The Soviet Union’s all-female air regiments flew more than 30,000 missions and dropped 3,000 tons of bombs along the Eastern Front in World War II.
© Photo : Diana MarkosianNadezhda Popova, 90, decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union, was a pilot in the 46th Night Bombers Guards Regiment.
1/8
© Photo : Diana Markosian
Nadezhda Popova, 90, decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union, was a pilot in the 46th Night Bombers Guards Regiment.
© Photo : Diana MarkosianGalina Brok-Beltsova, 85, volunteered for combat service when she was 16. She served as a navigator with the 125th Regiment.
2/8
© Photo : Diana Markosian
Galina Brok-Beltsova, 85, volunteered for combat service when she was 16. She served as a navigator with the 125th Regiment.
© RIA Novosti . Shagin / Go to the mediabankPilots Polina Osipenko (left), Valentina Grizodubova (center), and Marina Raskova before a flight.
Pilots Polina Osipenko (left), Valentina Grizodubova (center), and Marina Raskova before a flight.
© N. Kravcova / Go to the mediabankHeroes of the Soviet Union Guards Sub-Lieutenant pilot-captain Maria Pavlovna Chechneva and pilot-navigator Senior Lieutenant Yekaterina Vasilyevna Ryabova. The Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.
Heroes of the Soviet Union Guards Sub-Lieutenant pilot-captain Maria Pavlovna Chechneva and pilot-navigator Senior Lieutenant Yekaterina Vasilyevna Ryabova. The Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.
© RIA Novosti . Haldei / Go to the mediabankSoviet female pilots of the 46th Guards Air Force Regiment near dugout after a daytime rest during the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War. From left: Sitting -- Hero of the Soviet Union Irina Sebrova and Vera Belik. Standing -- Hero of the Soviet Union Nadezhda Popova
Soviet female pilots of the 46th Guards Air Force Regiment near dugout after a daytime rest during the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War. From left: Sitting -- Hero of the Soviet Union Irina Sebrova and Vera Belik. Standing -- Hero of the Soviet Union Nadezhda Popova
© RIA Novosti . RIA Novosti / Go to the mediabankWomen pilots of the 586th Fighter Air Regiment resting in their room after a combat mission.
Women pilots of the 586th Fighter Air Regiment resting in their room after a combat mission.
© RIA Novosti . Perventsev / Go to the mediabankNadezhda Popova, a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, meets with members of the Young Communist League and Pioneers.
Nadezhda Popova, a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, meets with members of the Young Communist League and Pioneers.
© Photo : Diana MarkosianNadezhda Popova holds a portrait of herself with her husband, whom she met during the war.
8/8
© Photo : Diana Markosian
Nadezhda Popova holds a portrait of herself with her husband, whom she met during the war.