Galina Brok-Beltsova, the last surviving member of Stalin's three female air regiments, has passed away at the age of 99. Her death marks the end of an era in Soviet military aviation history.
Enlisting in the Red Army at 16 in 1941, Brok-Beltsova was among the over 800,000 women who served in the Soviet military during World War II. She completed 36 combat missions as a bomber-navigator with the 587th Bomber Regiment, beginning in June 1944 with Operation Bagration to liberate Belarus.
The Soviet Union's approach to women in combat aviation was progressive for its time. While the US Air Force and RAF only allowed women in combat roles in the 1990s, the USSR had a history of female combat pilots dating back to World War I. By the late 1930s, women comprised nearly a third of all pilots trained in the Soviet Union.
Marina Raskova, a renowned Soviet aviator comparable to Amelia Earhart, was instrumental in forming three women's air regiments in 1941. These included the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Bomber Regiment, and the famous 588th Night Bomber Regiment, nicknamed "the Night Witches" by German forces.
Brok-Beltsova served in the 587th Bomber Regiment, flying the Petlyakov PE-2, a challenging twin-engined dive bomber nicknamed "Pawn". As a navigator, she worked closely with her pilot, facing numerous perils during missions.
: "Even after the mission her mouth was screwed up in a funny way."
The female aviators endured harsh conditions both in training and during active service. They lived in primitive dugouts, faced extreme cold, and dealt with inadequate sanitation. Despite these challenges, they persevered, with Brok-Beltsova's regiment flying 1,134 sorties and dropping 980,000kg of bombs by the war's end.
After the war, Brok-Beltsova pursued a diverse career. She became a history professor and worked for the KGB. She married her wartime admirer, Georgy Beltsov, and had three children.
The legacy of these female aviators is significant. Five members of Brok-Beltsova's regiment were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, and the unit received collective awards for their service. Their contributions helped pave the way for greater gender equality in military aviation worldwide.