A decorated WWII Hero of the Soviet Union, became Kazakhstan's first Minister of Defense, pivotal in founding and advancing the nation's Armed Forces.

May 25 holds significant importance in the national history of Kazakhstan, marking the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the hero of the Soviet Union, Khalyk Kaharmany (the highest distinction conferred by the Republic of Kazakhstan, alongside the Order of the Golden Eagle), and the First Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Army General Nurmagambetov Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich. This article is dedicated to the memory of this legendary man. There are individuals whose destinies shine brightly across time, leaving a profound mark on history. It is often said that 'the history of a land is the history of its people.' The life and legacy of the frontline soldier, hero of the Soviet Union, the first Khalyk Kaharmany, and the inaugural Minister of Defense of independent Kazakhstan, Army General Sagadat Nurmagambetov, embody the true history of our nation.
One of the veterans of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan recalled, 'He was a man—a legend—whose life spanned an entire era: the most cruel and bloody war of the twentieth century, the collapse of the once powerful Soviet Union, the birth of a young sovereign Kazakhstan, and the formation of our national army.

Serving the Motherland and defending the Fatherland was a matter of honor for Sagadat Nurmagambetov. He was not only a courageous warrior but also a creative individual. He authored several books, including Facing the Fire, My Frontline, From the Fiery Years to the Sovereign Army, and And There is no Silence in Memory.

During various forums, it is both possible and necessary to discuss the hero's biography, highlighting his unforgettable heroism and contribution to the development of the Kazakh people. Moreover, in studying all the works and publications about this legendary individual, not a single line or word can be omitted from the text, as this is not just a biography—it is geography, it is history! However, personal meetings and interactions with such a legendary figure are particularly valuable and memorable.
Serving the motherland and defending the fatherland was a matter of honor for Sagadat Nurmagambetov. He was not only a courageous warrior but also a creative individual. He authored several books, including Facing the Fire, My Frontline, From the Fiery Years to the Sovereign Army, and And There is no Silence in Memory.

Today, streets in cities across Kazakhstan and military educational institutions are named after him. Additionally, monuments, memorial plaques, and museums have been established in his honor. A bust of Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich is displayed at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. 

Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich Nurmagambetov was born on May 25, 1924, in Trudovoye, now the village of Yenbek, Akkol district, Akmola region. He was orphaned at an early age. His and his sisters' guardianship was assumed by his elder brother Sagit, who joined the front lines and tragically perished defending the city of Pskov.

On February 27, 1945, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command during the breakthrough of a heavily fortified enemy defense on Polish territory, while showing courage and bravery, Captain Nurmagambetov Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

His career began in 1941. In 1942, from school, he was drafted into the army and sent to Turkmenistan to a military school in the city of Kushka. In 1943, his long journey to the front began. Sagadat Nurmagambetov came to the front line in April 1943 as the Commander of a machine gun platoon of a separate naval brigade near Armavir. From there, with his subordinates as part of the 1052^nd Infantry Regiment of the 301^st Donetsk Order of Suvorov, II degree, Berlin Infantry Division of the 5^th Shock Army, being a communist, he crossed half of Europe, from the Caucasus to Berlin. Here is the original of his statement to the party, which says:
"...I ask the primary party organization of the battalion to accept me as a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since I want to go into battle as a communist and will fight my sworn enemy to the last drop of blood..."
In Ukraine, he commanded a company that crossed the Dnieper and Dniester. He commanded a battalion that went through Belarus and Poland and further to Berlin. Throughout the war, Sagadat Nurmagambetov was on the front line, and the battalion he led showed bravery and courage in battles and emerged victorious from difficult battles.
Below is a brief, specific summary of personal military feats from the nomination for the title of ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’:
“Acting as part of an assault battalion to break through a heavily fortified enemy defense in the area of the village of Wyborów (Poland), on January 14, 1945, he provided excellent leadership to a machine gun company in destroying enemy manpower and equipment.
During the battle in the enemy’s second trench, when the crew of the heavy machine gun went out of order, Captain Nurmagambetov, showing courage and bravery, replaced the gunner and opened hurricane fire on the enemy infantry. In his sector, he repulsed two enemy counterattacks, destroyed 65 Nazis, and put the rest to flight.
The machine gun company of Captain Nurmagambetov, having crossed the Pilitsa River in the area of the village of Marynka, destroyed 35 Nazis, six machine gun firing points and firmly established itself on the captured bridgehead on the left bank of the river and ensured the further advance of the rifle companies to capture the village of Likhonitsy.

In the battle to break through the enemy’s defenses and further develop combat operations on January 14 and 15, 1945, the machine gun company destroyed up to 120 Nazis and 12 machine gun firing points.” 
Worthy of being awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The progress of the battle was monitored by Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov, who arrived at the observation post, and on his instructions, all Red Army soldiers and officers of the battalion were awarded orders.
On February 27, 1945, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command during the breakthrough of a heavily fortified enemy defense on Polish territory, while showing courage and bravery, Captain Nurmagambetov Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

But even while at the front, he never forgot about his fellow compatriots, the rural workers who also forged victory on the labor front. Here is one of his addresses to his fellow compatriots through the newspaper:
“Dear fellow compatriots! Allow me to report to you that I honorably justify your trust, knowing no fear in the struggle; I fight for the freedom and independence of my Fatherland and native Kazakhstan. Not a single enemy firing point, not a hundred Germans, fell from my hands. 
Taking part in complex operations at the front line, I learned to skillfully lead units into battle, and with all the hatred of my soul, I take revenge on the Germans for desecrating the homeland, for the innocently shed blood of the Soviet people.
Now, we are far beyond the borders of our homeland. But my account with the Germans is not yet closed - for the murder of my older brother and the maiming of my younger brother, for my Fatherland, I will take revenge on the Nazi invaders until the last Nazi is nailed to the wall of his own house. My hatred for the enemy is unbreakable.
With frontline greetings to you,

—S. NURMAGAMBETOV, Twice order bearer, captain.

Pyotr Ishchenko, the young officer, had to endure and suffer a lot. Already at the end of the war, the Battalion Chief of Staff, commanded by Sagadat Nurmagambetov, was seriously wounded. Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich himself did not escape injury. In one of the battles, he was severely cut by shrapnel, and only by pure luck he did not lose his hand, one splinter landed directly on his watch, tearing it into pieces. And yet he reached Berlin and signed on the wall of the Reichstag.
He would later write about the significance of the Great Victory in the book, And There is no Silence in Memory:

"The lessons of the last war taught us a lot. The main thing is to appreciate what the older generation has won. Today's youth should preserve and enhance its military traditions and move forward further and further along peaceful roads. I, just like all frontline soldiers, all honest people, have not stopped thinking about it since May 1945..." 
In the post-war years, Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich continued to serve in the Armed Forces, honestly and conscientiously fulfilling his duties in various positions. From 1945 to 1946, he was an inspector in the university department of the Steppe Military District. From 1946 to 1949, he was a student at the Military Academy. Senior Officer of the operational department of the Turkestan Military District (1950-1954); Commander of a motorized Rifle Regiment, Chief of Staff of the 201^st Motorized Rifle Division (1954-1961); Chief of the Civil Defense Staff of the Kazakh SSR (1961-1969); Deputy Commander of the Central Asian Military District (CAMD) (1969-1981, 1984-1989); First Deputy Commander of the Southern Group of Forces (Hungary, 1981-1984). 
In 1990-1991, he was Chairman of the Kazakh Republican Council of War, Labor, and Armed Forces Veterans and Chairman of the Committee of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan for veterans, disabled persons, and military personnel.
In October 1991, he was appointed Chairman of the State Defense Committee, and in May 1992, he became the first Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
As the Minister of Defense (1992-1995), Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich distinguished himself as a statesman, military leader, and diplomat. His talent, deep knowledge, breadth of thinking, pragmatic, rational approach to solving any problem, and other qualities of Army General Sagadat Nurmagambetov were necessary in constructing our Armed Forces.
Leading the army during challenging times for the country, he made an invaluable contribution to its formation and development. His high authority helped preserve military potential and strengthen military discipline among the personnel. On May 23, 1994, he was awarded the title of 'Khalyk Kaharmany' and presented with the 'Gold Star' No. 1. The Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces did not come into existence overnight but were established precisely during a crucial stage in our history—Kazakhstan's gaining independence.
Kazakhstan decided to establish its own army after all the Commonwealth states had already formed their armed forces. This immense task fell upon a small team within the State Defense Committee, amid limited time. At that juncture, a diverse array of troops occupied our republic's territory: units and formations from a first-rate military district; strategic forces including two divisions of modern strategic missiles capable of delivering payloads worldwide, and a division of strategic bombers; centrally controlled troops; reconnaissance units; and military construction teams. Additionally, various testing centers and grounds were operational. In total, Kazakhstan housed over 200,000 military personnel. In short, Kazakhstan was a volatile region where any mishandling of strategic missiles could lead to a disaster far graver than that of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Still, the careful work carried out made it possible not only to develop a draft concept for the country's military development but also to prevent the export of expensive equipment and property from Kazakhstan's territory.
The formation of the army occurred under challenging political and economic conditions, and Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich Nurmagambetov's contribution was invaluable. He initiated the modernization and strengthening of our Armed Forces with advanced equipment and trained officer personnel. He showed great care towards his staff and emphasized their professional development.
Creating your army requires a thoughtful, balanced approach. The situation put the following questions on the agenda: "What kind of army is needed? What will be her prospects? What should the organizational structure be? Where to get the necessary professional personnel? Who are our strategic allies? What to do with strategic forces with nuclear weapons? In addition, in the context of the transfer of troops under the jurisdiction of Kazakhstan, there was an urgent task to ensure the safety of weapons, military equipment, and assets. Strategic troops required close attention. At the same time, it was impossible to allow a decrease in the troops' combat readiness level. With the collapse of the centralized supply system, it was necessary to reorganize the troops' financial, logistical, and medical support.
In the first stage of constructing the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the most important task was to preserve the existing personnel, weapons, and military equipment, to create structures of the Ministry of Defense, and to control bodies of the branches of the Armed Forces. As a result of the reforms carried out, the structure and strength of the Armed Forces was optimized. Their composition, deployment, and purpose were clarified based on ensuring the military security of sovereign Kazakhstan. Based on existing military educational institutions, officers in many specialties were trained.
A significant date is December 8, 1992. At the meeting of the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the country's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, spoke for the first time as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. At this meeting, he sharply and clearly defined the prospects for the development of our army. At the same time, he stressed that it should be small, mobile, trained, prepared, and meet modern requirements.
The most serious problem was the retention of personnel and their subsequent training. It was necessary to take emergency measures to create our system for training military personnel since there was a serious shortage of personnel due to the outflow of officers to their historical homeland. The leadership of the State Defense Committee, subsequently the Ministry of Defense, literally had to take operational measures on the fly since there was no one to command the regiments and battalions.
With the formation of the Kazakhstan Army, personnel policy excesses were eliminated. They began to train national personnel based on the previously existing Almaty Higher Combined Arms Command School, which trained officers in four specialties. In a short time, the required educational and material base was created, and training of cadets in eleven specialties was organized. Equally important was the training of their military pilots based on the Aktobe Institute of Civil Aviation, now the Military Institute of the Air Defense Forces; later, the Military Institute of Radio Electronics and Communications and other military educational institutions were created.
One unconventional method of filling the initial officer shortage was creating courses for training junior lieutenants with a training period of 3 to 9 months. Such courses, as is known, took place during the Great Patriotic War. They justified themselves in the Armed Forces of the former Soviet Union in the '60s.
The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan paid great attention to selecting candidates for such courses from among warrant officers and conscripts with experience in the army. The trainees trained not in greenhouse conditions but in field conditions close to a combat situation. The flow of young specialists into the troops made it possible to reduce the severity of the problem of staffing primary officer positions.
Here are some memories of the very first Minister of Defense:
“During the construction of the Armed Forces, despite the difficulties and harsh realities of those days, serious attention, first of all, was paid to the issues of organizing combat training and maintaining statutory order in the troops. They taught commanders and personnel what was necessary in war. The war showed that a soldier is alive until the first shot. Preempting the enemy means winning. The condition of military equipment and weapons and their proper operation did not go without constant attention. The training of officers has been raised to a new qualitative level, starting with platoon Commanders, on whose actions the success of the battle largely depends. After all, they are the ones who teach the soldiers and go into battle with them.
Of no small importance for the training of soldiers, sergeants, and officers was the conduct of exercises using the capabilities and power of missile forces and artillery, Ground Forces, aviation, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, all small arms, and their close interaction. When preparing this or that exercise, the Commanders paid serious attention to their clear understanding of the task set by the Senior Commander. Being a Commander of a platoon, company, or battalion at the front, I more than once had to take part in training sessions to clarify the tasks of Regimental and Division Commanders. The experience of the Great Patriotic War confirmed that setting troops tasks that were beyond their capabilities meant disrupting the battle. Apart from the loss of strength and the erosion of military spirit, such a practice does not give anything. You can't needlessly ruin people's lives for the sake of a petty tactical task. When conducting a battle, any Commander should not have such a temptation since he is leading people. War does not forgive shortcomings or a formulaic approach, so for any battle or operation, one must prepare seriously and thoroughly."
“You won’t believe it, the tension of those years when they laid the first stone of the foundation for the creation of our Armed Forces,” said Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich, “was so great that it was comparable to the war years. It seemed to me that I, as before, was on the front line. After all, the Union collapsed; some generals and officers left for their historical homeland, and there were units that were left without commanders. In addition, it was important to preserve the integrity of material resources and military equipment.
Despite the circumstances and objective difficulties of the transition period, one of the most crucial attributes of a sovereign state—the country's Armed Forces—was established within a short span of time. The army he founded continues to effectively fulfill its duties, safeguarding the homeland and supporting the peaceful endeavors of the Kazakhstani people.
Sagadat Nurmagambetov is truly the pride and founder of the modern Kazakh army. Today, across several generations of officers, sergeants, and soldiers in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as among cadets of higher military educational institutions and students of military colleges and schools, Sagadat Nurmagambetov remains a living legend—an exemplar of perseverance, courage, and selfless devotion to his homeland.
Whatever positions he held, he proved himself to be an excellent, talented commander. With his deep knowledge, justice, and determination, Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich deservedly enjoyed high authority and respect among his colleagues and the people of Kazakhstan in general. Sagadat Nurmagambetov, a major military leader, was intelligent in life and work.

Sagadat Nurmagambetov was the only participant in the Great Patriotic War among the defense ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries during the years of the creation and formation of sovereign states. The respect and authority of Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich are also evidenced by the fact that the leadership of the CIS countries showed high confidence in speaking on May 9, 2005, in New York at the plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the occasion of the celebration of the 60^th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Sagadat Nurmagambetov was the only participant in the Great Patriotic War among the defense ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries during the years of the creation and formation of sovereign states.

Life taught a person who went through the harsh school of war, who saw death and the tragedy of people, the most important thing—to take care of the world and appreciate and respect people.
Hero of the Great Patriotic War, writer Bauyrzhan Momyshuly called Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich a “cultural general.”
In the literal sense of the word, he was like that. Confirmation of this is that the minister-general treated his colleagues very respectfully, called them by their first and patronymic names, knew birthdays, built relationships without violating military regulations, and at the same time remained a very modest, hardworking, principled person. 

Army General Nurmagambetov Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich, a Hero of the Soviet Union and a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, maintained the closest friendly relations with frontline soldiers, including those living in other republics of the former Union, until his last days. Veterans and generals of many foreign countries speak warmly about him. It was he who laid the foundation, the foundation of the veteran movement.
He is the nation's pride, having devoted his entire life to military affairs, and will forever remain in the country's memory.

The writer is an Associate Professor and corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences, President of JSC Center for Military Strategic Studies, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan.
E-mail: askhat.ryspaev@cvsi. kz.
The writer is the Head of the Administrative Department of JSC Center for Military Strategic Studies, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan. 
E-mail: [email protected]