Lydia Litvyak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lydia Litvyak
Native name	Лидия Владимировна Литвяк
Nickname(s)	Lilya "White Lily of Stalingrad" "White Rose of Stalingrad"
Born	18 August 1921 Moscow, Russian SFSR
Died	1 August 1943(1943-08-01) (aged 21) Krasnyi Luch, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Soviet Air Force
Years of service	1941–1943
Rank	Senior Lieutenant
Unit	586th Fighter Aviation Regiment 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment 73rd Guards Fighter Regiment
Battles/wars	Eastern Front of World War II
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumous)

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (Russian: Лидия Владимировна Литвяк), often called Lilya, was an amazing fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II. She was born on August 18, 1921, in Moscow, and died on August 1, 1943, near Krasnyi Luch.

Lydia was one of the first female fighter pilots ever. She was also the first woman to shoot down an enemy aircraft. She became one of only two female pilots to earn the title of "fighter ace". This means she shot down five or more enemy planes. Lydia holds the record for the most enemy planes shot down by a female pilot. She was shot down during a big battle called the Battle of Kursk.

Early Life and Flying Dreams

Lydia Litvyak grew up in Moscow, Russia. Her mom worked in a shop, and her dad worked on the railway. When Lydia was young, her father was arrested during a difficult time in history known as the Great Purge.

Lydia loved airplanes from a young age. When she was 14, she joined a flying club. She flew a plane by herself for the first time at age 15. Later, she went to a military flying school. Before the war started, she became a flight instructor. She had already taught 45 pilots how to fly!

World War II and Becoming a Pilot

Joining the Women's Regiment

When Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, Lydia wanted to join the military. At first, she was told no because she didn't have enough flying experience. So, she added 100 hours to her flight time on paper. This helped her join the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

This regiment was special because it was made up only of women pilots. It was started by Marina Raskova. Lydia trained there to fly the Yakovlev Yak-1 airplane.

Fighting with a Men's Regiment

Lydia flew her first combat missions in the summer of 1942. She flew over the city of Saratov. In September, she moved to the 437th Fighter Regiment. This was a men's regiment that was fighting over Stalingrad.

On September 10, Lydia and a few other female pilots joined the regiment. They flew Yak-1 planes. Lydia quickly became known as a very brave and skilled pilot. Her commander, Boris Yeremin, called her "a born fighter pilot."

A wrecked Junkers Ju 88. Lydia's first kill was an aircraft like this.

Just three days after joining, on September 13, Lydia got her first two kills. This made her the first woman fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy plane. First, she shot down a Junkers Ju 88 bomber. Then, she shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter plane. The German pilot she shot down was an experienced ace named Erwin Meier. When he was captured, he was surprised to learn a woman had shot him down!

A restored Messerschmitt Bf 109G. Lydia shot down a plane like this, flown by German ace Erwin Meier.

Lydia continued to have success. On September 14, she might have shot down another Bf 109. On September 27, she shot down another Ju 88. Some historians say this was her first confirmed kill.

The "Free Hunter"

Lydia and her friends soon moved to a new unit, the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. They stayed in the Stalingrad area. In January 1943, they moved again to the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. This was so they could keep flying their favorite Yak planes.

On February 23, Lydia was given the Order of the Red Star medal. She was also chosen to be a "free hunter" (okhotniki). This was a special tactic where two experienced pilots would fly together to find and attack enemy targets on their own.

Lydia was wounded twice in battle. On March 22, she was flying with a group of six Yak fighters. They attacked twelve German bombers. Lydia shot down one bomber. But then, enemy Bf 109s attacked her. She was wounded but managed to shoot down one Messerschmitt. She flew her damaged plane back to the airfield and landed safely.

Lydia often flew with Captain Aleksey Frolovich Solomatin, who was also a flying ace. On May 21, Solomatin died in a plane crash. Lydia was very sad. Her mechanic, Inna Pasportnikova, said that after Solomatin's death, Lydia just wanted to fly as many combat missions as possible.

On May 31, 1943, Lydia took on a very difficult target: a German observation balloon. These balloons helped German artillery aim their guns. Other pilots had tried to destroy it but were stopped by heavy anti-aircraft fire. Lydia volunteered and came up with a clever plan. She flew in a wide circle over enemy land and attacked the balloon from behind. Her plan worked, and the hydrogen-filled balloon caught fire and was destroyed.

On June 13, 1943, Lydia became a flight commander. She made another kill on July 16, 1943. Her plane was hit, and she had to make a crash landing. She was wounded again but refused to take time off. She shot down another Bf 109 on July 19, 1943, and another on July 21, 1943.

Her Last Mission

The Krasnyi Luch Wall of Honor. Lydia took off for her last mission from an airfield near this city.

On August 1, 1943, Lydia Litvyak flew her fourth mission of the day. She was helping protect Soviet ground-attack planes. As they were flying back to base, a group of German Bf 109 fighters attacked Lydia.

Another Soviet pilot, Ivan Borisenko, saw what happened. He said Lydia didn't see the German fighters at first. When she did, she turned to fight them. Then, they all disappeared into a cloud. Borisenko saw her plane one last time through a gap in the clouds. It was smoking, and eight Bf 109s were chasing her. No one saw a parachute, and there was no explosion. Lydia never returned from that mission. She was only 21 years old.

At first, Soviet leaders thought she might have been captured. Because of this, they didn't immediately give her the highest award, "Hero of the Soviet Union".

Finding Lydia and Her Recognition

Lydia's mechanic, Inna Pasportnikova, spent 36 years searching for Lydia's plane crash site. She wanted to prove that Lydia had not been captured. In 1979, searchers found the remains of an unidentified woman pilot buried in a village called Dmitrievka. They believed it was Lydia. A special group looked at the remains and agreed it was her.

On May 6, 1990, the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev finally gave Lydia Litvyak the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. This was a very important award given after her death. Her final rank was Senior Lieutenant.

Her Personality and Nicknames

Lydia Litvyak was known for being brave and a bit rebellious. After a successful mission, she would sometimes fly her plane very low over the airfield and do unauthorized tricks. She knew it would make her commander angry, but she did it anyway!

She also had some superstitions. She believed that some pilots had good luck and others didn't. She thought that if you survived your first missions, your chances of surviving more would go up, but you still needed luck.

Even though she was in a male-dominated environment, Lydia always kept her feminine side. She bleached her hair blonde and made colorful scarves from parachute material. She loved picking flowers, especially red roses, and would keep bouquets in her cockpit. The male pilots who shared her plane would often throw them out!

Lydia was very sad after her friend and fellow pilot, Aleksey Solomatin, died. Many believed he was her fiancé. She wrote to her mother that she realized she loved him only after he was gone.

Lydia was called the "White Lily of Stalingrad" by the Soviet press. In other parts of the world, she was sometimes called the "White Rose of Stalingrad."

Awards

• Hero of the Soviet Union (May 5, 1990)
• Order of Lenin (May 5, 1990)
• Order of the Red Banner (July 22, 1943)
• Order of the Red Star (February 17, 1943)
• Order of the Patriotic War 1st class (September 10, 1943)

Aerial Victories

Lydia Litvyak was credited with shooting down many enemy planes. Here are some of her confirmed victories:

• September 13, 1942: Two solo kills – a Junkers Ju 88 bomber and a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter.
• September 14, 1942: One solo kill – a Bf 109.
• September 27, 1942: One solo kill – a Junkers Ju 88. One shared kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109.
• February 11, 1943: One solo kill – a Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber. One shared kill – a Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
• March 22, 1943: Two solo kills – a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and a Junkers Ju 88.
• May 5, 1943: One solo kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109.
• May 7, 1943: One solo kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109.
• May 31, 1943: One solo kill – an artillery observation balloon.
• July 16, 1943: One solo kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109. One shared kill.
• July 19, 1943: One solo kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109.
• July 21, 1943: One solo kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109.
• August 1, 1943: One solo kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109. One shared kill – a Messerschmitt Bf 109.

The table below shows more details about her credited victories:

External Links

See Also

In Spanish: Lidia Litviak para niños