A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II Read Free

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