Soviet pilots from the female 46th Guards night bomber air regiment of the Red Army, Heroes of the Soviet Union Rufina Gasheva (left) and Natalya Meklina near the biplane aircraft Po-2. They are one of the most effective pilots of Soviet military aviation on combat sorties.
Rufina Sergeevna Gascheva (born 1921) – navigator, during the war made 848 sorties.
Natalia Fedorovna Meklina (Kravtsova) (1922-2005) – the pilot, 980 combat sorties.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union to both girls was awarded on February 23, 1945. After the war, both graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages. Everyone retired in the rank of major.
Date: 1945
Author: Ivan Shagin