Galina Pavlovna Brok-Beltsova (; 12 February 1925 – 15 August 2024) was a Soviet bomber navigator and the last surviving member of the women's aviation regiments founded by

Marina Raskova Marina Mikhaylovna Raskova ( rus, Мари́на Миха́йловна Раско́ва, , mɐˈrʲinə mʲɪˈxajləvnə rɐˈskovə; née Malinina; 28 March 1912 – 4 January 1943) was the first woman in the Soviet Union to achieve the diplom ...

Early life

She was born in Moscow in 1925 and raised there. She was an athletic child, participating in volleyball, swimming, skating and skiing.

World War II

In 1941, as Moscow was being bombed by Nazi aircraft, 16-year-old Brok-Beltsova volunteered to join her country's defense. Along with hundreds of other volunteers who were accepted into the women's aviation group founded by Raskova, she was evacuated east to

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

, where they lived in primitive conditions and underwent further flight training. In 1943 she was chosen for retraining on the

Petlyakov Pe-2 The Petlyakov Pe-2 ( — nickname «Пешка» (Pawn); NATO reporting name: Buck) was a Soviet Union, Soviet twin-engine dive bomber used during World War II. One of the outstanding tactical attack aircraft of the war,Ethell 1996, p. 152. it ...

dive bomber. On 23 June 1944, by then a member of the

125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment The 125th Borisov Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment named after Marina Raskova () was one of the three Soviet women's aviation regiments founded by Marina Raskova at the start of the Second World War. The unit was founded as the 587th Bomber Aviation ...

, she flew her first combat mission in the Belarusian campaign. Nominally requiring a three-person crew, the Pe-2 often flew with only two, requiring the navigator to also act as radio operator and bombardier. Along with pilot Antonina Bondareva-Spitsina, she flew thirty-six combat missions in total.

Post-war

After the war Brok-Beltsova married Georgy Beltsov, a fellow air force officer. She was intent on completing her education and earned a PhD in history from

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

in 1960, taught at several universities, and was head of the

Moscow Power Engineering Institute National Research University "Moscow Power Engineering Institute" (MPEI; ) is a public university based in Moscow, Russia. It offers training in the fields of Power Engineering, Electric Engineering, Radio Engineering, Electronics, Information ...

's history department until her retirement. She also worked at the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

for some time. She and her husband had three children and remained married until Georgy's death in 2005. Brok-Beltsova was often honored at annual events commemorating Russia's role in World War II. In 2020 she was invited to a brunch with Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the war's end. She was the last living member of the Soviet Union's three all-female air regiments. Brok-Beltsova lived in the city of

Mytishchi Mytishchi ( rus, Мыти́щи, p=mɨˈtʲiɕːɪ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies 19 km northeast of Russia's capital Moscow o ...

, just outside of Moscow. She died on 15 August 2024, at the age of 99.Ушла из жизни легендарная жительница Щелкова – Галина Брок-Бельцова

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brok-Beltsova, Galina 1925 births 2024 deaths Russian women aviators Soviet women aviators Flight navigators Russian people of World War II Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet Air Force officers Women air force personnel of the Soviet Union Soviet women in World War II Military personnel from Moscow Moscow State University alumni 20th-century Russian historians Academic staff of Moscow Power Engineering Institute