The White Rose of Stalingrad : the Real-Life Adventure of Lidiya Viadimirovna Litvyak, the Highest Scoring Female Air Ace of All Time
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 298-309) and index.

During World War II, most of the air forces of the nations engaged in combat had women in their ranks, but only in the Soviet Union did women fly regular, routine missions in live-fire combat. Of all the major air forces that were engaged in the war, only the Red Air Force (Voenno-Vozdushnie Sily) had units comprised specifically of women. Initially, as with other air forces, the Red Air Force maintained an all-male policy among its combat pilots. However, as the apparently invincible German juggernaut sliced through Soviet defenses during the summer of 1941, the Red Air Force began to rethink its ban on women. By October 1941, authorization was forthcoming for three ground attack regiments of women pilots. Among these women, Lidiya Vladimirovna "Lilya" Litvyak soon emerged as a rising star in the Red Air Force.