As with most tales of unique and courageous individuals, there aren't many like Lilya Litvak (also known as Lydia Litvyak). There aren't even that many female fighter pilots, much less decorated war heros who also happen to be fighter aces by the age of 21. Of course, as those who have read Lilya Litvak books already know, 21 years were all that Litvak had. Her death, or presumed death at least, is somewhat mysterious. Disappearing in a cloud of smoke while under attack by German bombers, there was no explosion or parachute seen, and Litvak never returned from her mission. Her decorations include Hero of the Soviet Union, Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Red Star, and Order of the Patriotic War (first class). She was not awarded Hero of the Soviet Union until many years later due to the fact that she might have been taken by German forces after her plane went down. Mikhail Gorbachev awarded her Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously during his time as president. Her war records include 66 missions during which she had 12 solo victories and several group victories. She was known to be bold and courageous, as well as a bit of a free spirit.
Lilya Litvak began flying at the age of fourteen and by the age of fifteen she had completed her first solo flight. Her military training came from Kherson Military Flying School and she first had a career as a flight instructor at Kalinin Air Club before the war between Russia and Germany broke out. By the time the war began she had already trained over 40 pilots. She was originally turned down by the military, but after fudging her in-flight hours she was able to join up with the 586th Fighter Regiment of the Air Defense Force which was an all-woman unit. She flew with both women's and men's units. She was known for her bad behavior post victory, buzzing the aerodome and performing aerial acrobatics that angered her commanding officer, as well as for her tendency to leave flowers in the cockpits of the planes she flew. Notable to some is the fact that she also retained her femininity in a very masculine environment, dying her hair blond and fashioning scarves out of bits of parachute fabric. She was engaged to another ace pilot who died in a flight accident that left her devastated. After his death she reportedly was only interested in flying combat missions.
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Lilya Litvack, the White Rose of Leningrad, only lived to be twenty-one years old. She was a fighter ace, one of only two female fighter pilots to earn that title. Lilya Litvak books haven't been as easy to find as you might think, considering the remarkable life she led, but that is beginning to change.
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