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Tatyana Nikolaevna Sumarokova (; 16 September 1922 28 May 1997) was a
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prim ...
and Guard Lieutenant in the
46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment "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 ...
during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Rejected for the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1945 after completing 725 sorties, she was eventually awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation in 1995.


Early life

Sumarokova was born on 16 September 1922 to a Russian family. After graduating from secondary school in 1939 she entered the 1st Moscow State Medical Institute where she studied until the start of the war. Initially she remained a civilian and worked in the construction of defensive fortifications around Moscow. She eventually got word that women were being recruited for aviation units, and non-pilot staff were needed, so she and her friend
Khiuaz Dospanova Khiuaz Qayrqyzy Dospanova (; ; 15 May 1922 – 20 May 2008) was a Soviet pilot and navigator who served during World War II in the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, nicknamed the "Night Witches". In addition to being the first ethnically Kazakh woman ...
made an appointment to meet with
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 ...
, who at their meeting asked if she was willing to become a navigator.


Military career

Upon being accepted into the women's aviation program in October 1941, Sumarokova underwent navigator's training at the Engels Military Aviation School with the rest of the women accepted into the program. After completing navigation training in February 1942 she underwent further flight training to compensate for her previous lack of aviation experience, graduating from training in time for deployment to the front on 23 May 1942 as part of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment; the women's aviation unit arrived on the
North Caucasian Front The North Caucasus Front, also translated as North Caucasian Front, was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. The North Caucasus Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. First Creation The ...
on 27 May. She received her first
Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...
in September that same year after making several combat sorties in heavy autumn fog. By October 1942 she had completed 146 sorties. Throughout the war Sumarokova took part in offensives over
Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...
,
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
, the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
,
Taman Taman may refer to: Places Africa * Taman, Togo, a town in Bassar Prefecture Asia *Taman, Nepal * Taman, Pemalang, a district in Pemalang Regency, Central Java *Taman, a district in Madiun, East Java, Indonesia *Taman, a district in Sidoarjo Re ...
,
Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...
,
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
, and the
Baltics The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
. In 1943 she flew on numerous resupply missions to send ammunition, paratroopers, and provisions to forces in Eltigen, Crimea through heavy autumn storms and heavy enemy fire. In 1943 the 588th Night Bomber Regiment was honored with the
Guards designation Guards units () were elite units and formations in the Soviet Armed Forces that continue to exist in the Russian Armed Forces and other post-Soviet states. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in wartime service ...
and renamed the
46th Guards Night Bomber Regiment "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 ...
. By October 1943 she had completed 390 sorties. On a mission over Kerch on 31 December 1943, she narrowly survived a mission when her Po-2 piloted by Vera Tikhomirova was hit by
flak Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...
and caught fire. The plane began to lose altitude and Tikhomirova was prepared to carry out ditching at sea but managed to safely land the plane in friendly territory. Having been promoted to the position of squadron navigator in September 1944, she helped train new navigators in addition to regular combat duties, and distinguished herself as an excellent teacher for quickly training eight ground crew personnel as navigators. By the end of the war she totaled 725 combat sorties, dropping 108 tonnes of bombs, more than half of which she navigated for Mariya Smirnova.Однополчанки // Мужество, отвага и... любовь. Сборник. — М. : Палея, 1997 Nominated for the title
Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
on 10 May 1945, she never received the title despite opinions in favor of awarding her it from several high-ranking military officers reviewing the nomination including Konstantin Vershinin and
Konstantin Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky ( 1896 – 3 August 1968) was a Soviet and Polish general who served as a top commander in the Red Army during World War II and achieved the ranks of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshal of Poland. He a ...
; she was subsequently awarded an Order of the Patriotic War 1st class instead.


Later life

Upon entering the reserve in October 1945 due to the end of the war and went on to study editorializing and publishing at the
Moscow State University of Printing Arts Moscow State University of Printing Arts of Ivan Fedorov (MSUPA (MGUP in Russian); former name: Moscow Polygraphic Institute, Moscow State Academy of Printing) is Russia's largest university in the field of preparing specialists in printing and pu ...
. She and a fellow veteran from her unit, Raisa Aronova were admitted to the Union of Journalists of the USSR. For 15 years she worked as an editor for the ''Physical Culture and Sport'' publishing house before writing for the newspaper ''Soviet Patriot'' and later the ''Znanie'' publishing house. In 1976 she published a book about the lives of two of her veteran friends Hero of the Soviet Union Yekaterina Ryabova and her husband, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Sivkov. Sumarokova often engaged in public speaking after the war, especially to youth groups. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and her nomination for the gold star came up again, she was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation in 1995. She died on 28 May 1997 in Moscow and was buried in the
Kuntsevo Cemetery The Kuntsevo Cemetery () is a cemetery servicing Kuntsevo, Moscow. It is located on the bank of the Setun River, to the south of the Mozhaisk Highway (the continuation of the Kutuzovsky Prospekt). The local five-domed church was commissioned in 16 ...
.


Awards

*
Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation ( rus, Герой Российской Федерации, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also unofficially called Hero of Russia ( rus, Герой России, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲiɪ), is ...
(11 October 1995) * Two
Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...
(19 October 1942 and 22 May 1945) *
Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...
1st class (2 December 1945) * Two
Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...
2nd class (30 October 1943 and 11 March 1985) *
Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...
(28 September 1981) *
Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...
(26 April 1944) * campaign and jubilee medals


See also

*
List of female Heroes of the Soviet Union This is a list of female Hero of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Soviet Union; of the 12,777 people awarded the title, 95 were women, 49 of whom were posthumous recipients of the title. Recipients Soviet military personnel Soviet partisa ...
*
Polikarpov Po-2 The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2 before 1944, for its initial Glossary of Russian and USSR aviation acronyms: Aircraft designations, ''uchebnyy'', 'training', role as a flight instruction aircraft) was an all-weather multirole Soviet Union, Soviet b ...
*
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 ...


References


Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sumarokova, Tatyana 1922 births 1997 deaths Heroes of the Russian Federation Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Women air force personnel of the Soviet Union Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Flight navigators Soviet women in World War II Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery People nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union Military personnel from Moscow