Stalin's Falcons: the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment - women pilots - Excerpt

[nebris]

This is a drawing of Lt. Lilya Litvak's's YaK-1B (or 2nd series) flying over Stalingrad in early 1943.

"The 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment served from April 1942 through May 1945 as part of Fighter Aviation of the Air Defense Forces of the Soviet Union (IA/PVO). Flying modern Yak-series fighter aircraft, the unit completed more than 9,000 flights, of which 4,419 were combat sorties; 38 enemy aircraft were destroyed and 42 damaged in 125 air engagements. The 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment was assigned to protect fixed targets like airfields, cities, and transportation nodes from enemy attacks. The regiment supported the Battle of Stalingrad (sending some of its pilots to augment all-male fighter regiments), and performed air defense duties at Voronezh, Kursk, Kiev, Debrecen, Budapest, and Vienna.(4) The regiment was most active during the middle period of the war, especially while based near Voronezh and Kursk. During the first and last months of its existence, the 586th was based in areas where enemy activity was relatively light.(5) By 1944, the Luftwaffe had increasing difficulty mustering forces to attack the fixed targets defended by PVO regiments.(6) Although the 586th began the war with all female pilots, it later included male pilots as well: women and men flew and fought side by side in the 586th."