Nadezhda Fedutenko
| Nadezhda Nikiforovna Fedutenko | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 30, 1915 Rakitnoye village, Russian Empire |
| Died |
January 28, 1978 Kiev, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |
 Soviet Union |
| Service/branch |
 Red Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941-1946 |
| Rank | Major of the Guards |
| Unit | 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
         |
Nadezhda Nikiforovna Fedutenko (Russian: Надежда Никифоровна Федутенко, September 30, 1915 - January 28, 1978) was a Red Army Air Force officer and combat pilot. She fought in the Second World War in command of a bomber squadron. Honoured with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.[1]
Nadezhda Fedutenko was born in Rakitnoye village (now in Belgorod Oblast). Both her parents worked at a sugar factory. In her schoolyears she was good at skiing, skating and horse riding. Later she became a sugar moulder at the same factory, and continued her education at the factory's apprenticeship school. In that perion she participated in a aircraft modelling hobby group. 18 years old she entered Tambov Civil Aviation Flying School.[2]
In 1935-1941 Fedutenko was a civil aviation pilot. By the time of the German invasion she had mastered several aircraft types and her flying time was measured in thousands of hours. From June 23, 1941 to October 15, 1941 she flew for Special Kiev Civil Aviation Group - an auxiliary unit established by soviet civil aviation authorities. She performed supply and liaison missions in support of the fighting troops including evacuation of 150 wounded soldiers, transportation of the Red Army General Headquarters representatives etc. During these missions she had sometimes to evade attacks of enemy fighters. By December 1942 fedutenko converted to Petlyakov Pe-2 medium bomber and from January 1943 flew combat missions for the 587th Bombardment Aviation Regiment - one of the three female combat flying units established by Marina Raskova.[2][3]
By March 1945 Fedutenko flew 56 missions on the Pe-2 of which in 20 she led a flight formation (3 aircraft), in 25 a squadron formation (9 aircraft) and on 2 occasions led a division combined formation (six squadron V-formations following each other in a column with squadrons drawn from the different regiments of the same division, total strength - 54 aircraft). In one of these occasions she was not assigned as the leading pilot of the division formation, but as the leader was shot-down on approaching the target, she took the lead and insured successful accomplishment of the mission.[3]
On May 26, 1943 Fedutenko got wounded in her head by a fragment of an anti-aircraft gun shell just before dropping bombs on the heavily defended target. Despite of the severe wound she retained full control of her aircraft and of the flight in her command and was able to keep straight flight, ensuring eventual destruction of the target, and then perform a flack evasion maneuver, avoiding loss of aircraft and aircrew in her command.[2][3]
Fedutenko's command appreciated her performance as a pilot an as a commander to be efficient and instrumental to destruction of enemy assets. 14 March 1945 Fedutenko's command recommended her to the title of the Hero of Soviet Union for "the exceptional services she rendered for the Motherland showing valour and heroism". 18 August 1945 Fedutenko was officially bestowed the title.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Sakaida, Henry (2003). Heroines of the Soviet Union (1941-1945). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 1-84176-598-8.
- 1 2 3 Olkhovskaya-Kostrikina, G. (1969). "Командир гвардейской эскадрильи" [Guards squadron commander]. In Toropov, L. Героини: очерки о женщинах — Героях Советского Союза [Heroines: Essays about Women - Heroes of the Soviet Union] (in Russian). Moscow: Politizdat.. Note: the author was Fedutenko's navigator
- 1 2 3 4 Hero of the Soviet Union Recommendation