Pilot Marina Raskova, Hero of the Soviet Union. Biography, awards

Among the women who became Heroes of the Soviet Union, the name of Marina Raskova stands alone. She was one of the first to receive the "Gold Star". In addition, this woman was awarded two Orders of Lenin, as well as the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree (posthumously, in 1944).

Marina Raskova - a well-known navigator, more than 6 thousand kilometers flying through the taiga. Her plane made a unique landing on the swamps. Marina Raskova is also a legendary major who worked in a special section of the NKVD. She formed an air group consisting of three women's regiments: the fighter (586th), the bombing (587th) and the night bomber (588th). The brave girls from the 588th regiment most feared the enemy. He gave them the nickname "night witches." To see the Victory Day, however, Marina Raskova did not happen. So suddenly her life was cut short ...

Marina Raskova: Biography

Marina Mikhailovna was born in Moscow on March 28, 1912. Her father is Mikhail Dmitrievich Malinin, an entertainer, an opera artist (baritone), a vocal teacher. Marina's mother is Anna Spiridonovna (maiden name Lyubatovich). From 1905 to 1932 she worked as a secondary school teacher in Vyazma, Torzhok and Moscow. After retirement Anna Spiridonovna lived in the family of her daughter Marina Mikhailovna.

Teaching at school, working as a laboratory assistant

The future great pilot and "godmother" of the night bomber aviation of the USSR graduated from a seven-year school, studying in passing in the conservatory (children's department). Marina inherited a musical talent from her father, a teacher of singing. She was predicted the future of the opera singer. However, Marina Mikhailovna was not destined to become an actress: her father died, and in order to feed her mother, her brother and herself, Marina was forced to get a job at 17 as a laboratory assistant. She worked at Butyrsky Chemical Plant.

Creating a family

The future pilot Marina Raskova in 1929 (in April) married - her husband was the engineer of the laboratory of this plant, Raskov Sergey Ivanovich. In the family, Tanya's daughter was born a year later. Because of the birth of her daughter, Marina interrupted her work until October 1931. In October 1935, she divorced her husband.

Work in the Air Navigation Laboratory

In 1932, Marina Raskova changed jobs, settling in the air navigation laboratory draftsman (Air Force Academy of the RKKA named after Zhukovsky). Marina was here in a completely different world. An additional duty was to bring complex instruments to lectures - sextants, aerothermometers, manometers. Some of the names of all these devices were worth it, and the principles of their action for the young girl were at first incomprehensible. However, Raskova eventually figured out the purpose of all these devices - she had to attend work together with the students of the academy in many practical exercises and lectures.

Studying books, passing exams successfully

The flying business in the 1930s became a fashionable hobby in the USSR, one might even say romantic. Georgi Baidukov and Valery Chkalov did not perform feats yet, but young people became more interested in aircraft models and gliders. Marina Mihailovna was attracted by air navigation, although at that time few could have guessed that this 20-year-old girl was waiting for the future connected with the flights.

Marina Raskova, as a diligent student, one by one, studied books about the mastery of the navigator. Preheated by curiosity, she also studied the accompanying sciences: physics, higher mathematics, astronomy, radio engineering, meteorology and many others. Alexander Vasilyevich Belyakov, a teacher at the academy, noticed a capable employee. At that time he had already qualified as a navigator. Alexander Vasilyevich began to help Raskova. Based on the acquired knowledge, without his patronage, Raskova Marina Mikhailovna passed the exams with brilliance. She became a woman navigator, the first in the domestic military aviation. At the same time, Raskova carried out a complicated research work during the training.

Photographing and description of the coast

On the Black Sea in those years, a passenger hydroavail was laid in the direction of Odessa - Batumi. Information about the conditions of this area was very necessary for engineers. Marina Mikhailovna was instructed to take a photo shoot, as well as describe the segments of the future route. Marina had to fly sometimes for 7 hours a day, often in difficult conditions, when the sea was stormy. The girl carefully studied the Crimean and Caucasian coast, the water area of the Azov Sea. The results proved to everyone that Marina Raskova, a female pilot, has become an excellent navigator. She was appointed as an aeronautical laboratory instructor after the examinations. And then the girl began to teach navigating in her native academy. And this at the age of 22 years.

Teacher's work

Raskova Marina Mikhailovna, always neat, in elegant form and blue beret, conducted classes for senior officers. Venerable land warriors, she taught the tactics of air combat and the basics of flying. Also, Marina led and practiced in training by making a heavy bomber TB-3 to 50 visits to the target during one flight! The cadets were dizzy, but Marina felt great. It seemed that this brave girl called the sky, and once Marina had the chance to become a pilot. And what a chance! The head of the academy personally addressed her. He wanted to reward Raskov for training navigators. Then Marina Mikhailovna asked to teach her how to manage the plane ...

Organization of the May Day air parades

The dream came true! In Tushino, in the Central aero club, Marina graduated from the school of pilots. Soon she was entrusted with a very responsible job: training in the capital May Day air parades. Should I say that they were all held "perfectly". Marina Raskova personally personally led the aircraft building, which solemnly passed over Moscow on a festive day.

The newspapers wrote about Marina Raskova, the whole of Moscow knew her name. Marina Mihailovna became a consultant to the NKVD, and then to the authorized special department. She took part in long flights, setting records and even generals of aviation surprising with their flights. However, the main glory of Raskova, all-Union, was still ahead.

World record

Marina Raskova in 1938 made a non-stop flight Moscow-Far East in the crew of ANT-37 Rodina, leaving over 6.4 thousand km under the wing. In addition to Marina Mikhailovna, Polina Osipenko and Valentina Grizodubova were on board. All of them were later awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. This flight was put a women's world record range: the aircraft overcame a straight 5,908 km, and following the course - and all 6450 km. However, this unique flight ended by no means a regular landing ...

Arriving in the Far East, the ANT-37 aircraft fell into the forest marshes located near Khabarovsk, not far from the village of Kirby. At the same time Raskova was forced to jump with a parachute in the autumn taiga. Left with a revolver, a knife and a small supply of food, overcoming the cold, a 26-year-old girl made it to her companions 10 days, scaring away bears and lynx, eating berries and spending the night in trees.

Marina Mikhailovna Raskova stood, she managed to reach. All the Soviet newspapers got this story. Moscow met as heroes of courageous girls, they started to take an example. Marina Raskova spent a short time in the hospital, writing a book there, which she called "The Notes of the Navigator." The Great Patriotic War began in a few years.

Creation of a female combat unit

Hero of the Soviet Union, navigator and pilot Marina Raskova in the summer of 1941 began to seek permission to create a female combat unit. She even had to use personal contacts with Stalin and her position in order to achieve this permission. Thousands of representatives of the fair sex of our country supported her. Many girls sought to get to the front and expel from the homeland of the German invaders. Upon receiving permission, Marina proceeded to create these squadrons. Marina Raskova across the country was looking for pupils of flying clubs and flying schools. And among the non-pilots were willing to beat the Germans in the sky. Of course, not all became pilots, but the peculiarity of the regiments of Marina Mikhailovna was exclusively female. All were women - from pilots and commanders to cooks and technicians.

Under the leadership of Marina Raskova, 586th, 587th and 588th regiments were created. Major Raskova was soon appointed commander of the bomber regiment (587th). She personally completed many tasks. However, the long-awaited victory did not see Marina Mikhailovna. Two years before the end of the war, Marina Mikhailovna Raskova perished. Biography, awards and achievements of this woman - all this and to this day interests many of our compatriots. The memory of her is still alive. We can only talk about how Marina Raskova died and where she was buried.

The death of Marina Raskova

Marina Mikhaylovna died near Saratov (the village of Mikhailovka) on January 4, 1943. Her plane crashed into a difficult meteorological condition when she flew to the front, where the new squadron was stationed. Probably, much more would have been done for our country by Marina Mikhailovna, if her biography had not suddenly ended with a sudden death.

Marina Raskova was first buried in Saratov's Lipki Park, on the playground. Then she was reburied here, on the flower alley, after which she was at the Resurrection Cemetery in the city of Saratov. Hero of the Soviet Union Raskova Marina Mikhailovna after death was cremated. The urn with her ashes was transported to Moscow. Today the remains of this great aviator lie at the Kremlin wall on the Red Square of the capital. The exploits of Marina Raskova, committed in peacetime, have been an example for many pilots of our country for many years.