Mariya Dolina

Born	18 Dec 1922
Country	Ukraine
Category	Air

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

Mariya Dolina was born in Sharovka, Omsk Oblast, Russia to peasants. In 1932, her family moved back to Ukraine, where her parents were originally from. She learned how to fly at the Kherson Flying School in Southern Ukraine and the Engels Military Flying School in Russia. In Jul 1941, at the rank of captain, she became the pilot of a Pe-2 twin-engine bomber. On 2 Jun 1943, her aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Kuban in Southern Russia. With her escorting fighters busy pursuing German fighters and no longer near her bomber, she continued on with her mission with the damaged aircraft while six German fighters attempted to shoot her down. Her gunners downed one pursuing Fw 190 fighter and one Me 109 fighter. On 18 Aug 1945, she was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. After the war, she remained in the Soviet Air Force, eventually becoming a deputy commander of the 125th Guards Bomber Flying Regiment. After retirement, she lived in Siauliai, Lithuania and then Riga, Latvia. At the latter city, she worked in the Latvian Communist Party Central Committee until 1975. She moved to Kiev, Ukraine in 1983, where she still lives today. In 1995, she was given the rank of major in the Ukrainian military by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma along with the title of Honored Citizen of Kiev by Kiev mayor Leonid Kosakivskyi.

Source: Wikipedia.

Mariya Dolina Timeline

18 Dec 1922

Mariya Dolina was born.

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