi Huseynzade (Azeri: Mehdi Hüseynzadə, Azeri Cyrillic: Меһди Һүсејнзaдə, Russian: Мехти Гусейнзаде) (December 22, 1919, Baku – November 2, 1944, Vitovlje) was an Azeri guerilla and scout during the Soviet-German War and a Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously since April 11, 1957.
In 1942 Huseynzade was wounded near Stalingrad and taken prisoner by the Nazis. After escaping he joined the Yugoslavian guerillas and in 1944 became a commander of the special reconnaissance diversionary unit of the 11th Corps' Staff of the Yugoslavian People's Liberation Army. On April 2, 1944 Huseynzade, nicknamed Mikhaylo (Russian: Михайло) with his mate Mirdamat Seidov installed a delayed-action mine in the "Opchina" cinema in Triest. The explosion killed 80 and wounded 260 Germans, of which 40 died later in hospital. In the end of April Huseynzade with Hans Fritz and Ali Tagiyev blew up a bridge near the Postayno railway station, which led to the 24-car train crash. In May Huseynzade and Seidov have blew up a casino, where 150 Germans died and 350 were wounded. A 400,000 Reichsmark award for killing Huseynzade was established.
Huseynzade died in combat with Germans in the Slovenian settlement Vitovlje. His life and heroic activity during the World War II, was described in Imran Qasimov's book "On distant shores" ("Uzaq Sahillərdə"), and the movie made in Soviet years by Azerbaijan-Film movie studio. A football stadium in Sumgayit was named after him.
