Marina Raskova pushed Stalin to allow women in the air force
Marina Raskova was the first person to get approval from Stalin to form all women air force regiments as part of the Red Army.
Raskova is credited with the turning an all male army into one heavily influenced by women aviators, especially at such a crucial time--right after Operation Barbarossa, so the Red Army was in need of more people. She proved women to be equals to men based on merit by giving them an opportunity to fly in combat.
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"When the male-dominated air force hierarchy wished to relegate women volunteers to obscurity in discarded and ancient flying machines, Raskova demanded equal combat opportunities and aircraft." |
"The horrific losses in aircraft and trained aircrews in the German onslaught following June 22, 1941, combined with Raskova’s pioneering exploits in the 1930s, helped her to convince Stalin that the USSR’s pool of qualified aviatrixes could help fill the ranks until new airmen could be trained and replace those initial losses" (Guttman).
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