Evgeniya Rudneva
Encyclopedia
Evgeniya Maksimovna Rudneva , also known as Zhenya Rudneva (Женя Руднева) (Berdiansk
, December 24, 1920 – April 9, 1944 near Kerch
) was a Soviet military air navigator
, a Hero of the Soviet Union
, a member of the Moscow branch of the Astronomical-Geodesical Society of the USSR, and head of the Solar Department. She was Ukrainian
, born into the family of an office worker. She had completed three years as a student in the Faculty of mechanics and mathematics of Moscow State University
prior to October 1941, when she volunteered for Soviet Army
. She graduated from Navigator School and from May 1942 she fought at the front of World War II
. There she served in the rank of Guards Senior Lieutenant as a navigator of the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment, which later was redesignated the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment
(325th Night Bomber Aviation Division, 6th Air Army, 2nd Byelorussian Front). Member in the CPSU
since 1943.
She flew 645 night combat missions on the old and slow Polikarpov Po-2
biplane, destroying river crossings, troop trains, troops and military equipment of the enemy. She perished valiantly while flying her 645th combat mission near the village of Bulganak, to the north of Kerch
. She was shot down by Flak along with her pilot Panna Prokofyeva.
In her letter to professor Sergey Blazhko, head of the Astrometry
Department of Moscow State University
, dated October 19, 1942, she wrote that her first bomb she promised the Nazis for the building of the Faculty of mechanics and mathematics, which was bombed by them in the winter. She wrote that she was defending the honour of the university.
Monuments to her were built in Moscow
, Kerch
and the Saltykovka settlement (in Moscow Oblast
). The Asteroid
1907 Rudneva
, a school in Kerch, streets in Berdyansk, Kerch, Moscow and Saltykovka were named after her.
Berdiansk
Berdyansk is a port city in the Zaporizhia Oblast of south-east Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Berdyansky Raion , the city itself is directly subordinate to the oblast, and is located on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov.The current estimated population is around 125,000...
, December 24, 1920 – April 9, 1944 near Kerch
Kerch
Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine. Kerch, founded 2600 years ago, is considered as one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine.-Ancient times:...
) was a Soviet military air navigator
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
, a Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, a member of the Moscow branch of the Astronomical-Geodesical Society of the USSR, and head of the Solar Department. She was Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, born into the family of an office worker. She had completed three years as a student in the Faculty of mechanics and mathematics of Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
prior to October 1941, when she volunteered for Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
. She graduated from Navigator School and from May 1942 she fought at the front of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. There she served in the rank of Guards Senior Lieutenant as a navigator of the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment, which later was redesignated the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment
Night Witches
"Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II German nickname , for the female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces...
(325th Night Bomber Aviation Division, 6th Air Army, 2nd Byelorussian Front). Member in the CPSU
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
since 1943.
She flew 645 night combat missions on the old and slow Polikarpov Po-2
Polikarpov Po-2
The Polikarpov Po-2 served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik for maize; thus, 'maize duster' or 'crop duster'), NATO reporting name "Mule"...
biplane, destroying river crossings, troop trains, troops and military equipment of the enemy. She perished valiantly while flying her 645th combat mission near the village of Bulganak, to the north of Kerch
Kerch
Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine. Kerch, founded 2600 years ago, is considered as one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine.-Ancient times:...
. She was shot down by Flak along with her pilot Panna Prokofyeva.
In her letter to professor Sergey Blazhko, head of the Astrometry
Astrometry
Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. The information obtained by astrometric measurements provides information on the kinematics and physical origin of our Solar System and our Galaxy, the Milky...
Department of Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
, dated October 19, 1942, she wrote that her first bomb she promised the Nazis for the building of the Faculty of mechanics and mathematics, which was bombed by them in the winter. She wrote that she was defending the honour of the university.
Awards and honors
- Title of the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
(October 26, 1944, posthumously) - Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
- Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
- Order of the Red StarOrder of the Red StarEstablished on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
- Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 1st Class
Monuments to her were built in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Kerch
Kerch
Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine. Kerch, founded 2600 years ago, is considered as one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine.-Ancient times:...
and the Saltykovka settlement (in Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye , is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at , is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the 2010 population of 7,092,941, is the second most populous federal subject...
). The Asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
1907 Rudneva
1907 Rudneva
1907 Rudneva is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 11, 1972 by N. Chernykh at Nauchnyj.- External links :*...
, a school in Kerch, streets in Berdyansk, Kerch, Moscow and Saltykovka were named after her.
External links
- Rudneva monument in Kerch (in Russian)
- Article and photo, on the website of the Moscow State University, in RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. - Biography, on the website, dedicated to Heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia