women fighter pilots

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Oleg Grigoryev
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women fighter pilots

#1

Post by Oleg Grigoryev » 12 Nov 2002, 00:03

I don’t know how many people are aware of it but USSR employed women fighter pilots during WW II. Till recently it was thought that most successful of them was Lidiya Litviak with 12 victories (KIA August 1st 1943), recent studies show thought that Olga Yamshikova (586 IAP) overscored Litviak by 5 planes having totally tally of 17 victories . Unlike Litviak Yamshikova survived the war and became test pilot for the Yakovlev design bureau – he participated in tests of YaK-15 which probably makes her the first woman to fly a jet fighter.

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Daniel L
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#2

Post by Daniel L » 12 Nov 2002, 02:23

which probably makes her the first woman to fly a jet fighter
I thought that was Hanna Reitsch?

regards


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Oleg Grigoryev
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#3

Post by Oleg Grigoryev » 12 Nov 2002, 03:13

charlie don't surf wrote:
which probably makes her the first woman to fly a jet fighter
I thought that was Hanna Reitsch?

regards
that is why i said probably

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Andy H
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#4

Post by Andy H » 13 Nov 2002, 00:16

I knew HR flew manned V1 prototypes but never knew she flew jets and was it in combat or just test flights?

:D Andy from the Shire

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Daniel L
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#5

Post by Daniel L » 13 Nov 2002, 02:24

The Soviets formed three all-female air regiments; all three
saw action against the Germans. A fighter regiment flew cover
for Soviet combat units from the Volga River to Vienna; a short-
range dive-bomber regiment saw service in the Baltic States, at
Stalingrad, and other front areas; and a night bomber unit
carried out missions as far as Berlin. They carried out 4,419
combat missions and fought 125 air battles that downed 38 enemy
aircraft and damaged 42 more. Two pilots became aces. In one
battle over the Don River, two women flying fighters took on 42
enemy bombers, shot down 4, and forced the others to turn back
without hitting their targets. The night bombers flew some
25,000 combat sorties--day and night--and dropped 3 million
kilograms of bombs on railroad junctions, river crossings,
ammunition dumps, and artillery positions, often against heavy
enemy fighters and antiaircraft defenses. One flight commander,
Irina Sibrova, racked up a total of 1,008 operational sorties.
Another woman commanded an otherwise all-male air regiment that
flew important bombing missions behind enemy lines.


from: http://home.psouth.net/~debbyp/women2.html

regards

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Victor
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#6

Post by Victor » 13 Nov 2002, 22:24

Romania also used female pilots during WWII, but only as ambulance pilots. Their unit was called "The White Squadron". The Italians (IIRC?) made a movie on them during the war. Several of the "girls" are still alive today.

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