Women in Air War: The Eastern Front of World War II

by Kazimiera J. Cottam (translator)

Release Date: 31 December, 1997

Edition: Paperback

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Women in Air War:The Eastern Front in World War II

This collection is outstanding. I am a doctoral candidate in history, writing my dissertation on the topic of "Soviet Women Who Fought at the Front," and without this book I would be lost. I am currently in Moscow and have made personal contact with some of the pilots and navigators covered in the book. All of my independent research has only confirmed to me what an excellent job K.J. Cottam did with this book.

Outstanding and inspiring

Here is a superb collection of war-memoirs of Soviet combat-aviators from the original three female regiments organized by Marina Raskova. These were the Yak-1 equipped 586th Fighters, the Pe(Petlyakov)-2 equipped 587th Dive-bombers, and the famous 588th "night witches" who flew Po-2 biplane night-bombers. "Women in Air War" is the recently updated and revised version of K. J. Cottam's previously published "In The Sky Above the Front", translated from the Russian "V nebe frontovom". As in the previous editions, this book contains a forward by A. Mares'yev, a famous Soviet ACE and national Hero who lost both his legs in combat and recovered to fly and fight again. Mares'yev praises the courage and accomplishments of the airwomen who "fought the enemy every bit as well as the men did." These are memoirs of pilots, navigators, gunners, mechanics, armorers, political officers, and regimental and squadron commanders, all in their own words. Most of these memoirs were written very shortly after the War. A few were written during the War, including the diary of navigator Zhenya Rudneva, which ends abruptly as she perished during her 645th bombing mission. In addition there are some moving tributes to fallen comrades. Of particular interest are S. Gribanov's biography of Lidiya "Lilya" Litvyak and I. Pasportnikova's sketch of Katya Budanova. Both of these fighter-pilots had transferred to the elite (predominantly male) 73rd Stalingrad Guards Regiment commanded by N. Baranov, who was coincidentally the original commander of A. Mares'yev. Litvyak and Budanova became "Free Hunters" with the 73rd and achieved ACE status during the air battles over Stalingrad. Both were killed in action in late summer of 1943, and subsequently posthumously decorated with the highest military honor, Hero of the Soviet Union.

I find it ironic that there has recently been such an uproar over whether American women can or should participate in tactical aviation, when more than a half-century ago Soviet women did. And not out of Communist ideals or "political-correctness", but simply because their country needed them. Moreover, they acquited themselves well. The 586th held the distinction of never losing to Luftwaffe fire a bomber in the formations they escorted or a ground installation which they defended. The 588th was the first regiment of all the Night Bomber divisions to achieve Guards status, and by the end of the War each of its surviving veterans had made some 800 to 1,000 sorties. But searchlights, anti-aircraft fire, and enemy planes were not the only hurdles they had to overcome. They also faced gender-prejudice. Major V. Markov was at first indignant to be appointed Commander of the 587th Dive-bombers. This decorated officer "couldn't visualize how I could command women during war, flying [the Pe-2] bomber. I knew the aircraft, how difficult it was even for men to fly!" Markov's memoir, exerpted in this collection, relates his change of opinion as his female regiment distinguished itself and was awarded Guards status. Up until his death in 1994, Gen. (ret.) Markov remained a strong advocate of airwomen's capability in combat.