Our soldiers called them Swallows, or playfully the Dunkin regiment, French pilots from the Normandie-Niemen unit - night witches, and the Germans - night witches.
Light night bomber Po-2 (U-2)
The 46th Guards Taman Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 3rd Class, Night Bomber Aviation Regiment was the only female aviation regiment in the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. The initiator of its creation was the famous Soviet pilot Marina Raskova. The aviation regiment was formed in October 1941, commanded by Evdokia Bershanskaya from the day of its foundation until the end of the war. And all this time, only women served in the regiment, starting from the regiment commander and ending with mechanics and gunsmiths.
The formation and training of the regiment took place in the city of Engels, Saratov region. Basically, girls 17-22 years old with piloting experience came to the regiment as pilots, and students and graduates of universities - mathematicians, physicists, historians, who sacrificed their love for science to help the Motherland - came as navigators. The training lasted two months. None of the girls had experience with night flights, so they had to simulate darkness and fly under a special canopy. Finally, on May 23, 1942, the regiment flew to the front. At that time, its number was 115.
On May 27, the regiment arrived at its destination - at the state farm "Work of the Miner" near Lugansk. On June 12, 1942, their first combat mission took place. Then the regiment suffered its first losses - in the first battle, the pilot Lyubov Olkhovskaya and her navigator Vera Tarasova were killed.
And at the end of 1942, the hardest battles for the Crimea began. The girls flew to Taman, Kerch, Simferopol, Sevastopol … 12 people died in the battles for the peninsula. Then there were no such big losses in the regiment.
It's hard to believe, but at first the girls flew without parachutes, preferring to take with them a few extra bombs, and practically without weapons, not counting the service TT. And only in 1944, machine guns began to be installed on the Po-2 so that the pilots could fight off enemy fighters. As one of the pilots, Galina Bespalova, said, the navigator girls kept small bombs - thermite, lighting - on their knees and threw them with their hands over the side of the plane. Large bombs were tied to the plane and at the right moment the girls simply cut the ropes holding them.
Usually the flight lasted about an hour and the girls managed to make 5-6 flights per night in the summer and 10-12 in the winter. The interval between sorties was only 5-10 minutes, during which time new ammunition was loaded. There were cases when the crews from fatigue could not get out of the cockpit, and they simply had to be carried in their arms.
During the war, the regiment's combat losses amounted to 32 people. Although the female pilots mostly died behind the front lines, none of them are considered missing. After the end of the war, the commissar of the regiment, Evdokia Yakovlevna Rachkevich, with the money collected by the regiment, traveled around all the places where the planes were killed, and found the graves of all the dead girls.
Combat path of the regiment
On June 12, 1942, the regiment's first combat sortie took place. Until August 1942, the regiment fought on the Mius and Don rivers and in the suburbs of Stavropol. From August to December 1942 he participated in the defense of Vladikavkaz. From March to September 1943, the regiment's pilots took part in breaking through the defense of the Blue Line on the Taman Peninsula and liberating Novorossiysk. From November 1943 to June 1944, the regiment supported the landing of troops on the Kerch Peninsula, the liberation of the Crimean Peninsula and Sevastopol. In June-July 1944, the regiment fought in Belarus, helping to liberate Mogilev, Cherven, Minsk, Bialystok. Since August 1944, the regiment operated on the territory of Poland, participated in the liberation of Avgustiv, Warsaw, Ostrolenka. In January 1945, the regiment fought in East Prussia. In March 1945, the regiment's guards took part in the liberation of Gdynia and Gdansk. In April 1945, and until the end of the war, the regiment helped in breaking through the enemy's defenses on the Oder. For three years of fighting, the regiment never went to reorganize.
During the hostilities, the pilots of the air regiment made 23 672 sorties, spending 28 676 hours (1191 days) in the air. The pilots dropped 2,902,980 kg of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells. According to the data known to date, the regiment destroyed and damaged 17 crossings, 9 railway echelons, 2 railway stations, 46 warehouses, 12 fuel tanks, 1 aircraft, 2 barges, 76 cars, 86 firing points, 11 searchlights. 811 fires and 1,092 high-power explosions were triggered and 155 bags of ammunition and food were dropped to the surrounded Soviet troops.
During the war years, 23 servicemen of the regiment were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union:
Guards Art. Lieutenant Aronova Raisa Ermolaevna - 960 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Belik Vera Lukyanovna - 813 sorties (posthumously).
Guards Art. Lieutenant Gasheva Rufina Sergeevna - 848 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Gelman Polina Vladimirovna - 860 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Evgenia Andreevna Zhigulenko - 968 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Makarova Tatyana Petrovna - 628 sorties (posthumously).
Guards Art. Lieutenant Meklin Natalya Fedorovna - 980 sorties.
Guard Captain Evdokia Andreevna Nikulina - 760 sorties.
Guard Lieutenant Nosal Evdokia Ivanovna - 354 sorties (posthumously).
Guards Art. Lieutenant Parfyonova Zoya Ivanovna - 680 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Evdokia Borisovna Pasko - 790 sorties.
Guard Captain Popova Nadezhda Vasilievna - 852 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Raspopova Nina Maksimovna - 805 sorties.
Guard Captain Larisa Nikolaevna Rozanova - 793 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Evgenia Maksimovna Rudneva - 645 sorties (posthumously).
Guards Art. Lieutenant Ryabova Ekaterina Vasilievna - 890 sorties.
Guard Captain Olga Alexandrovna Sanfirova - 630 sorties (posthumously).
Guards Art. Lieutenant Sebrova Irina Fedorovna - 1,004 sorties.
Guard Captain Maria Vasilievna Smirnova - 950 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Syrtlanova Maguba Huseynovna - 780 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Ulyanenko Nina Zakharovna - 915 sorties.
Guards Art. Lieutenant Khudyakova Antonina Fedorovna - 926 sorties.
Guard Captain Marina Pavlovna Chechneva - 810 sorties.
In 1995, two more navigators of the regiment received the title of Hero of Russia: guards st. Lieutenant Akimova Alexandra Fedorovna - 680 sorties and guards st. Lieutenant Sumarokova Tatyana Nikolaevna - 725 sorties.
Such a unique phenomenon as a female air regiment could not go unnoticed in art. After the end of the war, the former female pilots of the regiment wrote books and memoirs about the days of the war. One of the most famous - "We were called" Night witches ", the authors of which were Irina Rakobolskaya and Natalya Meklin (Kravtsova). In 1981, the feature film" Night Witches in the Sky "was released, directed by one of the swallows - Evgenia Zhigulenko. The songs were dedicated to the girls by the Dutch rock band Hail of Bullets and the Swedish power metal band Sabaton.
Everyone probably remembers the love story of Romeo and Masha from Leonid Bykov's film "Only Old Men Go to Battle". It is based on a real love story, the heroes of which, fortunately, survived: the deputy squadron commander of the female air regiment Nadezhda Popova and the fighter pilot of the 821st fighter regiment Semyon Kharlamov. During the filming, Leonid Bykov was advised by Romeo himself - Colonel-General Semyon Kharlamov.
Not so much is known about the fate of the girls after the end of the war, and practically nothing about most of them. However, some sources claim that several people from the legendary air regiment are still alive. Let's hope this information is true.
Rufina Gasheva and Natalya Meklin
Natalya Meklin and Irina Sebrova
Irina Fedorovna Sebrova (December 25, 1914 - April 5, 2000), flight commander. Until 1948 she continued to serve in the army, and after her dismissal she worked at the Moscow Aviation Institute. She was buried in the Rakitki cemetery.
Marina Raskova
Marina Mikhailovna Raskova (March 28, 1912 - January 4, 1943), Soviet pilot. Although she did not serve in the 46th air regiment, it was created precisely on her initiative. At the end of October 1941, she formed an air group of three female air regiments: the 586th fighter (Yak-1), 587th bomber (Pe-2) and 588th night bomber (Po-2). Later Raskova was appointed commander of the 587th regiment. On January 4, 1943, Marina Raskova died in a plane crash near Saratov while flying to the front after being reorganized. She was buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.
Evdokia Bershanskaya, regiment commander
Evdokia Davydovna Bershanskaya (February 6, 1913 - September 16, 1982) was born in the Stavropol Territory. After the war, she married the commander of the 889th night light bomber aviation regiment, Konstantin Bocharov. After the war, she and her husband moved to Moscow, worked in the committee of Soviet women and the committee of war veterans. Buried at the Novodevichy cemetery
Evgeniya Zhigulenko
Evgenia Andreevna Zhigulenko (December 1, 1920 - February 27, 1994), flight commander, continued military service until 1955. Until the beginning of the 70s she lived in Sochi, worked as a lecturer, head of the department of culture, was a deputy of the City Council. Then she moved to Moscow, graduated from VGIK, worked as a director of the M. Gorky film studio. In 1981 she shot the film “Night Witches in the Sky”. She was buried in Moscow, at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Evdokia Nikulina
Evdokia (Dina) Andreevna Nikulina (November 8, 1917 - March 23, 1993), squadron commander. In 1948 she graduated from the Rostov Party School, in 1954 - from the Pedagogical Institute, worked in the city party committee. Buried in the city of Rostov-on-Don,
Evdokia Nosal
Evdokia Ivanovna Nosal (March 13, 1918 - April 23, 1943). She worked as a teacher in the city of Nikolaev, and after graduating from the Kherson aviation school - instructor-pilot of the Nikolaev flying club. The war found her in the hospital, where her newborn son was killed in the bombing. Deputy squadron commander. She died on April 23, 1943 while performing a combat mission south-west of the city of Novorossiysk. The first in her regiment was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).
Evdokia Pasko
Evdokia Borisovna Pasko was born on December 30, 1919 in Kyrgyzstan. In 1938 she entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, from where she volunteered for the army from the 4th year. Squadron navigator. After the war, she graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, graduate school, became a candidate of sciences, taught at the Moscow Higher Technical School. Lives in Moscow.
Ekaterina Ryabova
Ekaterina Vasilievna Ryabova (July 14, 1921 - September 12, 1974), navigator. Soon after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, as a student of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, she volunteered for the Red Army. After the war, she continued her studies, taught at the Moscow Polygraphic Institute, then was an assistant professor of the Department of Theoretical Mechanics at the Military Engineering Academy named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky. She was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Irina Rakobolskaya
Irina Vyacheslavovna Rakobolskaya was born on December 22, 1919. She was the chief of staff of an air regiment. In October 1941, from the 4th year of the Faculty of Physics, she voluntarily left for the Red Army. After the war, she graduated from Moscow State University. Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Cosmic Rays and Space Physics of the Physics Faculty of Moscow State University, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation. One of her sons is the famous physicist Andrei Linde. Lives in Moscow.
Marina Chechneva
Marina Pavlovna Chechneva (August 15, 1922 - January 12, 1984), squadron commander. After the war, she continued to fly, in 1949 she set a speed record on a Yak-18 sports aircraft. For a long time she was the leading female aerobatic team at air parades. In 1963 she graduated from the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the CPSU, worked in the Central Committee of DOSAAF, was a member of the Committee of Soviet Women. The author of several books about fellow soldiers. She was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery.
Natalia Meklin (Kravtsova)
Natalya Fedorovna Meklin (September 8, 1922 - June 5, 2005), flight commander. In 1941 she graduated from the 1st year of the Moscow Aviation Institute. At the beginning of October 1941, according to a personal statement, she was enrolled in an air regiment. In 1953 she graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, served as a senior assistant-translator at the USSR Ministry of Defense. After retiring she worked as a translator. She was buried in Moscow at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Nina Ulyanenko
Nina Zakharovna Ulyanenko (December 17, 1923 - August 31, 2005), flight commander. After the war, she graduated from a party school in Kursk, was a deputy. In 1957 she graduated from the Udmurt Pedagogical Institute. Since 1957 she worked as an educator, teacher, director of schools in Izhevsk and Votkinsk (hometown). She was buried at the Khokhryakovskoye cemetery in Izhevsk.
Rufina Gasheva
Rufina Sergeevna Gasheva (October 14, 1921 - May 1, 2012), navigator of the squadron. In 1941, she graduated from the 2nd course of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, in the third year, in October 1941, she achieved an appointment to the regiment. In 1952 she graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages. She worked as a senior teacher of English at the Military Academy of the Armored Forces, after retiring - as a senior editor at the publishing house of the USSR Ministry of Defense. She was buried at the Vostryakovskoye cemetery in Moscow.
