The history of "Dunkin" regiment
In October, the 1941 year in the most difficult military situation, the USSR People's Commissar of Defense issued an order to form the Women's Aviation Regiment No. 0099. Responsibility for the execution of the order was assigned to Maria Raskova. In their interviews, the survivors of front-line women speak of Raskova, as the most authoritative person in their midst. Her orders were not discussed, young girls who came from different parts of the country, just graduated from the pilots courses looked at Raskov as a pilot of an inaccessible level. By that time, Raskova was a little more than twenty-five years old, but already then Maria Mikhailovna was the Hero of the USSR. An amazing, courageous and very beautiful woman died in a plane crash in 1943 in the most difficult weather conditions near the village of Mikhaylovka in the Saratov region. Maria Raskova was cremated, and an urn with her ashes was placed in the Kremlin wall, so that grateful descendants could lay flowers and honor the memory of a female hero.
In accordance with the order of the People's Commissar of Defense, Maria Mikhailovna, three subdivisions were formed:
• fighter aviation regiment 586;
• aviation regiment BB 587;
• night aviation regiment 588 (legendary "night witches").
During the war, the first two units became mixed, not only girls but also Soviet men fought valiantly in them. The night aviation regiment consisted solely of women, even the hardest jobs here were performed by women of the weaker sex.
At the head of the "night witches" or 46-th Guards Nbap was an experienced pilot Evdokia Bershanskaya. Evdokia Davydovna was born in the Stavropol region in 1913 year. Her parents died during the Civil War, and the girl was raised by her uncle. The strong character of this woman allowed her to become a brilliant pilot and commander. By the beginning of the war, Evdokia Bershanskaya already had a decade of flying experience; she diligently passed on her knowledge to young subordinates. Evdokia Davydovna went through the whole war, and after a long time she worked in public organizations for the benefit of the Fatherland.
Assigned to the Bershansky regiment sometimes called "Dunkin." This title shows the whole story brave pilots. Plywood, light aircraft Po-2 was not suitable for fierce battles with the German invaders. The Germans frankly laughed at the sight of this fragile design. Often the girls were not taken seriously, and during the whole war they had to prove their skills and demonstrate the capabilities of the "whatnot". The risk was extremely high, since Po-2 quickly caught fire and was completely devoid of any armor or other type of protection. P-2 is a civilian aircraft used for transport purposes, as well as in communications. The girls independently suspended the bomb load on special beams on the lower plane of the aircraft, which sometimes exceeded 300 kg. Each shift could transfer weight reaching tons. The girls worked in extreme tension, which allowed them to fight with the enemy on an equal footing with men. If earlier the Germans laughed at the mention of the "Kuban bookcase", then after the raids they began to call the regiment "night witches" and attribute magical properties to them. Probably, the fascists simply could not assume that Soviet girls were capable of such exploits.
Maria Runt, a native of Samara, the same age as Bershanskaya, was in charge of the party work in the regiment of girls trained in flight case in the city of Engels. It was an experienced and courageous bomber pilot, patiently sharing experience with the younger generation. Before and after the war, Runt was engaged in pedagogical work and even defended her thesis.
The baptism of 46 Guards Nbap took place in the middle of June 1942. Light Po-2 soared into the sky. The first flight went to the pilot Bershanskaya with the navigator Sofya Burzayeva, as well as Amosov and Rozanov. According to the stories of the pilots, the expected fire from the position of the enemy was not followed, and the crew of Amosov-Rozanov circled three times over the target, the mine, in order to throw off the deadly cargo. Today we can judge the events of that time only from documents and a few interviews of direct participants in combat missions. In 1994, they talked about the exploits of the women's air regiment Larisa Rozanova, navigator, 1918, born in the son of USSR hero Aronova, as well as Olga Yakovleva, navigator. They describe all the difficulties and horrors of war that fragile Soviet girls had to face, as well as heroically lost pilots and navigators.
It should be said separately about each of those who in the light of Po-2 terrified the invaders. Larisa Rozanova several times was refused her requests to send her to the front. After order No. 0099 was issued, Rozanova got into the flight school in the city of Engels, and then into the 46 Guards. During the war she flew over the Stavropol Territory and the Kuban, hovered on her light Po-2 over the North Caucasus and Novorossiysk. Rozanova contributed to the liberation of Poland and Belarus, celebrated victory in Germany. Larisa Nikolaevna died in 1997 year, living a long and interesting life.
Olga Yakovleva has gone from arming to navigator, participated in battles with invaders over the Caucasus, as well as in the liberation of the Crimea, Kuban and Belarus. The brave woman struck a well-aimed bombing of enemy targets in East Prussia.
The combat path of the regiment is a series of glorious feats, to which each of the "night witches" contributed. Despite the formidable name that the fascists gave to the women's air regiment, for the Russian people they will forever remain noble queen of the sky. After the first combat sortie took place, young girls fought for a long time on light plywood "shelves". From August to December 1942, they defended Vladikavkaz. In January, the regiment was thrown 1943 to help break through the line of German troops on the Terek, as well as to support offensive operations in the Sevastopol and Kuban regions. From March to September of the same year, the girls undertook operations on the Blue Front Line, and from November to May 1944 covered the landing of Soviet forces on the Tamansky Peninsula. The regiment was involved in actions to break through the defense of the fascists near Kerch, in the village of Eltigen, and also in the liberation of Sevastopol and Crimea. From June to July, the 1944 Aviation Women's Regiment was thrown into battle on the Pronya River, and from August of the same year, flew across the territory of occupied Poland. From the beginning of 1945, the girls have been transferred to East Prussia, where the “night witches” at PO-2 successfully fight and support the forcing of the Narev River. March 1945 is noted in the history of the valiant regiment by participation in the liberation battles for Gdansk and Gdyn, and from April to May, the brave pilots supported the advance of the Soviet Army behind the retreating fascists. For the entire period, the regiment made over twenty three thousand combat missions, most of which took place in difficult conditions. October 15 1945, the regiment disbanded, and most of the girls were demobilized.
Twenty-three brave pilots of the 49 Women's Aviation Regiment were awarded the title Hero of the USSR. Evdokia Nosal, a native of the Zaporozhye region, was killed by a projectile exploded in the cockpit in the battles for Novorossiysk. Yevhen Rudneva, also from Zaporozhye, died in April 1944 of the year on a combat mission in the sky north of Kerch. Tatyana Makarova, 24's summer Muscovite burned in an airplane in 1944 in the battles for Poland. Vera Belik, a girl from the Zaporizhzhya region, died with Makarova in the sky over Poland. Olga Sanfirova, who was born in 1917 in the city of Kuybyshev, died in December 1944 on a combat mission. Maria Smirnova from the Tver region, smiling Karelka, retired with the rank of guard major, lived a long life and died in 2002 year. Evdokia Pasko - a girl from Kyrgyzstan, 1919, born, retired with the rank of senior lieutenant. Irina Sebrova from the Tula region, with 1948 senior lieutenant of the reserve. Natalia Meklin, a native of the Poltava region, also survived in bloody battles and retired with the rank of guard major, died in 2005 year. Zhigulenko Eugene, a resident of Krasnodar, with beautiful eyes and an open smile, also became a Hero of the USSR in 1945 year. Evdokia Nikulin, a native of the Kaluga Region, went into the reserve as a major guard and after the war lived until the 1993 year. Raisa Aronova, a girl from Saratov, retired as a major and died in 1982 year. Khudyakova Antonia, Nyana Ulianenko, Polina Gelman, Ekaterina Ryabova, Nadezhda Popova, Nina Raspolova, Rufina Gasheva, Maguba Rozanova, Tatyana Sumarokova, Zoya Parfenova, Khaevna Xa, and Zyrova Khova, Rovanova Larisa, Sumarokova Tatiana, Parfenova Zoya, Kapova Xa Nova, Rossova Larisa, Sumarokova Tatiana, Parfenova Zoya, Dypova Kha, were also the heroes of the USSR in the glorious 49 aviation regiment.
You can write not only an article, but also a book about each of these great women, as well as about other girls who served in the 49 –shelf regiment, called by the fascists “night witches”. Each of them has passed a difficult path and is worthy of memory and respect. Soviet women fought not for the party and not for the Soviet power, they fought for our future, for the right of subsequent generations to live free.
In 2005, a literary “creation” called “Field-field wives” was published, sponsored by some Olga and Oleg Greig. Not to mention this scandalous fact, which is the result of attempts to interpret historical truth, would be criminal. The aforementioned “creators,” the proud word of the writer, have no desire to name them, tried to denigrate the bright memory of heroic women with allegations of their sexual promiscuity and other vices. In refutation of the shameful and near-guessing speculations, I would like to remind you that not a single fighter of the 49 Women's Aviation Regiment left the line because of gynecological diseases or pregnancy. We will not deny that, based on the real story of Nadya Popova and Semyon Kharlamov, a love story was highlighted in the movie “Only Old Men Go To Battle”, but people with stable moral values perfectly understand the differences between sexual promiscuity and high feeling.
- Elena Gordeeva
- from M. Chechneva photo archive http://www.az.ru
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