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Sukhe-bator.jpg
Sukhbaatar.jpg
Suhbaatar (Mongolian: Сүхбаатар, also Sühbaatar, Sukh, Sukhe-Bator) (February 2, 1893-February 22, 1923) was a Mongolian military leader known for his excellent horsemanship capabilities. Sukh (which means ax in the Mongolian language) was probably born in Urga and joined the nation's army in 1911. He was later forced to leave the army because of charges of insubordination. In 1917, he joined another army, fought against the Chinese, and earned the moniker of baatar (hero).
Mongolia remained part of China until 1911, when the collapse of dynastic rule in China allowed the country to assert its independence. The Chinese tried to reinstate their claim to Mongolia by an invasion in 1919, but this was were unsucessful, largely due to the effort of Sühbaatar. Today Suhbaatar is remembered as a hero in Mongolia for defeating both the Chinese and the Russian warlord Ungern von Sternberg's forces, as commander-in-chief of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army, with aid from the Soviet Union, and thus confirming Mongolia's independence from China.
Sühbaatar's widow, Sühbaataryn Yanjmaa, went on to serve in a number of senior positions in the Mongolian government, including acting President.