By
Carter W. Park
I became fascinated with the Soviet Far East on a business trip a few
years ago. Since I have always been interested in military history and
the ethnic peoples in this part of the world, I decided to do some research
while visiting the various republics there. In Russia,  there
are over a hundred distinct nationalities! The country is so huge, it
comprises one sixth of the world's total landmass, and is divided into
11 time zones. In many of their large cities and small towns, there are
monuments to the war dead from the Great Patriotic War. I asked one old
veteran (with a translator) why he was sent so far away, to fight the
Germans on the Eastern Front. He replied: "When we heard about the
war, young patriots from the various republics formed units. Stalin did
not trust us and he didn't like the idea of large ethnic military units
coming together because he thought we would make trouble for him in our
home country. He was very happy to ship us from Irkutsk all the way across
the country to Ukraine!". I visited every war museum I could while
in Siberia, and always, there were photographs of young men in uniform
mounted on the walls, with the inscriptions "Heroes of the Soviet Union."
I decided to see if I could compile a listing of all the Asian Heroes.
In winter, it is one of the most coldest regions in Russia. I trust that
my modest efforts will be of some use to the readers out there. I hope
you will share some of your knowledge with the rest of us. In Siberian
custom, "When you take, you always give back."
Photo
1.: Monument
of War and Labor at Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryat Republic in Russia.
The tank belonged to a Red Banner regiment.
Photo 2.: Veterans of the Great Patriotic War gather in Irkutsk
on Victory Day, 9th of May, 1997.
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BURYATS
8 Heroes and 2 Cavaliers of the Orders of Glory
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The Buryats are ethnic Mongolians who settled in
the Soviet Union.The majority of them are living in Russia in the
Republic of Buryatia (formerly the Mongolian Autonomous Socialist
Republic). |
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EVENK
1 Hero of the Soviet Union
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There is only one Evenk Hero of the Soviet
Union. His name was I. Ubachan who received the title posthumously
on 22 February 1944. The Evenks inhabit a large area of Siberia.
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KALMYKS
9 Heroes of the Soviet Union
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The Kalmyks are of Mongolian origin. They
are the only Buddhist group in European Russia, who migrated from
the Xinjiang region of China in the early 1600s. They settled in
the northern Caucasus. In 1771, Catherine II brought them under
Russian rule. A large majority left for their homeland because of
Russian oppression. Those who stayed behind became known as Kalmyks,
which means "to remain." The Nazis overran the western half of the
Kalmuk republic, and took its capital, Elista. Their country was
abolished after the Soviets regained control. |
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KAZAKS
99 Heroes of the Soviet Union
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I always believed that the Kazaks were
of Asian origin, but in doing research, it is said that they are
of Turkic origin. They are an Islamic people. They now have their
own homeland, Kazakstan, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Kazaks are the second largest Muslim group of Central Asia. |
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KIRGHIZ
1 Hero of the Soviet Union
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The sole Kirghiz Hero was K. Ucenbekov,
born in 1921 to a farm family. He joined the Army in 1942 and became
a Hero on 31 May 1945. He retired as a major general. These people
originated in China and then later moved to southern Siberia. During
1927-28, the Soviets tried to force them onto collective farms.
Many responded by leaving for western China. The Kirghiz in Russia
consider themselves to be Muslim. |
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KOREAN
1 Hero of the Soviet Union
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Alexander Min was not a Korean national,
but a Russian-born Korean! The son of a farmer, he joined the Army
in 1941. He belonged to the 132nd Rifle Regiment and fought on the
Belorussian Front. Captain Min was killed in action on 9 July 1944
and became a Hero posthumously on 23 March 1945. |
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YAKUTS
3 Heroes of the Soviet Union
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Three Yakuts became Heroes. These people
live in the Republic of Yakutia, an area of over a million square
miles in northeastern Siberia. The first Soviet atomic bomb was
detonated at an inaccessible town in the Yakut area, Olekminsk.
They seem to be of Asian origin, but they speak a Turkic language. |
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ASIAN
HEROES OF THE SOVIET UNION