Raisa Nefedovna Surnachevskaya (Russian: Раиса Нефедовна Сурначевская; 8 August 1922 – 18 December 2005) was a Soviet fighter pilot and squadron commander during World War II, as well as one of the very few pregnant women to have flown in combat.[1] After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 she volunteered to join a women's aviation regiment founded by Marina Raskova and underwent training to fly Yakovlev Yak-1 fighters at Engels military Aviation School. She was assigned to the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment for the war; on a mission with Tamara Pamyatnykh she shot down two Junkers Ju 88 bombers while patrolling a railway junction after a formation of 42 bombers approached. After they each shot down two planes and Pamyatnykh attempted to ram a third the formation turned around without dropping their payloads on the railways.[2][3][4]
Raisa Surnachevskaya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Раиса Нефедовна Сурначевская |
| Born | 8 August 1922 Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Died | 18 December 2005 (aged 83) Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service/ |  Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941 — 1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Eastern Front of World War II |
| Awards |   |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Glancey, Jonathan (2001-12-15). "The very few". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ "Сурначевская Раиса Нефедовна". airaces.narod.ru. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ "Раиса Сурначевская / Raisa Surnachevskaya | Persones.ru". persones.ru. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ Noggle, Anne (1994). A Dance With Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 188–191. ISBN 9781585441778.
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