Belyaeva Raisa Vasilievna is a legendary Soviet fighter pilot. Commanding the 586 female fighter squadron during the Great Patriotic War, defending her homeland, she showed incredible courage and heroism.
Biography
Raisa Vasilievna was born in 1912 on September 12 in the village of Zuevka, Kirov region. My father worked on the local railroad. The family was large. The parents, besides Raya, had three more children - sons Peter and Nikolai, daughter Anna. The girl studied at the local school in her village. After graduating from the seven-year school in 1928, he left for the regional city of Kirov, where he continued his education at a technical school. She successfully graduated in 1931.
The path to the goal
Raisa Vasilievna Belyaeva was always attracted to the sky. She read a lot about airplanes, was interested in everything that was connected with them. Having left for Leningrad, she entered the flying club of this city. There, her fate confronts Olga Yamshchikova, whom she knew well from the Kirov technical school. They studied together.
In the club Olga worked as an instructor and taught Raisa to fly. Raya was a diligent student. Having successfully graduated from the flying club (1936), he became a parachuting instructor and began to train future pilots herself. By 1940, Belyaeva was known not only as a first-class instructor. She was known as an aerobatics pilot. She worked at the USSR Central Aero Club, which was named after the famous Soviet pilot Valery Chkalov.
Front
In 1940, Raisa Vasilievna was accepted into the ranks of the CPSU (b). She enters the Red Army in October 1941. In the Army, almost immediately she was sent to the front, where she became a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad (November 5, 1941). She fought in the air defense on the Voronezh and Stalingrad fronts. At the front, Raisa Vasilievna from the first days showed her colleagues examples of courage and heroism. She often had to take to the skies in her fighter jet against several fascist aircraft. On account of the pilot there were 133 sorties and more than a dozen downed enemy aircraft.
Gull
Raisa Vasilievna flew the legendary Yak-3. In the sky, she was "The Seagull". Received the call sign at the front. Belyaeva fought with him until her last day.
Raisa Vasilievna was known as a strict, demanding commander. But her fighting friends respected and loved her for her sensitivity, sincerity and understanding. They admired the enormous professionalism of their commander.
The last fight
In the summer of 1943, Ekadrilya Raisa Vasilievna covered the bridges and railway junctions of Voronezh in the sky. As part of four cars, it repelled the raids of fascist aircraft. In a difficult and unequal battle, she shot down a German plane, but she herself was seriously wounded. This was her last fight.
Reward
Raisa Vasilievna Belyaeva died on July 19, 1943 with the rank of senior lieutenant. They buried her in a mass grave in the Patriots Park, which is located in the city of Voronezh.
The fighter pilot was awarded the Order of the Red Star for her courage and heroism.
Memory
Raisa Vasilievna was married. Husband - Evgeny Nikiforovich Gimpel was also a pilot.
A street is named in the city of Voronezh in memory of the fearless pilot. The street in Zuevka, where the legendary "Seagull" was born and lived, also bears her name.
