Among the female heroes of World War II, the pilot Marina Raskova stands out, unfortunately, who did not live to the Victory. In peacetime, the legendary navigator, the Air Force major of the Red Army, set many world aviation records, and during the Second World War organized three female air regiments, one of which is known as “Night Witches”.
Curriculum Vitae
Marina Mikhailovna Raskova was born on March 28, 1912 in the family of opera singer Mikhail Dmitrievich Malinin. Her mother worked as a teacher. The girl early lost her father, who died in a traffic accident in 1919. In parallel with high school, she attended classes at the conservatory, preparing to follow in her father's footsteps, but life decided differently.
The death of the breadwinner forced Marina to abandon her studies very early, already at the age of 17, and go to work at the Butyrsky Chemical Plant to help her mother and brother Roman, the future radio engineer. There she met her future husband - engineer Sergei Ivanovich Raskov. A year after the marriage, daughter Tatyana was born. However, relations in the family did not work out, as a result of which there were serious changes in the biography of Marina. Raskov did not understand his wife’s hobby for aviation, and this circumstance ultimately led to a breakdown in relations in 1935.
Closer to the sky
Soon, the girl changed her occupation and became a draftswoman in the air navigation laboratory of the Air Force Academy. N.E. Zhukovsky. In addition to her direct duties, she attended lectures and studied various instruments used in aviation. This knowledge will be very useful to her later.
Like all Soviet youth, Marina Raskova was interested in flying. The young woman read a lot of technical literature and studied science. Soon, the teacher of the Academy Belyakov drew attention to her and helped her achieve what she wanted. Raskova graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers, successfully passed the exams and for the first time received the qualification of a navigator for a woman.
First assignments
The laying of the new Odessa-Batumi passenger airway required the intervention of first-class specialists for a preliminary study of the area. Marina Raskova worked in severe climatic conditions, being in the air for several hours in a row to make aerial photography and description of sections of the route.
After passing the exams, she became an instructor at the academy. Among the students attentively listening to Marina's lectures on the basics of tactics of air combat and flight affairs, there were army officers. Then the cadets under her leadership went to practical classes, during which Raskova acted as the navigator of a heavy bomber. The head of the academy, who valued his indefatigable employee, once asked her what she wants the most? Raskova admitted that her most cherished desire is to learn how to fly an airplane.
Aviation as a vocation
Marina Raskova graduated from the school of pilots at the newly created (1935) Central Aero Club. Her successes were so great that she was assigned to prepare festive air parades in Moscow on May 1. Raskova herself also participated in parades at the controls of her plane. She was invited as a consultant to the NKVD, newspaper articles were dedicated to her. Marina did not stop there and was constantly striving to make new achievements, constantly increasing the length of her flights.
1938 was the year of an amazing record: in September the super-long-range bomber ANT-37 "Rodina" made a direct flight from the capital of the USSR to the Far East (almost 6500 km). In addition to Marina Raskova, the crew included two more women - Grisodubova and Osipenko - the future Heroes of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the aircraft could not reach its final destination (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) due to lack of fuel. Forced landing on the fuselage with a risk to the navigator’s cabin forced Grizodubova to order Marina to parachute. The brave woman spent one ten days in the taiga, among wild animals, almost without food, but managed to survive and even write memories during her stay in a hospital bed. The government of the USSR awarded honorary awards to Marina Mikhailovna Raskova, the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star medal.
Forty, fatal
Since 1938, a female pilot led the USSR International Airways Directorate, while working in the Special Department of Aviation Administration of the USSR NPO. From the first days of the war, Raskova began to seek permission to form women's combat squadrons. Relations in the government did their job: permission was obtained as soon as possible. There were many people who wanted to enroll in the whole country. In October 1941, thanks to her, three air regiments were manned, the personnel of which included only women. The most famous 588th night bomber, received the famous nickname "Night Witches." Major Raskova herself received command of the 587th regiment.
Unfortunately, Hero of the Soviet Union Maria Raskova did not manage to make a significant personal contribution to the Victory. January 4, 1943 she flew to the location of the squadron. Weather conditions on that day were extremely unfavorable, but this did not stop Marina. Near the village of Mikhailovka near Saratov, her plane crashed. The brave pilot, who during her lifetime became a legend, died, fulfilling her duty to the Motherland. She was honored to be buried at the Kremlin wall.
