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 Fighting the
enemy, individual fighter combat with the very best German fighter pilots in
the world, and their own male comrade's prejudices, these individual female
fighter pilots soon were able to gain the five confirmed aerial victories
needed to become a fighter ace. The 1 AE,
the best eskadrilla (squadron) of the 586 IAP, was split
between two male fighter regiments in the Stalingrad area. The Starshina
Lilya Litvak and Katya Budanova were both
assigned to the elite 73 IAP of the 6 GvIAD (Guards Fighter
Aviation Division) of the 8 VA (Aviation Army). The remainder of
the female 586 IAP were commited to the Soviet's Operation Saturn and
Uranus (the elimination of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad) during November
of 1942. Though mainly committed to the aerial blockade to prevent the German
Luftwaffe from its aerial resupply efforts, the 586 IAP were
facing the severe Russian weather, General Winter, they had a definite
contribution to the Soviet's final victory at Stalingrad.
The female 588 NBAP was committed to the Soviet winter offensive at Stalingrad, flying their biplane single engine Po-2 night bombers. Flying at altitudes at under three hundred feet (100 meters), these female pilots and their gunner-bombadiers would fly without parachutes. If their aircraft became damaged during their combat missions, these women would either try and land their stricken aircraft behind the Soviet front lines, or they would leap to their deaths if their aircraft was on fire, which was often the case.
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