Yelena Maluchina was a female bomber in the Soviet Air Force during World War II. She and her comrades were then the only female pilots in the world to fly on the battlefield.
Then in July 1944. Russia's Red Army is advancing on Belarus and pushing Nazi forces out of Soviet territory. The date was July 4th - pilot Yelena Maluchina and her colleagues sat waiting for instructions.
"The weather was very bad in the morning. We thought we shouldn't fly with the plane that day. I'm sitting just below the plane - waiting for orders. Suddenly I saw a white rocket - that's the instruction for us to fly."
They flew into the sky with the plane and walked towards their target. Their target was a major railway junction in Lithuania. The retreating Germans kept their military equipment there. Towards the end of the war, that was their last battlefield, and they stored a lot of military equipment at that station.
"So we set off with a fleet of about 180 aircraft. Our airport was an earthen-bomb-laden plane and it was not an easy task to take off so many planes from there at once. However, we gradually flew in the sky. "
The story of Yelena Maluchina was recorded by author Luba Vinogradova in her book Defending the Motherland
Russian bomber over Berlin, Germany: 1945
He says he met Yelena when she was 92.
"It was hard to believe he was that old. Physically he was tough and also very sincere as a man. Warm and friendly. He loved to talk about various things, he used to recite favorite poems - he had a great memory even at that age, ”said Luba Vinogradova.
Yelena started flying at the age of 15 when she joined an aviation club in her hometown of Leningrad. By the time he finished high school, he was a fully trained civilian pilot.
It may not be exceptional, but it is certainly remarkable.
In 1938 he took up the job of delivering letters on an open plane - which was his first job. He later became an aviation instructor. The following year, the legendary Soviet female pilot Marina Raskova set a record by arriving in the Far East from the western part of the Soviet Union in just over 24 hours. Inspired by Raskova's call, thousands of young women joined the profession.
After the Soviet Union became embroiled in World War II in 1941, Marina Raskova formed three women's regiments in the Air Force. Within a few months, the female pilots of his regiment had to become proficient in the state-of-the-art heavy bombing aircraft of the Soviet Air Force.
That special aircraft called PE II was very modern as of the time. The speed of the aircraft was much faster than other aircraft at that time. So be very careful when landing.
When the planes went on a mission, they were at high risk. There were a lot of bombs in the planes - about a ton. So the planes could not be flown happily.
Yelena began air strikes on the battlefield in 1944. He had many years of experience in civil aviation. In that sense he was an experienced pilot.
But the fate of the Fourth of July was not in his favor. When they reached the target by plane, the weather was bad. The aircraft in front of them returned after completing the bombing mission. Nine of their planes are still in the sky. The target has to be hovered in the sky and the bomb has to be dropped up to 600 meters above the ground.
"Usually we are accustomed to dropping bombs from one to one and a half thousand - sometimes from two thousand meters. But this time it is not happening. Anyway - we opened the hatch and dropped the bomb. "
At that moment, a German anti-aircraft gunman hit Yelena and she was seriously injured.
'' At first I thought I was burned. I was just feeling weak later. I was actually bleeding inside - I didn't understand. The bullet first hit the propeller of the plane - then it hit my body - so I survived. "
urvived. "
PHOTO SOURCE,B. KUDOYAROV / GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
War-torn Leningrad (1943)
Yelena's injury was very serious. It was later learned that 15 pieces of ammunition had entered his intestines.
All the arrangements in the hospital were for men. As Yelena has seen in almost every aspect of her career.
Luba said life was difficult for girls in all areas. There were no toilets at the airport, lest toilets be needed so Yelena did not drink any liquids.
"In the beginning, there were no separate uniforms for girls. The girls who joined the work in October 1941 were given men's uniforms. Those who were a little short would wear those uniforms. Later they were cut and made suitable for girls. Men's underwear was also allowed to be worn by girls. Of course, the girls used to make their underwear with whatever clothes they could get their hands on. They had a very silky white silk cloth from the German parachute. "
After spending two months in an army hospital, doctors advised pilot Yelena Maluchina to spend another month in a hospital to recover. But Yelena did not agree.
Yelena thought two months in the hospital was enough. He returned to his own regiment at his own airport with the help of civilian aircraft.
This was the biggest opportunity to prove their skills as aircraft pilots. That was above all else for these female pilots then.
In 1945, a Soviet film about female pilots became very popular.
Yelena died in 2014 at the age of 96.
Mansi Barua has served as a witness of history.