Much of the information about Litvyak is false. She wasn't called the "The White Rose of Stalingrad". She is now known to have parachuted to safety but was incarcerated in a PoW camp. After the war she never returned to the USSR and apparently settled in Switzerland. Her friend Budanova was the top ace with more kills than had Litvyak.
source? I'd love to read about a happier ending, but it seems implausible to me- Why did the Germans take a woman to a POW camp rather than killing her or sending her to a Freude-Abteilung? They were brutal to Soviet prisoners under the best of circumstances- I can't imagine they would spare a Jewish woman who had spent several months kicking their asses
I just finished reading an interesting book translated from Italian: Soviet Airwomen of the Great Patriotic War: A Pictorial History by Gian Piero Milanetti (2013). This book includes over 300 rare war photos and has considerable text to go with it. It includes credible information about ace fighter pilot Lidya Litvyak and other prominent female combat pilots.
Much of the information about Litvyak is false. She wasn't called the "The White Rose of Stalingrad". She is now known to have parachuted to safety but was incarcerated in a PoW camp. After the war she never returned to the USSR and apparently settled in Switzerland. Her friend Budanova was the top ace with more kills than had Litvyak.
ReplyDeletesource? I'd love to read about a happier ending, but it seems implausible to me- Why did the Germans take a woman to a POW camp rather than killing her or sending her to a Freude-Abteilung? They were brutal to Soviet prisoners under the best of circumstances- I can't imagine they would spare a Jewish woman who had spent several months kicking their asses
DeleteI just finished reading an interesting book translated from Italian: Soviet Airwomen of the Great Patriotic War: A Pictorial History by Gian Piero Milanetti (2013). This book includes over 300 rare war photos and has considerable text to go with it. It includes credible information about ace fighter pilot Lidya Litvyak and other prominent female combat pilots.
ReplyDelete