Galina Pavlovna Brok-Beltsova (russian: link=no, Галина Павловна Брок-Бельцова; born 1925) is a former 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 diploma ...

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 ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...

, 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 (russian: Петляков Пе-2) was a 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 also proved successful as a heavy fighter, as ...

dive bomber. On 23 June 1944, by then a member of the 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment, 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 M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

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 Tec ...

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

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

for some time. She and her husband had three children and remained married until Georgy's death in 2005. Brok-Beltsova is 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 holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the war's end. She is the last living member of the Soviet Union's three all-female air regiments. she lives in the city of

Mytishchi Mytishchi ( rus, Мыти́щи, p=mɨˈtʲiɕːɪ) is a city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies 19 km northeast of Russia's capital Moscow on the Yauza River and the Moscow–Yarosla ...

, just outside of Moscow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brok-Beltsova, Galina 1925 births Living people Russian women aviators Soviet women aviators Flight navigators Russian 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