Yekaterina Vasilyevna Budanova (russian: Екатерина Васильевна Буданова), nicknamed Katya (Катя) (6 December 1916 – 19 July 1943), was a
fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...
in the
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Usually credited with five or more aerial victories,
[Jackson 2003, p. 57.] along with
Lydia Litvyak
Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (russian: Лидия Владимировна Литвяк; 18 August 1921, in Moscow – 1 August 1943, in Krasnyi Luch), also known as Lilya, was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II. Historians ...
, she is often considered one of the world's two female
fighter ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
s. She was shot down by either Luftwaffe ace
Georg Schwientek
Georg may refer to:
* ''Georg'' (film), 1997
*Georg (musical), Estonian musical
* Georg (given name)
* Georg (surname)
* , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker
See also
* George (disambiguation)
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* G ...
of ''
JG 52
''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (JG 52) was a German World War II fighter ''Geschwader'' (wing) that exclusively used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 throughout the war. The unit originally formed near Munich in November 1938, then moved to a base near Stuttga ...
'' or ace
Emil Bitsch
Emil Bitsch (14 June 1916 – 15 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. He was one of the most successful pilots on the Eastern Front; being credited with 108 aerial victories. He claimed 104 over the Eastern Front and four fou ...
, of ''
JG 3
''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3) "Udet" was a '' Luftwaffe'' fighter wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the dev ...
''.
Early life
Budanova was born into a peasant family in Konoplanka village in
Smolensk Governorate
Smolensk Governorate (russian: Смоленская губерния, Smolenskaja gubernija), or the Government of Smolensk, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It ex ...
. After leaving elementary school with the highest grades, she had to abandon her studies due to her father's death, and began working as a nanny. At the age of thirteen her mother sent her to join her sister in Moscow, where she began working as a carpenter in an aircraft factory.
[Milanetti, p. 126.] It was there that she began an interest in aviation, and she joined an
aeroclub's parachutist section, obtaining her flying license in 1934 and graduating to flight instructor in 1937.
[ She took part in several air parades, flying the single-seater ]Yakovlev UT-1
The Yakovlev UT-1 (russian: Яковлев УТ-1) was a single-seater trainer aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force from 1937 until the late 1940s.
Development
The Yakovlev UT-1 was designed as a single-seater advanced trainer and aerobatic air ...
.[
]
World War II
After the German attack on the USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in June 1941, she enlisted in military aviation and was assigned to the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment
The 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment was one of the three Soviet women's aviation regiments founded by Marina Raskova at the start of the Second World War after she convinced Joseph Stalin to allow her to form three all-female aviation regiments. Th ...
, formed 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 ...
. This unit consisted entirely of female pilots and was equipped with Yak-1
The Yakovlev Yak-1 (russian: Яковлев Як-1) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The Yak-1 was a single-seat monoplane with a composite structure and wooden wings; production began in early 1940.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, ...
. Initially, the women pilots were placed into three all-women units: the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment, the 587th Dive Bomber Regiment, and the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. The 500 designations were originally meant to signify defense reserves. These units were originally made up women who were flight instructors or members of pre-war flying clubs. The 586th (under Major Tamara Kazarinova
Tamara Aleksandrovna Kazarinova (russian: Тамара Александровна Казаринова; 9 July 1906 – 4 August 1956) was a Soviet pilot and the commander of the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment during the Second World War until she ...
) saw combat action in the spring of 1942 in the rear. In May 1942 the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment redeployed to Anisovka where it was assigned to the 144th Fighter Aviation Division covering the railway installations near Saratov
Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...
, and it was here Budanova flew her first combat missions. But, as the Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
raged, the supply of replacement male pilots was drying up and thus, seeing the skill of these women, the Soviet High Command began dispersing selected female pilots to existing male units. On 10 September, Budanova was assigned with Lydia Litvyak, Mariya Kuznetsova, and Raisa Belyaeva
Raisa Vasilyevna Belyayeva (russian: Раиса Васильевна Беляева; 25 December 1912 19 July 1943) was one of the first Russian female fighter pilots. She fought alongside Lydia Litvyak and was credited with up to three aerial ...
to the 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment, based in Verkhnania Akhtuba on the east bank of the Volga river engaged in the fighting over Stalingrad
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
. The 437th was a LaGG-3
The Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 (Лавочкин-Горбунов-Гудков ЛаГГ-3) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a refinement of the earlier LaGG-1 and was one of the most modern aircraft available to the Sov ...
regiment, under Major Khvostikov, who was initially skeptical of the ability of women pilots. But in a short time Budanova became known for her aggressive attacking and high piloting skill.
According to some historians, she shot down her first opponent — a Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
fighter — on 14 September 1942, combining forces with Lydia Litvyak. According to regiment archivist Yekaterina Polunina on 2 October 1942 Budanova achieved her two first solo air victories, shooting down a Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
and a Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
. However, Budanova's aircraft mechanic, Inna Pasportnikova, wrote that she shot down her first aircraft on 6 October when she attacked thirteen Ju 88 bombers, downing one.
From October until January 1943 Budanova and Litvyak served in the Stalingrad area with the elite 9th Guards Fighter Regiment, commanded by Lev Shestakov
Lev Lvovich Shestakov (russian: Лев Львович Шестаков; 28 December 1915 – 13 March 1944) was a Soviet flying ace who participated in Spanish Civil War and later World War II.
Career
Upon graduating from military college in 193 ...
, a Hero of Soviet Union. This regiment consisted either of aces or people considered potential aces. One of them was Vladimir Lavrinenkov
Vladimir Dmitrievich Lavrinenkov (russian: Владимир Дмитриевич Лавриненков; 17 May 1919 – 14 January 1988) was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Forces who became a flying ace during the Second World War and was twic ...
, who ended the war with 36 solo plus eleven shared shootdowns. He later recalled that Budanova "was tall, kept her hair cut short,... and in her flightsuit hardly stood out from the fellows." He characterized Budanova as a "cheerful, lively character" while Litvyak looked "thoughtful and quiet". Both he said were excellent pilots. Initially the two women had flown together, but then more often flew separately as wingmen to other pilots. While in the Stalingrad area, an order was received citing the return of the women aircrew to the 586th. Pasportnikova later recalled, "Budanova and Litvyak appealed to Lt.Col Shestakov, the commander of the 9th Guards Fighter Regiment, with a request to let them remain in the regiment." They were allowed to stay, remaining with 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment for over three months.
On 10 December Budanova shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...
s. In the following months she was credited with several more aircraft.
In January 1943 the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was re-equipped with the US-built P-39 "Airacobra" and Budanova and Litvyak moved to the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment (later the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) of Nikolai Baranov, and continued to fly the Yak. It was with 73rd Fighter Aviation Regiment that Budanova and Litvyak achieved the bulk of their combat claims. Budanova was selected to fly with Baranov, while squadron commander Aleksey Solomatin took Litvyak as wingman.
Budanova was soon given permission for "solo hunting", an honor given to aggressive and successful pilots.
On 10 February 1943, near Rostov on Don
Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East ...
, she shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...
along with Senior Lieutenant Nikolay Demkin and the wingman, Lieutenant Boris Gorkhiver.
On 23 February she was awarded with an Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) 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 193 ...
. On 9 March 1943 between 17.30 and 18.30 she claimed a Bf 109 along with Lieutenant Oleg Filipchenko.
On 20 April 1943 ''Ogonek
The (; Polish: , "little tail", diminutive of ) is a diacritic hook placed under the lower right corner of a vowel in the Latin alphabet used in several European languages, and directly under a vowel in several Native American languages. It i ...
'', a political-literary weekly publication intended for young adults, featured a cover photo of Budanova and Litvyak. An article detailed their accomplishments, honoring their collective, rather than individual, achievements. The magazine gave a combined number of combat missions and kills to date for the two pilots. On 30 May under command of Soshnikov, Budanova shared in the destruction of another Bf 109.
Last mission
On 19 July 1943 she flew her last mission, near Novokrasnovka. That morning she took off for an escort mission and near Antratsit in Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ( uk, Луга́нська о́бласть, translit=Luhanska oblast; russian: Луганская область, translit=Luganskaya oblast; also referred to as Luhanshchyna, uk, Луга́нщина) is the easternmost oblast ...
she was involved in a dogfight with Bf 109s. Inna Pasportnikova later recalled:
"She spotted three Messerschmitt going on the attack against a group of bombers. Katya attacked and diverted the enemy. A desperate fight developed in the air. Katia managed to pick up an enemy aircraft in her sight and riddle him with bullets. This was the fifth aircraft she killed personally. Katia's fighter rapidly soared upward and swooped down on a second enemy aircraft. She "stitched" it with bullets, and the second Messer, streaming black smoke, escaped to the west. But Katia's red starred fighter had been hit; tongues of flame were already licking at the wings."
Budanova managed to put out the fire and force landed in no-man's land. By the time local farmers came to pull her from the aircraft, she was already dead. They buried her on the outskirts of the village of Novokrasnovka. The pilot who shot her down was either Georg Schwientek of ''JG 52'' or Emil Bitsch
Emil Bitsch (14 June 1916 – 15 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. He was one of the most successful pilots on the Eastern Front; being credited with 108 aerial victories. He claimed 104 over the Eastern Front and four fou ...
, of ''8./JG 3'', the only two pilots that claimed a Yak-1 in the Novokrasnovka area on 19 July 1943.
Controversies about number of victories
There have been several different versions of Budanova's aerial victory score published, with no widely held consensus about her tally. The most common quoted is for 11 kills (6 individual and 5 shared). Some historians even claim she achieved 11 individual air victories.
Pasportnikova has stated that Budanova had five personal kills at the time of her death. Many Russian aviation historians dispute Budanova's status as a flying ace; Andrey Simonov
Andrey Anatolevich Simonov (russian: Андрей Анатольевич Симонов; born 30 July 1971) is a Russian aviation historian. In addition to contributing to Russian Wikipedia on the subject, he has written several books and encyc ...
and Svetlana Chudinova credit her with only three solo aerial victories, while Mikhail Bykov credits her with three solo and one shared aerial victory. The Soviet magazine published a quote from her in an April 1943 issue claiming to have three solo and three shared victories.
Awards
* Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...
(1 October 1993)
* Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...
1st class (22 July 1943)
* Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) 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 193 ...
(17 February 1943)
In Popular Culture
Pocket Jacks Comics ''White Lily'' series, featured a fictionalized Budanova as the main character of the story which closely follows her relationship with Lydia Litvyak
Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (russian: Лидия Владимировна Литвяк; 18 August 1921, in Moscow – 1 August 1943, in Krasnyi Luch), also known as Lilya, was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II. Historians ...
.
References
;Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Budanova, Yekaterina
1916 births
1943 deaths
Aviators killed by being shot down
Russian aviators
Soviet women in World War II
Soviet World War II pilots
Soviet Air Force officers
Women military aviators
Budanova, Katya
Russian people of World War II
Budanova, Katya
Soviet military personnel killed in World War II
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Ukraine
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the Soviet Union
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943
Russian women aviators