"White Lily of Stalingrad". 'White Lily of Stalingrad'

Lydia Litvyak was born in Moscow on August 18, 1921. From the age of 14 she was engaged in the flying club. At the age of 15, she had already made her first solo flight. After graduating from the Kherson Aviation School for Instructor Pilots, she worked at the Kalinin Flying Club. Trained 45 pilots. In 1937, Lydia's father was arrested and shot.

In 1942, she joined the created women's aviation fighter regiment, attributing the missing 100 flight hours. She mastered the Yak-1 fighter. She made her first sortie in the sky over Saratov. In August 1942, the group shot down a German Ju-88 bomber. In September, she was transferred to the 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment (287th Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, South-Eastern Front).

On September 13, in the second sortie over Stalingrad, she shot down a Ju-88 bomber and a Me-109 fighter. The pilot of the Me-109 turned out to be a German baron who won 30 air victories, a holder of the Knight's Cross. September 27 in an air battle from a distance of 30 m hit the Ju-88. Then, together with R. Belyaeva, she shot down Me-109. At this time, at her request, a white lily was painted on the hood of her plane and Litvyak received the nickname "White Lily of Stalingrad" and Lily became her radio call sign.

Soon she was transferred to the 9th Guards Odessa Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union L.L. Shestakov. While serving in the regiment at the end of December 1942, Litvyak destroyed a Do-217 bomber near her airfield. At the end of 1942, she was transferred to the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment, flying the Yak-1. On February 11, 1943, in an air battle, she shot down 2 enemy aircraft - personally Ju-88 and in the FW-190 group. Soon, in one of the battles, Litvyak's plane was shot down and she was forced to land on the territory occupied by the enemy. When the German soldiers tried to take her prisoner, one of the pilots came to her aid: with machine gun fire he forced the Germans to lie down, and he landed and took Litvyak on board.

February 23, 1943 Lydia Litvyak received her first military award - the Order of the Red Star.

On March 22, in the Rostov-on-Don region, she participated in the interception of a group of German bombers. During the battle, she managed to shoot down one plane. Noticing the six Me-109s, she entered into an unequal battle with them, allowing her comrades to complete their combat mission. During the battle, she was seriously wounded, but managed to bring the damaged aircraft to the airfield.

After treatment, she was sent home to recover, but a week later she was back in the regiment.

On May 5, 1943, she flew out to escort bombers, shot down an enemy fighter during the battle, and shot down another 2 days later.

At the end of May, Lydia Litvyak shot down an enemy balloon - an artillery spotter that could not be shot down due to strong anti-aircraft cover. She went deep behind enemy lines, and then from the depths, going against the sun, flew at maximum speed to the balloon and blew it to pieces with powerful fire from all weapons. For this victory, she received the Order of the Red Banner.

On May 21, 1943, Lydia Litvyak's husband, Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Frolovich Solomatin, died in battle.

On June 15, Lydia Litvyak shot down a Ju-88, and then, fighting off six German fighters, shot down one of them. In this battle, she was slightly wounded and refused to go to the hospital. On July 18, in a fight with German fighters, Litvyak and her best friend Katya Budanova were shot down. Litvyak managed to jump out with a parachute, and Budanova died.

In late July - early August 1943, heavy fighting took place in the area of ​​​​the Mius River to repel a counterattack by the II German Panzer Corps. The German command pulled a large number of aircraft into the battle area. On August 1, 1943, Lydia Litvyak made 4 sorties during which she personally shot down 2 enemy aircraft and 1 in the group. The plane did not return from the fourth flight. The command of the division prepared the presentation of Lydia Litvyak for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but there were rumors that the girl was captured by the Germans and the presentation was postponed.

In the post-war years, fellow soldiers continued to search for the missing pilot. It was found by chance in a mass grave in the village of Dmitrievka.

On May 5, 1990, President of the USSR Gorbachev signed a decree awarding Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.

Air Combat Victories:

September 13, 1942 Ju-88
February 11, 1943 Ju-87
February 11, 1943 FW-190 (in group)
March 22, 1943 Ju-88 Rostov-on-Don
March 22, 1943 Me-109
May 5, 1943 Me-109
May 7, 1943 Me-109
May 31, 1943 Balloon
July 16, 1943 Ju-88
July 16, 1943 Me-109 (in a group)
July 19, 1943 Me-109
July 21, 1943 Me-109
August 1, 1943 Me-109 (in a group)
August 1, 1943 Me-109

All victories were won on the Yak-1 aircraft. Total victories: 11 (+ 3 in the group).

Awards:
- The order of Lenin
- Order of the Red Banner
- Order of the Red Star
- Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class

Memory:

In Moscow, at house No. 14 on Novoslobodskaya Street, in which she lived and from where she went to the front, a memorial plaque was installed.
One of the Moscow streets is named after her.
Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the female pilot with the most victories in aerial combat

Not a single army in the world 1939-45. except for the Red Army, there were no female fighter pilots. The fact that Soviet women participated in the war as fighter pilots speaks of the highest level of patriotism that our people achieved in this war.

The best fighter pilot of the 2nd World War was junior lieutenant Lidia Litvyak, flight commander of the 3rd squadron of the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, Southern Front). Lilia Litvyak fought only 10 months, but managed to make 186 sorties, conducted 69 air battles, scored 12 confirmed victories and died in battle on 08/01/43. at the age of less than 22 years.
An amazing film could be made about her life and death, Hollywood is just resting. Of course, we don’t have such an opportunity as shooting a film, but in this post I will try to describe the image of a heroic fighter girl. Air battles over Stalingrad, Kuban and Donbass. 168 sorties and 11 brilliant victories. A fighter with a lily painted on the hood terrified enemy pilots. And at its helm sat a small, fragile girl - Lydia Litvyak. (according to other sources, nothing was painted on Lydia's car)


Lydia Litvyak was born on August 18, 1921 in Moscow. Like many in the 30s, she became interested in aviation, becoming a cadet of the Kirov flying club. After him there was the Kherson Aviation School and work as an instructor pilot at the Kalinin Aviation School, dozens of flight hours and 45 pilots trained by her. From the first days of the war, Lydia rushed to the front, but military aviation did not immediately open the doors for her. Litvyak achieved her goal only in the winter of 1942, becoming a pilot of the 586th female fighter regiment. Lydia made her first sortie on a Yak-1 plane in August 1942, covering Saratov from Nazi air raids, and already in September she achieved a transfer to the 437th aviation fighter regiment, which defended the sky of Stalingrad. By this time, the pilot had one air victory in the group - the German Ju-88.


At first, few people took the small, fair-haired girl seriously. But already after the first sorties over Stalingrad, it became clear that Lilya - as her fellow soldiers called the pilot - was a born pilot. On September 13, 1942, the girl won two victories at once in one air battle, chalking up the Nazi Ju-88 and Me-109.


After this battle, a directive was sent to the Luftwaffe units:
Excerpts from "Black Cross / Red Star", (Russian translation does not exist).
Chronicle of the Stalingrad battle for air. Commander's diary...?." September 18, 1942, 12:00 pm Weather: clear. Zhukov launched a new offensive north of Stalingrad. Wehrmacht forces north of the city were under attack from at least four Bolshevik armies. Fortunately, the Luftwaffe was able to weaken the strength of this offensive having flown 3,000 sorties compared to the Red Air Force's 300. Ju-88s from I./KG1 "Hindenburg" and III./KG1 "Hindenburg" also contributed to the victory at Stalingrad.Despite the fact that our losses are high ", the enemy suffered much greater losses. The Air Force is experiencing such a shortage of pilots that they began to accept women as fighter pilots! Women! One of them even managed to shoot down a Yu-88 and Me-109 5 days ago. Her name is Lilia Litvyak. The Soviet propaganda machine did from this a real sensation, and led to the embarrassment of our fighter pilots guarding the perimeter over the city.If you hear the call sign "Seagull-90" immediately intercept this stupid girl and her comrades from 296 IAP and ... no nobility. This is not a game!.."
With each flight, with each battle, there were more victories. In total, during the offensive battles near Stalingrad, Litvyak on the La-5 fighter shot down four enemy aircraft personally and four as part of a group.


Lydia Litvyak became famous for two more of her exploits. Within a few weeks, her plane was shot down twice behind the front line, and both times Lida remained unharmed, avoided capture and returned home to take part in the battles again. For the first time, she managed to escape on her own and get there on foot. And the second time she was saved by a friend - a pilot who made a desperate landing on enemy territory and took Lydia on board his plane. Soon the pilot received her first award - the Order of the Red Star. “There are no impossible tasks for her”, “in air battles she fights boldly and energetically”, “she performs all combat missions with desire” - such a characteristic is given to the pilot in the presentation for the award.


(left to right): Lilia Litvyak, Ekaterina Budanova, Maria Kuznetsova
Fierce fighting in the Kuban. On April 22, 43rd, Lydia participated in the interception of a group of 12 Ju-88s in the Rostov-on-Don area. In this air battle, the pilot again won: several daring maneuvers, well-aimed fire - and one enemy bomber fell to the ground. Suddenly, six more Nazi planes - Me-109 fighters - got involved in the battle. The fight at high speeds with incredible turns, with inhuman overloads lasted more than 15 minutes. The pilot was seriously injured, but despite this she managed to bring the wrecked plane to her native airfield. After this fight, Lydia Litvyak was recognized as an ace.



On August 1, 1943, Lydia Litvyak's plane took off for the last time. Soviet troops were breaking through to the Donbass, and heavy fighting was going on in the area of ​​the Mius River. Having made three sorties in a row, she destroyed two enemy aircraft personally and one more in the group, and the girl did not return from the fourth. Searches were organized, but they soon stopped, and Lydia was recognized as missing.



But they searched for Lydia, they searched stubbornly. Back in the summer of 1946, the commander of the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment I. Zapryagaev sent several people to the Marinovka area by car to search for her trace. Unfortunately, Litvyak's brother-soldiers were literally a few days late. The wreckage of Lida's Yak had already been destroyed...
White spots in the fate of the heroic pilot disappeared only in 1971, when the remains of Lydia Litvyak were found in a mass grave in the village of Dmitrovka, Donetsk region. In November of the 71st, a change was made to the order of the Main Personnel Directorate on the fate of the pilot: “She went missing on August 1, 1943. It should be read: she died while performing a combat mission on August 1, 1943.” And in 1990, thanks to the efforts of fellow soldiers, Guards Junior Lieutenant Litvyak posthumously became a Hero of the USSR.

For 8 months at the front, the pilot made 168 sorties, scored 11 victories personally, 3 as part of a group, and destroyed 2 spotter balloons, becoming one of the most productive aces pilots among women.

The plane with tail number 23 was flown by Lydia Litvyak

The name of this brave pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Among female pilots throughout the Great Patriotic War, the largest number of victories in air battles was won by Lydia (for relatives - Lilya) Vladimirovna Litvyak. She shot down 14 aircraft and one barrage balloon. At the same time, Lydia Litvyak fought only until August 1, 1943. At the age of less than 22, she died in a battle over the Miussky Front.

Lydia Litvyak was born in Moscow in 1921. From the age of 14 she studied at the flying club, at the age of 15 she made her first solo flight. Then there were the Kherson aviation instructor pilot school, the Kalinin flying club.

In August 1941, the Kalinin flying club was evacuated to the Kuibyshev region. Lydia Litvyak rushed to the front. She achieved her goal and was enlisted as a pilot in the 586th Women's Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was headed by Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova. Having mastered the Yak-1 fighter, Lidia Vladimirovna began her combat path in the air defense system of the city of Saratov on April 15, 1942. Here, Litvyak patrolled the city and escorted transport aircraft with valuable military special cargo for the front.

On September 10, 1942, Lydia Litvyak, as part of the 586th IAP, first arrived at the front in the area of ​​intense fighting - in Stalingrad. Here, in the sky of Stalingrad, she opened a battle account. In the second sortie for cover, she independently shot down an enemy plane "Ju-88", and another plane - "Me-109" - was shot down in pairs.

On the hood of Lydia's plane, at her request, a white lily was painted, so she received the nickname "White Lily of Stalingrad", and "Lily" became her radio call sign.

Then Litvyak fought on the Stalingrad front. She performed combat missions to escort transport aircraft with especially important special cargo for the front, then was enrolled in a group of free "hunters" for enemy aircraft.

February 23, 1943 Lydia Litvyak received her first military award - the Order of the Red Star. The award sheet notes that while defending Stalingrad, L. Litvyak was tempered in air battles and there are no impossible tasks for her.

On April 22, 1943, during a raid by enemy aircraft on Rostov, Lydia shot down 1 Junkers-88. In the same sortie for 15 minutes, she fought with 6 Me-109. Despite a badly damaged car and a wound in the leg, she brought and safely landed the plane at her airfield.

On May 31, 1943, the Germans raised a balloon at a distance of 15 km from the front line to correct artillery fire. Our fighters tried to set fire to it five times, but the airfield was clearly visible from the balloon, the enemy noticed the approach of our fighters and managed to lower the balloon. And then Lydia Litvyak used a trick - from takeoff she went far to the east, then, returning, she managed to quietly approach the balloon from the enemy’s territory and ignited the balloon in the first turn. The balloon fell in the location of our troops. Lydia Litvyak was thanked in the order for the army. This feat was written in military newspapers.

An interesting episode took place yesterday on another sector of the front. The Germans raised the balloon to correct the artillery fire. Five times our fighters tried to set it on fire, but the enemy noticed their approach and managed to lower the balloon. The next attempt was made by the fighter pilot of the guard, junior lieutenant Lilya Litvyak, who has a number of air victories to her credit. She managed to quietly approach the balloon and lit it with the first burst. The balloon fell in the location of our troops.

July 22, 1943 L.V. Litvyak was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. We learn from the award list that Lydia is persistently looking for meetings with an air enemy, not limited to patrolling, but storming enemy ground targets. So, on June 9, 1943, flying out on patrol in the area of ​​​​the front line, she made three attacks on the accumulation of vehicles and manpower of the enemy in the Sambek point, causing a single fire.

On August 1, 1943, 9 Yak-1s flew out on alert to cover our ground forces in the area of ​​​​Marinovka, Stepanovka. L. Litvyak fought an air battle, first with 4, and then with 6 Me-109s. As a result of a fierce unequal air battle, our fighters shot down 1 Me-109 and 1 Yu-88. Guards junior lieutenant Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak did not return from a combat mission.

WHITE LILY OF STALINGRAD. Fighter pilot. Call sign - "White Lily" Many people in Russia know the names of the pilots who defended the skies of our Motherland in the harsh years of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and the exploits they performed. Books have been written and films made about some. Such names as Alexander Pokryshkin, Grigory Rechkalov, Ivan Kozhedub, Alexei Maresyev have been known to us since childhood. We also know about female pilots who took part in the war. Basically, we know those who served in the regiments of light night bombers Po-2, about which much has been written and the film “Night Witches in the Sky” was shot. These women made a huge contribution to the defeat of the German invaders and the approach of Victory. But not everyone knows that there were fighter pilots among these fragile girls and women. Three fighter regiments, staffed by one female staff, fought on the fronts, and separate female units were formed in some fighter divisions. This article is about one of these legendary women, a fighter pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Junior Lieutenant Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak. Road to Heaven Lydia Litvyak was born in Moscow on August 18, 1921. These were difficult years for a young country - the Civil War had just ended, the country was in ruins. Lydia's father was a railroad worker who worked at the depot. In the difficult year of 1937, on a false denunciation, he was arrested and shot as an "enemy of the people." Since this could cause great harm, the young girl carefully concealed this fact. Lydia Vladimirovna “fell ill” with the sky early, at the age of 14, along with adults, she enrolled in an aero club - in those years the cry was thrown in the USSR: “Youth - in OSOAVIAKHIM!”, And at the age of 15 she makes her first solo flight. Then she finishes courses in geologists and goes on an expedition to the Far North. The next step on the way to the sky was the Kherson aviation instructor pilot school, after which Litvyak became one of the best instructors in the flying club of the city of Kalinin. By the beginning of the war, she managed to prepare 45 cadets. To the front With the beginning of the war, in June 1941, the country needed qualified pilots and Lydia signed up as a volunteer. At the beginning, the command did not intend to use women as fighters, they were assigned secondary roles. But gradually, due to the loss of a large number of professional pilots, views changed dramatically. In the autumn of 1941, the State Defense Committee, headed by I.V. Stalin, decided to form three women's air regiments. These units were formed under the guidance of the legendary pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Maria Raskova. Lydia, having learned at the beginning of 1942 about the formation of a fighter regiment, attributed 100 missing hours to her raid and was immediately enrolled in the 586th IAP. And already in June of this year, she made her first sortie in the sky over Saratov on a Yak-1 aircraft. In August of the same year, having one group victory (Ju-88) on her account, she achieved a transfer to the 286th Fighter Aviation Division. But already in early September, several of the best pilots of the division, including Lydia Litvyak, were transferred to the "male" 437th IAP of the Stalingrad Front, for further service on La-5 fighters. Already on September 13, during her second flight as part of this regiment, the girl shot down two German aircraft - a Me Bf 109-F2 fighter and a Ju 88-A1 bomber. Two weeks later, another victory was another Ju 88-A1. And another one paired with pilot R. Belyaeva - Me Bf-109 F2. Soon, Litvyak was transferred to a separate female unit at the division headquarters, and from there to the 9th Guards Odessa IAP - a regiment of aces who fought on the Yak-1. Birth of an ace. On February 23, 1943, Lidia Vladimirovna received her first military award - the Order of the Red Star. By this time, 8 stars flaunted on board her Yak - 8 air victories. At the same time, the hood of her fighter was decorated with a bright white lily - the insignia of a pilot who is allowed to "free hunt". Lydia's call sign also changed, now she was known as "White Lily-44" (44 is the tail number of her aircraft). In mid-March, the air situation at the front became more complicated - battles began to gain air supremacy in the skies of the Kuban. According to documentary evidence, up to 80 air battles took place daily over the Kuban, with heavy losses on both sides. In such battles, pilots became aces. On March 22, Lydia participated in the interception of the Ju 88-A1 group in the Rostov-on-Don region. In this difficult and long battle, she shot down another plane, but the "six" Me Bf 109-G6 came to the aid of her bombers from the clouds. It was a new modification of this aircraft, with a more powerful engine and cannon armament. The battle at high speeds and incredible turns with inhuman overloads lasted more than 15 minutes. The pilot was wounded, the plane was seriously damaged, but she still managed to reach the airfield and land the crippled fighter. It was after this fight that Lydia Litvak was recognized as an ace. After treatment in the hospital, the girl returns to her native regiment. And already on May 5, not yet strong enough, she takes part in a sortie - she accompanies our bombers. During this sortie, it repels several attacks by German fighters and shoots down one of them. Two days later, another victory - another Me Bf 109-F2. At the end of May, Litvyak carried out a unique attack and destroyed an enemy spotter balloon in the air, which could not be destroyed for a long time. Lydia came at him from the territory of the enemy from the direction of the sun. The attack lasted only 39 seconds. For this victory of the guard, junior lieutenant Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of War. Her exploits in the sky were written in all the newspapers and her name became known throughout the country. Short happiness and bitterness of loss At the front, life does not end and Lydia met her love there. It was the pilot of the same regiment, its leader Alexei Salomatin. The young people fell in love with each other and in April 1943, during a break between battles, they signed. But war is war. She made adjustments to this young family. On May 21, 1943, a young girl experienced the pain of an imminent loss. In a difficult unequal battle, covering his comrade, her husband died - Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Captain Alexei Frolovich Salomatin. The bitterness of irreparable loss overwhelmed Lydia. On July 19 of the same year, a new personal tragedy - her best friend Ekaterina Budanova, who was considered the most productive of the female aces, died, she had 11 victories on her account (Lydia had 10 plus 3 in the group at that time). The girl vowed to take revenge on the enemy for her family and friends without sparing her life. Lydia herself was on the verge of death more than once - she was twice shot down over the territory occupied by the enemy. But both times she returned safely to the unit. The first time she got out of enemy territory for 3 days - she walked at night so as not to be captured, and the second time her friend saved her, the pilot made a risky landing next to the downed pilot's car and took her out in the cockpit of his plane. Last sortie On August 1, 1943, Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak made her last sortie. The Yak-1 link was covered by Il-2 attack aircraft, going to attack enemy positions. For Lydia, this was the fourth flight of the day. In previous sorties, she had already shot down one enemy aircraft. In the area of ​​work of the attack aircraft, our link met with a large group of German fighters, the number of which was 3 times greater than our Yaks. Despite this, our fighters entered into an unequal battle. According to eyewitnesses, four Me Bf 109-G6s immediately rushed to the plane with a white lily on board - Lydia's plane was well known to German pilots. A death merry-go-round began to spin - 1 against 4. The air was deafening, the roar of engines working at the limit, and cannon bursts were torn apart. A fighter fell out of this chaos, engulfed in flames - Litvyak shot down the second enemy plane of the day and the twelfth in a row. But the fight was uneven. Several cannon bursts of three German fighters "flashed" Lydia Vladimirovna's Yak. The plane of the legendary pilot and brave girl, enveloped in flames, fell into the forest near the village of Dmitrievka. In two weeks she was to be only 22 years old. The command of the regiment urgently organized a search for her. But neither the plane nor the pilot could be found. It was because of this that Lydia Litvyak was never awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which was supposed for 10 air victories. And her name “dropped out” of history for decades. Star of the Hero Even the fact that the search for Lydia, which back in 1943 did not lead to her finding, the girl's relatives and fellow soldiers stubbornly continued them. And finally, in 1979, they achieved the long-awaited success. It was found and documented that the remains of the guards junior lieutenant Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921, were buried in a mass grave in the territory of the village of Dmitrievka, Shakhtyorsky district, on Donetsk land. In 1988, in her personal file, the entry "disappeared" was changed to another "died while performing a combat mission." After that, veterans of the 9th Guards IAP, in which she served and fought, wrote a letter to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR with a request to confer on her the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The request of fellow soldiers did not go unanswered. By decree of the President of the USSR of May 5, 1990, Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak was awarded the long-awaited and fully deserved title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). And on October 25, 1993, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, as recognition of her military merits during the Great Patriotic War, Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak was awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously). Epilogue Lydia Litvyak became a real legend during the war years. She shot down the most aircraft among female pilots. She was wounded three times, twice made an emergency landing on enemy territory, but was able to return to her regiment. During her short combat path, she made 186 sorties and conducted 69 air battles. He has 12 confirmed victories to his credit. And I would like to express my deepest respects to her relatives, fellow soldiers, friends, who did not give up and continued to search for the legendary pilot, as well as to all those who helped them in this and returned her undeservedly forgotten name to us. Thank you from the entire post-war generation. The battle path of Lydia Litvyak 1940 - Becomes an instructor pilot at OSOAVIAKhIM October 1941 - Undergoes combat training Engels January 1942 - Enrolled in the women's 586th IAP September 1942 - Sent to the 437th IAP February 1943 - First award - Order of the Red Star May 1943 - Order of the Red Banner of Battle August 1943 Killed in battle having won her 12th victory May 1990 was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) October 1993 was awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously)

Lydia Litvyak is called the most productive pilot during the Second World War. As a fighter pilot, she shot down many enemy planes, but one day she herself did not return from another flight ... She was less than 22 years old.

Goddess of aviation

Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak was born in Moscow on August 18, 1921, the All-Union Aviation Day. This fact left an imprint on her entire future life. Lilya (as her relatives called her) was fond of airplanes from childhood. At the age of 14, she began to study at the Chkalov Central Aeroclub and at 15 she already made her first solo flight. Then there was the Kherson Aviation School for Pilot-Instructors. Upon graduation, Lilya went to work at the Kalinin flying club, where she personally trained 45 cadets.

With the outbreak of war, Litvyak asked to volunteer for the front. But only in 1942 she made her first sortie on the Yak-1 fighter as part of the 586th IAP. It was one of three "women's aviation regiments" under the leadership of Marina Raskova, formed on Stalin's personal order. To get there, Litvyak had to go to the trick - to ascribe to himself the missing 100 flight hours.

In September, she was transferred to the 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 287th Fighter Aviation Division. In the same month, she shot down a Me-109 fighter over Stalingrad. The pilot, a German baron, was taken prisoner. He turned out to be a Knight's Cross holder, an experienced pilot with 30 aerial victories. The prisoner was incredibly surprised when he found out that he was hit by a young Russian girl. According to legend, the German took off his military awards and handed it to a brave pilot ...

Lily and stars

At her request, a white lily was painted on the fuselage of the Litvyak aircraft. "White Lily-44" (according to the tail number of the aircraft) became her radio call sign. And from now on, she herself began to be called the "White Lily of Stalingrad." Soon Lydia was transferred to the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where the best pilots served, then to the 296th IAP.

One day her own plane was shot down and she had to land in the territory occupied by the Germans. She miraculously escaped capture: one of the attack pilots opened fire on the Nazis, and when they lay down, hiding from the shelling, he went down to the ground and took the girl on board.

On February 23, 1943, Lydia Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Red Star for military merit. By that time, in addition to a white lily, eight bright red stars flaunted on the fuselage of her Yak - according to the number of aircraft shot down in battles.

On March 22, in the Rostov-on-Don region, during a group battle with German bombers, Lydia was seriously wounded in the leg, but still managed to land the damaged aircraft. She was sent home from the hospital to recover, but a week later she returned to the regiment. She flew in tandem with squadron commander Alexei Solomatin, covering him during attacks. A feeling arose between the comrades, and in April of the 43rd Lydia and Alexei signed.

In May 1943, Litvyak shot down several more enemy planes and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. But fate prepared two heavy blows for her at once. On May 21, her husband Alexei Solomatin was killed in battle. And on July 18 - best friend Ekaterina Budanova.

But there was no time to mourn. In late July - early August, the 43rd Litvyak had to take part in heavy battles to break through the German defenses on the Mius River. On August 1, Lydia made four sorties. During the fourth flight, her plane was hit by a German fighter, but did not immediately fall to the ground, but disappeared into the clouds ...

"Dead in action..."

After the war, former fellow soldiers tried to find traces of Lydia Litvyak. It turned out that the wreckage of a fighter with a white lily on the fuselage was found by local residents and scrapped. Later it became known that the remains of an unknown pilot were discovered near the Kozhevnya farm by local boys. On July 29, 1969, they were buried in a mass grave in the village of Dmitrovka, Shakhtersky district, Donetsk region. In 1971, the search team of the 1st school of the city of Krasny Luch managed to establish the name of the pilot - Lydia Litvyak.