A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II (3 page)

According to Marxist ideological doctrine, women were considered to be equal citizens in both rights and responsibilities. Though
not obligated to military service, the new Soviet woman was certainly free to participate in the revolution and subsequent Civil War.
By the middle of the 192os, however, women were again being encouraged into more traditional roles.9 To be sure, the universal military service laws of 1925 and 1939 continued to allow women to enlist
as volunteers, but they were actively discouraged from doing so.'Military service and, indeed, war-with the exception of the more
traditional female support roles-were again considered outside the
scope of women's affairs.

Although a very small number of women did manage to serve in
the Soviet military as pilots in the early 192os, aviation as a careerboth military and civil-remained largely a male domain throughout
the interwar period.-- At the same time, however, the Soviet government was placing an increased importance on the development of
aviation. Air transport was viewed as essential in such a vast and
rugged country, and efforts were made to heighten public awareness
and enthusiasm for aviation as well as to train proficient pilots and
mechanics to serve the projected industry.- Though women were not
specifically targeted in this effort, they were certainly not immune to
its effects; by the mid-1930s women were making their presence felt
in sports aviation.

Most women pilots received their training through the aero clubs
set up by the paramilitary organization Osoaviakhim (Society of
Friends of Defense and Aviation-Chemical Construction). Founded in
1927, the Osoaviakhim provided training to young adults in marksmanship, powered flight, gliding, parachuting, and aircraft mechanics, among other things. Though officially encouraged to participate
in this training, young women often met with considerable opposition. Women who applied often found the male instructors of the
aero clubs to he "less than enthusiastic" about their participation.
Many young women remained undaunted, however, as their growing
aero club membership and activity reflect.

The 1930s stand as the Soviet Union's "Golden Age of Aviation."
There was a surge in aviation programs, both civilian and military.
The second Five-Year Plan called for a tremendous increase in both
number and distance of civil aviation routes. Geologic surveys and
Arctic missions were now conducted by air, and Soviet accomplishments in sport and military aviation received heightened attention.
By 1935 an estimated 15o aero clubs had been established under the
auspices of the Osoaviakhim, and women were taking increased advantage of the opportunities available to them.,'

In September, 1938, three Soviet women made history when they
flew nonstop from Moscow to the Soviet Far East. Valentina Grizodubova, Paulina Osipenko, and Marina Raskova established a world record for women, logging twenty-six hours, twenty-nine minutes and
more than six thousand kilometers in their plane, the Rodina. The
first women to be honored with the title Hero of the Soviet Union,
these women were irrepressible role models for young Soviet women.
Marina Raskova in particular struck a chord with the population.

Initially trained as a navigator in 1933, Raskova went on to become
an air navigation instructor for the air force. In 1937 she became the
first female staff instructor at the Zhukhovski Air Academy.-4 Having gained world recognition as the navigator of the Rodina in 1938,
Raskova was apparently permitted to enter the M. V. Frunze Academy, a prestigious Soviet military staff college. Raskova subsequently
learned to fly light aircraft but was still a relatively inexperienced
pilot when she took instruction in the complex and unforgiving
twin-engine Pe-2. Attractive, strong-willed, and above all successful,
Raskova was a hero for many of the young women who went on to
serve as military pilots and navigators.

By the end of the decade women had made an indelible mark on
Soviet aviation. Not only had Soviet airwomen claimed more women's aviation world records than those of any other nation, they also now
accounted for nearly one-third of all the pilots trained in the U s s R .= s
Moreover, Stalin himself had taken a particular interest in the women
aviators. No doubt keenly aware of the tremendous international propaganda value of the accomplishments of Soviet female fliers, Stalin
also seemed to have a genuine personal interest in the women and
their record-breaking flights. His acquaintance with Raskova and her
achievements no doubt helped to influence his ultimate decision to
allow her to form all-female combat regiments in October, 1941.

In the days immediately following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet
Union in June, 1941, Raskova was reportedly deluged with letters
from young women pilots asking how they could put their skills to
use in the service of their country-more particularly, how they
could get to the front, preferably in an airforce unit.16 Many of these
women were flying instructors or had considerable experience in civil
aviation. As their memoirs reveal, many felt compelled by a "fever of
patriotism" to do something and so rushed to volunteer for active
duty. Though they were initially turned away, it did not take Raskova
long to persuade Stalin that the women were a valuable asset that
could play a useful role in the war effort. The 122nd Composite Air
Group was the result.

The young women who were recruited for the 122nd came from a
variety of backgrounds. They reported to the Volga town of Engels,
where they were divided into four groups according to previous experience: potential pilots, navigators, mechanics, and armorers. Although a number of women, especially those who were to serve as
armorers and mechanics, had to be trained from scratch, a significant
proportion of the women were university students when the war
broke out and had already received considerable training through the
Osoaviakhim. A minimum of 50o flying hours was required of women
who desired to serve as fighter or bomber pilots. Though this standard was quite high, there were many more pilots than navigators,
and a number of young, qualified women pilots were disappointed to
discover that they had been assigned as navigators. All of the volunteers were subjected to an extremely rigorous training program, and
in the case of the pilots, one that crammed nearly three years of flying
experience into several months.'? Time was of the essence.

The women's instruction, equipment, and ultimate assignment
were identical to those of their male counterparts. There is nothing in
the designation of the regiments that were later formed out of the
122nd-the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Bomber Regiment, and the 588th Air Regiment-to indicate that these were female units.'8
That they were not perceived as being essentially different from any
of the male regiments is evident from the fact that they were given
exactly the same coverage as the male air regiments in the official
history of the Soviet Army Air Force in the Second World War.'9

Map of Eastern Europe. Prepared by Cartographics, TAMU.

The three regiments were activated in early 1942. The 586th Fighter
Regiment became operational in April, 1942, over Saratov on the
Volga River, where it soon played an important role in the Battle of
Stalingrad. In addition to protecting vital transportation and communication lines, the regiment provided air cover for advancing Soviet
troops, harassed enemy positions, and guarded military installations.
Equipped with Yak fighters, the regiment's operations extended as far
west as Vienna and the Danube River.20

Because their mission was primarily defensive, the 586th was not
routinely used in combat-a fact that explains the regiment's relatively low number of enemy "kills." In no way should their combat
record be taken as an indication of any shortcoming. Eight of the
women were detached to serve with the 73rd Fighter Regiment. The
male fighter pilots obviously respected these women's capabilities,
because they flew as trusted wingmen of veteran pilots. Further, two
of these women-Lilya Litvyak and Katya Budanova-went on to
earn the title "ace" while flying as "lone wolf" Though the 586th never won the coveted "Guards" title, all of the women of the
regiment were decorated. It deserves mention that, by the closing
months of the war, women accounted for more than 12 percent of the
Soviet fighter aviation strength.22

The 587th Bomber Regiment, later known as the 125th Guards
Bomber Regiment, was likewise dispatched to commence operations in Saratov on the Volga River. They flew the fast, sophisticated, twin-engine Pe-2 dive bomber. Though many of the women's
arms and legs were too short and their physical strength not always
sufficient to fly the aircraft comfortably under all conditions, most
of the women came to like the plane. Reflecting the joy that most
pilots experience when flying a challenging, responsive aircraft, one
member of the 125th described the Pe-2 as "astonishingly beautiful
in

Although the regiment was used as a ground-support weapon
when Russian forces broke through in the northern Caucasus in 1943,
its primary mission was offensive bombing. It was used to attack
enemy positions and strongholds, to destroy enemy installations, and
harass troop concentrations. In January, 1943, the 125th regiment
reached the front-line airfield at Novo-Georgeyevka. Their airfield
was situated near an all-male bomber regiment whose members were
less than confident in the women's skills and bravery. It did not take
long, however, for the women pilots to win their respect. The authorities apparently agreed with them, for in the spring of 1944 the regiment was granted the coveted title of "Guards" and renamed the
125th M. M. Raskova Borisov Guards Bomber Regiment. The regiment was collectively awarded the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov in
recognition of their skill and bravery in battle, and five members
were named Heroes of the Soviet Union. Its campaigns took the 125th
through Belorussia and into the Baltic area, ending as far west as
eastern Prussia. On the way, the crews of the 125th flew up to three
bombing sorties a day-1,134 sorties for the duration of the war-and
dropped some 98o,ooo kilograms of bombs.24

Perhaps the best known of all of the Soviet women's air regiments,
the 588th Air Regiment, later known as the 46th Guards Bomber Regiment, officially began operations in the spring of 1942. Commanded by
Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, the 46th regiment was the only one of the
three regiments formed from the 122nd Composite Air Group to remain entirely female throughout the war. The regiment received a
great deal of publicity both during and after the war. It was frequently
the subject of Western and Soviet journal articles, and after the war its members actively promoted the regiment's history through memoirs,
collected accounts, and even documentary and feature films.

The 46th experienced a rather inauspicious start: the regiment had
already suffered the loss of two crews during training, an event that
delayed its departure for the front. Further, when the women arrived
at their new forward base of operations in May, 1942, they were discovered to be insufficiently trained and poorly prepared for aviation
combat conditions at the front. The divisional commander, D. D.
Popov, despaired at having the women sent to him. His superior,
however, advised patience and additional training for the regiment.-5
The women of the 46th were not to disappoint.

The 46th was equipped with a modified version of the popular U-2
trainer. Though later redesignated as the Po-2, the aircraft remained
essentially unchanged from its original design in 1927. It was easy to
fly, its fuel consumption was low, and it was capable of landing virtually anywhere. It carried a crew of two and between six and eight
bombs-approximately one thousand kilograms-and was sometimes
armed with a machine gun in the rear cockpit.z6 Made predominantly
of wood and fabric, the aircraft was a fire hazard in combat. Many of
the accounts related by the crews of the night bomber squadrons are
focused on their fear of the aircraft catching fire.

The regiment began its operations in the Don region, where it was
used to assault bridges, enemy strongholds, fuel and ammunition
dumps, and enemy troop concentrations. It saw action in the Crimea,
north through Belorussia and Poland, and as far west as Berlin. Between May, 1942, and May, 1945, the 46th Guards Bomber Regiment
flew an estimated twenty-four thousand combat sorties, through every kind of weather and conditions. The women-pilots and ground
crews alike-lived on the verge of physical collapse, managing a bit of
sleep or a meal whenever they could.27

In February, 1943, the regiment was renamed the 46th Taman
Guards Bomber Regiment, thus becoming the first female "Guard"
unit. It was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner and Suvorov i i i
Class for skill and bravery. The most highly decorated of the three
women's regiments, the 46th regiment also produced twenty-three
Heroes of the Soviet Union.