Who is Sukhbaatar Damdin?

Anyone who is visiting Central Square, Mongolia will see the one equestrian statue. He is Sukhbaatar Damdin, leader of People’s Revolution in 1921, one of the founder of the Mongolian People’s Party. He was born on February 2, 1893 in today’s Ulaanbaatar in poor family of Damdin. In 1912, Sukhbaatar joined the first military school at Khujirbulan. After the training he became a platoon leader of the machine gun company.

Sukhbaatar Damdin was member of East Huree. There were two resistance groups against China, called the Consular Hill (Konsulyn denj) and East Khuree (Züün khüree), Chinese forces occupied Mongolia in 1919. After 1 year in 1920, the groups united and created Mongolian first political party with name of Mongolian People’s Party and decided to send seven representatives to Soviet Russia to ask helpings.

While Sukhbaatar Damdin was in Irkutsk for military training. In late 1920, White Russian forces commanded by Lieutenant General Baron Ungern had entered Mongolia from the east, and in late February 1921 occupied Niislel Khüree defeating China force which had occupied capital city (today’s Ulaanbaatar).

On March 18, 1921 the Mongolian People’s Army under Damdin Sükhbaatar defeated both Chinese forces and the White Russian Baron Ungern. Then freed the Kyakta town. Mongolian and Russian Red army forces entered the capital on July 6 and declared independence on July 11. When a new government was proclaimed on July 11, Sükhbaatar became the first Minister of the Army. In 1923, the young general passed away due to illness in his 30th years old.