Meri Hafizovna Avidzba (; ; 24 January 191712 April 1986) was a Soviet military pilot and navigator and was the first female aviator from

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

. She was awarded two medals for her actions in the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

(1941–1945), where she served as a navigator of the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, known by the Germans as the ''

Night Witches "Night Witches" was a World War II German nickname for the all-female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Red Banner and Order of Suvorov Regiment, of the Soviet Air ...

''. Later in her life, she was elected a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Abkhazia.

Biography

Avidzba and her twin sister Hadzhera were born on 24 January 1917. She attended

Sukhumi Sukhumi or Sokhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the Capital city, capital and largest city of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia (country), Georgia. The ...

School No. 10. When Victor Argun, the first male Abkhazian pilot, came to recruit aviators, Avidzba initially missed the opportunity. She later joined the Red Banner School of the Civil Air Fleet in

Bataysk Bataysk () is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Rostov-on-Don. Population: History It was founded in 1769, and was granted town status in 1938. The reconstructed Church of the Ascension was built between 1990 and 2006. The ...

. After graduating from Bataysk's Flight School, she joined Sukhum Flying Club as an instructor and worked there until it closed in 1939. On 18 August 1936 she flew a demonstration flight in front of spectators to prove her piloting abilities. On 30 December 1936 she circled her plane in a

flypast ''FlyPast'' is an aircraft magazine, published monthly, edited by Tom Allett, Steve Beebee and Jamie Ewan. History and profile The magazine started as a bi-monthly edition in May/June 1981 and its first editor was the late Mike Twite. It is ow ...

over the funeral of Abkhazian communist leader

Nestor Lakoba Nestor Apollonovich Lakoba, ''Nest’or Ap’olonis Dze Lak’oba'' (1 May 189328 December 1936) was an Abkhaz communist leader. Lakoba helped establish Bolshevik power in Abkhazia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, and served as the ...

Military career

In 1939, Avidzba joined the Military Medical Academy in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

; when she heard that war was due to be declared she volunteered to transfer to the fighter aircraft training school in

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places * Perm, Russia, a city in Russia **Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 ** Perm Governorate, an administr ...

. This transition required Avidzba to appeal to the military authorities in order to be transferred. From Perm she moved to the military air school in

Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''

In 1941, she was posted to the Finnish border, where she flew biplanes. In December 1942, Avidzba was posted to the Caucasus region, as a navigator in the 46th Guards Light Bomber Night Aviation Regiment of the 4th Air Army of the 2nd Belarusian Front – beginning her career in the ''

''. Here she was under the command of

Polina Makogon Polina Aleksandrovna Makogon (; ; 1919 1943) was a squadron commander in an all-female Soviet air unit, the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, also known as the ''Night Witches.'' Biography Makogon was born in 1919 in the village of ...

and Lydia Svistunova, where she benefited from their instruction and was quickly undertaking solo combat missions. In February 1943, she flew with Polina Makogon on a mission, where their three sorties repeatedly bombed the Germans in one night. In September 1943, on a mission to bomb the port of Taman, Avidzba noticed that the Germans were relocating their forces – she reported the reconnaissance findings from her flight to her commanders, who welcomed and acted on this previously unknown intelligence. In 1944, Avidzba's aircraft was hit by enemy fire, and her spine was severely injured. She hid this injury until the end of the war to continue fighting. This injury led to some partial paralysis, which was successfully treated with an operation seven years later. During the war, Avidzba flew 477 combat sorties, totalling over 1000 hours of time in the air and dropped 63 tonnes of bombs onto the enemy. She fought in the North Caucasus, as well as on the 4th Ukrainian and 2nd Belorussian fronts. She participated in the liberation of Crimea, Ukraine and Poland. She crossed the front lines on 954 occasions. Her brother Koka was killed in the war, and she wrote to her parents about how her work as a pilot avenged his death.

Later life

After the end of the war, Avidzba returned to Sukhumi, where she was active in the community, particularly in memorialising the Second World War, as well as serving as governor of the school. She was also elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Abkhazia. During her lifetime she was awarded the Orders of the Patriotic War (First and Second Degrees), the "For Defence of the Caucasus" Medal and the "For Victory over Germany" Medal. Avidzba died on 12 April 1986 in Sukhumi.

Legacy

Avidzba is remembered on stamps issued by the Republic of Abkhazia. Her military papers, flying scarf and other items from her career as pilot were donated by her to the Abkhaz State Museum. There is also a bust of her on display there.

References

External links