Heroes of the USSR a. Solomatin and L. Litvyak. Lydia Litvyak: biography, exploits, historical facts, photo Lydia Litvyak and Alexey Solomatin

27 July 2017, 16:10

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak became a legend during the war. She shot down more enemy aircraft than any other female fighter in the history of air combat. She is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the female pilot with the most victories in air combat.

During her short combat journey, she made 186 combat missions, conducted 69 air battles, made two forced landings on enemy territory and was able to return to her regiment, was wounded three times, lost loved ones, but continued to fight. Lydia flew a Yak-1 fighter and died, having 12 personal confirmed aerial victories to her combat account; She shot down 4 enemy planes in the group.

Having won the largest number of victories in air battles among all Soviet female aces of the Second World War, Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak became the best female ace in the history of all world aviation.

Lydia Litvyak was born in Moscow on August 18, 1921. Lilya as a child. 1935.

The country had not yet recovered from the chaos of the revolution and civil war. Lydia's father was a railway worker. In 1937, he was arrested and shot as an “enemy of the people.” This circumstance could greatly harm the girl, so she tried to keep it secret.
Lydia Litvyak “fell ill” with the sky very early. At the age of 14, she attended a flying club with adults, and at the age of 15, she made her first independent flight. Then Lydia enrolls in geology courses and participates in an expedition to the Far North. After graduating from the Kherson Aviation School of Pilot Instructors, he becomes one of the best instructors at the Kalinin Aeroclub. By the beginning of World War II, she managed to train 45 cadets.

Lilya with her brother Yura. 1938.

When Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, the country needed qualified pilots. And Lida became one of thousands of volunteers. At first, the command did not intend to use women as fighters. But gradually, when the losses of career pilots began to grow rapidly, the command changed its views. In October 1941, it was decided to form three women's air regiments.

The Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot Marina Raskova, was entrusted with leading the formation of these regiments. At the beginning of 1942, having learned that a women's fighter aviation regiment was being formed, Lydia added 100 missing hours to her flight time and was enrolled in the 586th Fighter Regiment. And already in June she made her first combat flight in the skies over Saratov.
In August 1942, having one group victory over the Yu-88, Lydia achieved a transfer to the 268th Fighter Aviation Division. At the beginning of September 1942, the best combat pilots (including Lydia Litvyak and her friend Katya Budanova) were sent to the Stalingrad Front in the “male” 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment for further service on La-5 fighters.

On September 13, during her second combat mission, Liliya Litvyak shot down two Bf109 and Ju 88 aircraft. Two weeks later, she won her third victory, shooting down another Ju 88. Then, together with pilot R. Belyaeva, she shot down a Bf109. Soon Lydia was transferred to a separate women's unit, organized at the division headquarters, and from there to a regiment of aces - the 9th Guards Odessa Fighter Aviation Regiment. On February 23, 1943, Lydia Litvyak was awarded her first military award - the Order of the Red Star. By that time, she already had 8 aerial victories to her credit.

Lydia Litvyak was still a very young girl - she was barely 21 years old. Young and very romantic: according to her memoirs, Lydia wore long scarves made of parachute silk, and always kept a bouquet of wildflowers in the cockpit of the fighter. She painted a bright white lily on the hood of her Yak-1.

In March, the situation in the air became much more difficult. On March 22, in the Rostov-on-Don area, Lydia takes part in the interception of a Ju 88 group. During a long and difficult battle, she managed to shoot down one of the enemy bombers. But six Bf 109s came to the aid of the Junkers and immediately went on the attack. The battle continued for more than 15 minutes, in which the pilot was wounded and with great difficulty was able to bring the crippled fighter home.
Donbass, 1943

It was after this battle that she was recognized as an ace. After treatment in the hospital, the pilot returned to the regiment. And already on May 5, not yet fully strengthened, she flew out to escort a group of bombers. During the flight, an air battle ensued, and Lydia shot down an enemy fighter. And two days later she shot down another Bf109. At the end of May, an artillery fire spotting balloon appeared in the sector of the front where the regiment was operating. Repeated attempts to shoot him down led to nothing. Litvyak was able to cope with this task. Having taken off, she walked along the front line, then went deeper into the enemy’s rear and entered the balloon from enemy-occupied territory, from the direction of the sun. The attack lasted less than a minute! For this victory, junior lieutenant Lydia Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The pilot's exploits were written about in the newspapers, and her name became known throughout the country.

In the summer of 1979, their search was crowned with success. While in the area of the Kozhevnya farm, the guys learned that in the summer of 1943 a Soviet fighter crashed on its outskirts. The pilot wounded in the head was a woman. It was established that the famous pilot Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak was buried in a mass grave in the village of Dmitrievka, Shakhtarsky district, Donetsk region.

In July 1988, in Litvyak’s personal file, the entry “missing in action” was finally replaced with “died while performing a combat mission.” And the veterans of the regiment in which she fought renewed their petition to award the pilot the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Lilia's brother Yuri and fighting friend Inna Passportnikova

By decree of the President of the USSR dated May 5, 1990, for the exemplary performance of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders of the guard, junior lieutenant Lidiya Vladimirovna Litvyak was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Order of Lenin No. 460056 and the Gold Star medal No. 11616 were transferred for safekeeping to the relatives of the deceased Heroine. Awarded the Order of Lenin (05/05/1990, posthumously), the Red Banner (07/22/1943), the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree (09/10/1943, posthumously), the Red Star (02/17/1943), the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" (1943) . In the hero city of Moscow, on house number 14 on Novoslobodskaya street, where the Heroine lived and from where she went to the front, a memorial plaque was installed. The memorial plate was installed on the memorial at the burial site, in the village of Dmitrovka, Shakhtarsky district, Donetsk region.

source loginov-lip.livejournal.com

At her request, a white lily was painted on the fuselage of Litvyak’s plane. “White Lily-44” (according to the plane’s tail number) became its radio call sign. And from now on she herself began to be called “The White Lily of Stalingrad.” Soon Lydia was transferred to the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where the best pilots served, then to the 296th IAP.

One day, her own plane was shot down and she had to land in territory occupied by the Germans. She miraculously escaped capture: one of the attack pilots opened fire on the Nazis, and when they lay down, sheltering from the fire, he went down to the ground and took the girl on board.

On February 23, 1943, Lydia Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Red Star for her military services. By that time, on the fuselage of her Yak, in addition to the white lily, there were eight bright red stars - according to the number of aircraft shot down in battle.

On March 22, in the area of Rostov-on-Don, during a group battle with German bombers, Lydia was seriously wounded in the leg, but still managed to land the damaged plane. From the hospital she was sent home for further treatment, but a week later she returned to the regiment. She flew in tandem with squadron commander Alexei Solomatin, covering him during attacks. A feeling arose between the comrades, and in April 1943 Lydia and Alexei got married.

In May 1943, Litvyak shot down several more enemy aircraft and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. But fate prepared two heavy blows for her at once. On May 21, her husband Alexey Solomatin died in battle. And on July 18 - best friend Ekaterina Budanova.

But there was no time to grieve. At the end of July - beginning of August 1943, Litvyak had to take part in heavy battles to break through the German defense on the Mius River. On August 1, Lydia flew as many as four combat missions. During the fourth flight, her plane was shot down by a German fighter, but did not immediately fall to the ground, but disappeared into the clouds...

What's good about the Internet is that it provides a wonderful opportunity to search for information and educate yourself. Today, children play tanks more than they learn the history of the Great Patriotic War, although it is in this history that huge treasures of educational and worldly wisdom are hidden. who knows, if the youth of Ukraine had been told more about the Great Patriotic War, then there would not have been those events that the soldiers of Victory could have dreamed of only in a nightmare...

Lydia Litvyak

During her short combat journey, she made 186 combat missions, conducted 69 air battles, made two forced landings on enemy territory and was able to return to her regiment, was wounded three times, lost loved ones, but continued to fight. Lydia flew on the Yak-1 fighter jet and died, having 12 personal confirmed aerial victories to her combat account; She shot down 4 enemy planes in the group.

In August 1942, having one group victory over the Yu-88, Lydia achieved a transfer to the 268th Fighter Aviation Division. At the beginning of September 1942, the best combat pilots (including Lydia Litvyak and Katya Budanova) were sent to the Stalingrad Front in the “male” 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment for further service on La fighters. 5.

In March, the situation in the air became much more difficult. On March 22, in the area of Rostov-on-Don, Lydia takes part in the interception of a Ju 88 group. During a long and difficult battle, she managed to shoot down one of the enemy bombers. But six Bf 109s came to the aid of the Junkers and immediately went on the attack. The battle continued for more than 15 minutes, in which the pilot was wounded and with great difficulty was able to bring the damaged fighter home.

It was after this battle that she was recognized as an ace. After treatment in the hospital, the pilot returned to the regiment. And already on May 5, not yet fully strengthened, she flew out to escort a group of bombers. During the flight, an air battle ensued, and Lydia shot down an enemy fighter. And two days later she shot down another Bf109. At the end of May, in the sector of the front where the regiment was operating, an artillery fire spotting balloon appeared. Repeated attempts to bring him down led to nothing. Litvyak was able to cope with this task. Having taken off, she walked along the front line, then went deeper into the enemy’s rear and entered the balloon from enemy-occupied territory, from the direction of the sun. The attack lasted less than a minute! For this victory, junior lieutenant Lydia Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The pilot's exploits were written about in the newspapers, and her name became known throughout the country.

Lydia Litvyak became famous for two more of her exploits. Within a few weeks, her plane was shot down twice behind the front line, and both times Lida remained unharmed, avoided capture and returned home to take part in the battles again. The first time she managed to escape on her own and get there on foot. And the second time she was saved by a fellow pilot who made a desperate landing on enemy territory and took Lydia on board his plane.

In April 1943, the very popular magazine "Ogonyok" placed on the front page (cover) a photo of fighting friends - Lydia Litvyak and Ekaterina Budanova and a short explanation: "12 enemy aircraft were shot down by these brave girls."

On May 21, 1943, Lydia’s husband, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guard Captain Alexey Frolovich Solomatin, died in a heavy battle.

Alexey Frolovich Solomatin

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. Squadron commander of the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment (later the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) of the 268th Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, Southern Front - Senior Lieutenant Solomatin by February 1943 had flown 266 combat missions, in 108 air battles He personally shot down 12 and in the group 15 enemy aircraft. At the beginning of 1943, Lydia Litvyak came to serve in the regiment and was appointed as a follower to Solomatin.

Captain Solomatin died on May 21, 1943 in a training air battle over the Pavlovka farmstead of the Krasnogvardeisky (now Krasnosulinsky) district of the Rostov region. The plane crashed in front of his comrades and his beloved. Solomatin's funeral took place on X Square. Pavlovka. In total, he had 17 enemy aircraft shot down personally and 22 in a group.

On July 19, the pilot experienced another tragedy - her best friend Katya Budanova, who was considered the luckiest of the Soviet ace pilots, died; she had 11 destroyed enemy winged aircraft (Lydia then had ten of them plus three shot down in the group) .

Ekaterina Budanova

On August 1, 1943, Lydia Litvyak made her last combat mission. As part of the Yak-1 flight, she accompanied Il-2 attack aircraft on mission. In the air, their planes met a large group of German fighters. They say that several Messerschmitts rushed towards Yak with a white lily on board. This was the fourth flight of the day. On her last day of life, Lydia shot down two more enemy planes. The plane of the legendary pilot crashed near the village of Dmitrievka. She would have turned 22 in two weeks. A search was urgently organized. However, neither the plane nor the pilot could be found. That is why she was never awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which was awarded for ten aerial victories.

During her short, just over a year, combat career, she completed 186 combat missions, conducted 69 air battles and won 12 confirmed victories. Describing her as an air fighter, the former commander of the 273rd (31st Guards) Fighter Aviation Regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union B. N. Eremin recalled: “ She was a born pilot. She had a special talent as a fighter, she was brave and decisive, inventive and careful. She could see the air....»

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak was posthumously nominated by the regiment command for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Soon one of the previously shot down pilots returned from enemy territory. He reported that, according to local residents, our fighter landed on the road near the village of Marinovka. The pilot turned out to be a girl - blond, short in stature. A car with German officers approached the plane, and the girl left with them... Most of the aviators did not believe the rumor and continued to try to find out Lydia’s fate. But the shadow of suspicion had already spread beyond the regiment and reached higher headquarters. The division command, showing “caution,” did not approve Litvyak’s nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, limiting it to the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

Once, at the moment of revelation, Lydia said to the plane mechanic, her friend: “What I am most afraid of is being missing. Anything but this.” There were good reasons for such concern. Lida's father was arrested and shot as an "enemy of the people" in 1937. The girl understood perfectly well what it meant for her, the daughter of a repressed man, to go missing. No one and nothing will save her good name. Fate played a cruel joke on her, preparing just such a fate.

Awarded the Order of Lenin (05/05/1990, posthumously), the Red Banner (07/22/1943), the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree (09/10/1943, posthumously), the Red Star (02/17/1943), the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" (1943) . In the hero city of Moscow, on house number 14 on Novoslobodskaya street, where the Heroine lived and from where she went to the front, a memorial plaque was installed. The memorial plate was installed on the memorial at the burial site, in the village of Dmitrovka, Shakhtarsky district, Donetsk region.

Thank you alex_serdyuk for the material used in the post that he prepared earlier.

Svyatoslav Knyazev

On August 1, 1943, the legendary Soviet pilot Lydia Litvyak made her last combat flight. She is called the most successful female pilot of the Great Patriotic War. In just one year of participation in air combat, she carried out 186 sorties, scoring 12 personal victories and four as part of a group. Litvyak, known as the White Lily of Stalingrad, was considered missing for a long time. The exact place of her death was established only several decades later, and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to the pilot only in 1990. About the military path of the White Lily of Stalingrad - in the RT material.

Soviet pilot Lydia Litvyak with her fighter
RIA News

Born to fly

Lydia Litvyak was destined to connect her life with the sky literally from birth. She was born in Moscow on August 18, 1921 - on All-Union Aviation Day. The girl dreamed about airplanes since childhood. At the age of 14, she signed up for a flying club and a year later she independently flew a winged car into the sky for the first time. She continued her education at the Kherson Aviation School of the USSR Osoaviakhim, after which she was sent to work at the Kalinin Aeroclub. There she managed to personally train 45 cadets. But Lydia began to strive for the front. To get into the ranks of military pilots, the girl even resorted to a trick, crediting herself with flying hours.

U-2 aircraft of the Kalinin Aeroclub. Summer 1935 © Wikimedia Commons

In 1942, Lydia Litvyak was enlisted in the 586th Fighter Air Defense Regiment. She, like some other pilots who did not have a diploma from a military school, initially served with the rank of sergeant. Having mastered the Yak-1 fighter, Lydia was engaged in air patrol in the Saratov area and escorting transport aircraft. But in early August, she went to the front and opened her personal combat account at Stalingrad, shooting down a Ju 88 bomber. On September 13, during her second combat mission, Litvyak personally shot down another bomber, and working in tandem, an Me-109 fighter. In September, Lydia was transferred to the 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Yak-1 © Wikimedia Commons

“The Yak-1 was far from the most successful car. And the fact that Lydia Litvyak immediately began to fight very effectively on it testified to a rare combination of skill and luck,” historian and writer Dmitry Khazanov said in an interview with RT.

White Lily of Stalingrad

Lydia asked to draw a white lily on the fuselage of her plane. Soon she received the nickname White Lily of Stalingrad and the call sign Liliya-44. Having won a number of aerial victories, Lydia Litvyak was for some time transferred to the operational subordination of the 9th Guards Fighter Regiment.

“It was luck and recognition of merit. The best fighter pilots served in the 9th Regiment, some of them became Heroes of the Soviet Union twice. You could learn a lot there,” Khazanov said.

According to Lydia’s biographers, the pilot of one of the fighters she shot down managed to evacuate by parachute and was captured by Soviet troops. He turned out to be a German baron, who had previously, according to him, won about 30 aerial victories. He could not believe that he had been shot down by a girl, and was shocked when White Lily showed him with gestures some details of the battle known only to pilots.

At the end of 1942, Lydia Litvyak was transferred to serve in the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment. On February 11, 1943, she again shot down two planes during one flight: personally, a Ju 88, and as part of a group, an FW 190 fighter. Once during the battle, Litvyak’s plane was shot down and landed on enemy-occupied territory. But her colleagues helped her return to her own people. On February 23, 1943, Sergeant Lydia Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

On March 22, near Rostov-on-Don, White Lily shot down a German bomber, and then, covering her comrades, entered into battle with six enemy fighters at once.

“Her car was kept in the air literally on its word of honor and on one wing. Litvyak herself was wounded in the leg, but still managed to bring the plane to the airfield,” said Sergei Belov, scientific secretary of the Victory Museum, candidate of historical sciences, in a conversation with RT.

In 1943, White Lily was awarded the rank of junior lieutenant.

Victories and losses

Lydia Litvyak won several victories at once in May 1943. In addition to enemy fighters, she was able to destroy a balloon - an artillery spotter, which other aircraft could not approach due to the dense fire of air defense systems. White Lily flew up to him from the rear against the sun and shot him down.

However, that same month, Lydia suffered a personal tragedy. Shortly before this, she married her peer - the squadron commander of the 296th regiment, Alexei Solomatin, for whom she was a wingman. On May 1, he was awarded the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and on the 21st he died in a plane crash right in front of his wife and colleagues.

Alexey Solomatin © Wikimedia Commons

“Having lost her loved one, Lydia did not give up, but began to fight even more fiercely,” Khazanov noted.

In July 1943, she won a number of new victories and, even after being wounded, did not want to go to the hospital. However, on July 19, a new loss awaited her. In a battle over Donbass, Litvyak was shot down along with her close friend Ekaterina Budanova. Lydia managed to jump out with a parachute, and Catherine was able to land the plane, but died on the ground from her wounds. In terms of the number of aerial victories, Budanova was second only to White Lily herself.

Pilots of the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment Lydia Litvyak, Ekaterina Budanova, Maria Kuznetsova
RIA News

According to the recollections of fellow soldiers, after this incident, Lydia increasingly began to say that she had a feeling of approaching death.

On August 1, 1943, during the battles in the Mius River area, Litvyak made four combat missions and shot down two enemy aircraft personally, and one as part of a group. During the last flight, her plane was hit and crashed, but her colleagues were unable to examine in detail what happened to it due to heavy clouds.

"The Big Exception"

Lydia Litvyak was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but did not receive it immediately. At one time, information circulated in the press that this allegedly happened because Lydia was accused of surrendering to the enemy. However, such arguments are questionable, historians note, since in September 1943, junior lieutenant Lydia Litvyak was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War, 1st degree, with the annotation “posthumously” and promoted to the rank of lieutenant, although she was officially considered missing.

Also on topic

“I’ll die, but I won’t be a scoundrel”: for what feats was underground fighter Ivan Kabushkin awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union

On July 4, 1943, in a Minsk prison, the Nazis shot the legendary Soviet underground fighter Ivan Kabushkin, nicknamed Jean. He personally...

It took decades to finally establish the fate of the White Lily of Stalingrad. As it turned out later, her remains were discovered only in 1969 near the Kozhevnya farm, but her identity could not be determined then. Lydia was buried in a mass grave as an “unknown pilot.” And only in the 1970s, young search engines from the city of Krasny Luch identified the deceased as Lydia Litvyak.

After completing all the necessary procedures in 1988, the name of the pilot was immortalized at the burial site, and in the order of the Main Personnel Directorate of the People's Commissariat of Defense of 1943, the USSR Ministry of Defense made changes indicating that Lydia Litvyak did not go missing, but died while performing a combat mission. tasks. On May 5, 1990, she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the rank of senior lieutenant.

“According to the tradition that developed back in the First World War, an ace is considered to be a pilot who shot down more than five enemy aircraft. Lydia Litvyak had 12 personal victories and four more in the group. In ten months, she flew 186 combat missions and fought 69 battles. Her skill was appreciated so much that she was included in a special group of “free hunters” - expert pilots, whom the command trusted to independently search for and destroy enemy aircraft. In one of the orders about her award, the author of the document, without mincing words, wrote: “There are no impossible tasks for her,” said Sergei Belov.

Hitler's plane shot down in battle over Stalingrad
RIA News

According to Dmitry Khazanov, fighter units formed from female pilots were only in the Red Army during the Second World War. At the same time, the girls withstood such overloads that sometimes even men could not endure.

“Lydia Litvyak was a brave pilot, excellent at shooting in the air, which is given to very few,” the expert emphasized.

According to the seven-time absolute world champion in aviation sports, first class instructor pilot Svetlana Kapanina, it is still much more difficult for a woman to fly an airplane than for a man, not to mention the period of the Great Patriotic War.

“Flying a plane is physically very difficult for a girl. Therefore, in the sky this is not the rule, but a big exception,” the specialist concluded.

Alexey Solomatin was born on February 12, 1921 in the village of Bunakovo, now Ferzikovsky district of the Kaluga region, into a peasant family. He received his primary education at the Karavainskaya school, and seven years at the Novolokskaya school. Since 1936, he studied at the Kaluga Irrigation and Reclamation College, while studying at the flying club. In 1939, Alexey Solomatin entered the Kachin Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated in 1940. He worked at the Bataysk Aviation School as an instructor pilot.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. He served in the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment (later became the 73rd Guards IAP).

The fame of the fearless pilot Solomatin thundered on the Southern, Southwestern and other fronts. An ordinary pilot rose to squadron commander. In the most difficult conditions, he performed combat missions perfectly, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.

As part of a group of pilots under Captain B.N. Eremin, he took part in the famous air battle on March 9, 1942. Then 7 pilots of the Air Force of the South-Western Front, attacking a group of 25 enemy aircraft, achieved a remarkable victory - they shot down 7 aircraft (5 Me-109 and 2 Ju-87) without losses on their part! In this battle, Solomatin shot down an Me-109. The Order of the Red Banner appeared on his chest.

During the year of hostilities, he made 123 combat missions, personally shot down 5 and as part of a group 11 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Order of Lenin.

Almost all of his further combat activity took place as part of the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Major N.I. Baranov.

There he also found his “other half”, in the person of the brave pilot Lydia Litvyak. After one of the flights, he gave Lila a small knife with a patterned handle, which the girl attached to her belt in a leather case and never parted with it again. In the cockpit of his fighter, Alexei placed a photograph of Lilina, with her smiling at him with only her eyes - Lydia Litvyak was a very serious girl.

In the first row (from left to right): V. A. Balashov, N. I. Baranov, B. N. Eremin. In the second row: A. V. Martynov, V. Ya. Skotnoy, M. Sedov, A. F. Salomatin, I. I. Zapryagaev, I. Fedulov. The picture was taken in the winter of 1941 - 1942.

On July 26, 1942, 5 Yak-1 aircraft covered the crossing of the Don. In an unequal battle, our pilots shot down 2 planes, 1 of which was shot down by Solomatin. And on the same day, 5 Soviet planes fought with 12 Me-109s, the Germans again lost 2 planes, one of which was shot down by Alexey Frolovich.

By February 1943, the squadron commander of the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment (268th Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, Southern Front), Senior Lieutenant A. F. Solomatin, flew 266 combat missions, conducted 108 air battles, personally shot down 12 and there are 15 enemy aircraft in the group.

For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, courage, bravery and heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 1, 1943, Senior Lieutenant Alexey Frolovich Solomatin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold medal. Star" (No. 955).

On May 6, 1943, after the death of N.I. Baranov, the pilots furiously rushed into battle, as if the commander had instilled strength and courage in them through his death. Alexey was still composed and outwardly calm.

By that time, he had already shot down 17 planes personally and 22 in group battles, about 300 sorties. [ M. Yu. Bykov in his research points to 13 personal and 16 group victories. ] He wanted to shoot down his 40th enemy aircraft for his deceased commander, Nikolai Ivanovich Baranov.

On May 21, 1943, Captain A.F. Solomatin left for his next mission, as usual, cheerful and confident of victory. Lydia Litvyak, proud of her Alexey, watched his fast car. In an air battle over the village of Pavlovka, Solomatin’s plane was shot down, and the pilot himself was seriously wounded. With great difficulty, Alexey brought the fighter to the airfield, but was no longer able to land it.

Lilya was the first to notice the plane appearing over the airfield. She could not yet discern anything, but she intuitively felt that misfortune had arrived. The fighter was not on fire, there was no trace of smoke in it, it simply flew towards the ground at a high angle, quickly and beautifully. Only the soul-tearing sound of a falling car filled everything around. And then the girl understood - this was the farewell song of her friend, who came to the house to die. She did not close her eyes, did not shed a tear, did not turn away. The explosion echoed throughout the airfield. Alexey passed away...

Hero of the Soviet Union Alexey Frolovich Solomatin was buried in the central square of the Pavlovka farmstead, Gukovsky City Council, Rostov region. A memorial plaque was installed on the building of the irrigation and drainage technical school in Kaluga.

Awarded the Order of Lenin (twice), the Red Banner, and medals.

On May 9, 1975, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany, in the Central Estate of the collective farm, the Order of the Badge of Honor named after. Michurin, a memorial complex was opened in honor of those killed during the Great Patriotic War. The remains of Hero of the Soviet Union A.F. Solomatin were moved here.