Editing Azerbaijani Armed Forces (section)

=== World War II ===
[[File:Парад 1960 г. 6 рота.jpg|thumb|Cadets of the [[Baku Higher All-Arms Command School]] during a parade in Baku in 1960]]
During [[World War II]], Azerbaijan played a crucial role in the strategic energy policy of Soviet Union. Much of the Soviet Union's oil on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] was supplied by Baku. By a decree of the [[Supreme Soviet of the USSR]] in February 1942, the commitment of more than 500 workers and employees of the oil industry of Azerbaijan was recognised with orders and medals.
[[Operation Edelweiss]] carried out by the German [[Wehrmacht]] targeted [[Baku]] because of the importance of its oil fields to the USSR.<ref>[[Swietochowski, Tadeusz]](1995) ''Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition, Columbia University'', p. 133.</ref> Some 800,000 Azerbaijanis fought within the ranks of the Soviet Army of which 400,000 died. Azerbaijani national formations of the [[Red Army]] included the [[223rd Rifle Division|223rd]], [[227th Rifle Division|227th]], [[396th Rifle Division|396th]], [[402nd Rifle Division|402nd]], and [[416th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|416th Rifle Division]]s. Azerbaijani Major-General [[Hazi Aslanov]] was awarded a second [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] after a long post-war fight for recognition of his accomplishments.