Lydia Litvyak

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (1921 to 1943), also called Lilya, was a Soviet fighter pilot born in Moscow who flew with the Soviet Air Force in World War II. After learning to fly in a flying club at 14 and instructing 45 pilots, she joined the all-female 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment and later flew Yak-1 fighters with men's regiments over Stalingrad. She was the first female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft, on 13 September 1942, and holds the record for the most kills by a female fighter pilot, with historians estimating thirteen or fourteen solo victories. She received the Order of the Red Star in 1943 and was shot down near Orel during the Battle of Kursk on 1 August 1943. She was posthumously named Hero of the Soviet Union in 1990.