Chiuas Dospanowa

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Mural with a portrait of Dospanova in Shymkent

Chiuas Kairowna Dospanowa ( Russian Хиуаз Каировна Доспанова ; born 15 May 1922 in Ganyushkino , Atyrau Oblast ; died 20 May 2008 in Almaty ) was a Soviet navigator and pilot during World War II . She was the first ethnic Kazakh female officer in the Soviet Air Force and the only Kazakh member of the so-called night witches .

Life

Immediately after leaving school in 1940, the young woman was certified as a reserve pilot by a flying club. In light of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union , she applied to the Zhukovsky Military Academy , where she was rejected as a woman. In 1941 she therefore initially embarked on a medical career in the Soviet Army.

fighter pilot

When she learned of the formation of an all-female aviation regiment under Marina Raskova , Dospanova applied again in 1942, this time to the relevant academy in Saratov , and was subsequently assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment under the command of Yevdokiya Bershanskaya .

In a plane accident in 1943, two planes collided, killing the pilots, while the two navigators, Pashkova and Dospanova, survived the accident; However, Pashkova died during the operation. Dospanowa suffered serious injuries including broken legs and also had to undergo multiple surgeries. She nearly lost her legs as a result of gangrene , but she and a doctor opposed emergency amputation. She regained control of her legs and returned to service after six months. She now served on the one hand as chief communications officer, but on the other hand, despite some difficulties getting in and out of the cockpit, also took part as a navigator in a total of about 300 combat missions on the Soviet-German front. She attained the rank of Nadporuchik (first lieutenant).

post-war career

After the war, Dospanova began a career as a party functionary in the Kazakh SSR , where she rose to become a secretary in the Soviet Presidium before resigning in the 1960s due to health problems.

She was married to Shaku Amirov. After the end of the Soviet Union and Kazakhstan 's independence , she received increased attention as a Kazakh aviation hero and was also honored by President Nursultan Nazarbayev .

Monument in her native town of Atyrau

honors

Dospanowa received the following medals and badges (selection):

A jet operated by the Kazakh airline Air Astana was named after Dospanowa. It has also been suggested that Atyrau Airport be renamed in her honor, but this has not yet happened. There is a monument dedicated to her in Atyrau.

web links

Commons : Chiuas Dospanowa  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

itemizations

  1. ↑ a b Gyuzel Kamalova: Atyrau International Airport to be named after legendary Kazakh female war pilot Dospanova. In: Tengrinews.kz. 14 May 2015, accessed 30 November 2021 (English).
  2. ↑ Irina Rakobolskaya, Natalya Kravtsova: Нас называли ночными ведьмами: так воевал женский 46-й гвардейский полк ночных бомбардиров. University of Moscow Press 2005, ISBN 5-211-05008-8 , pp. 70–71.
personal data
SURNAME Dospanowa, Chiuas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dospanowa, Chiuas Kairowna (full name); Доспанова, Хиуаз Каировна (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Soviet navigator and pilot in World War II
BIRTH DATE May 15, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Ganyushkino , Atyrau region
DATE OF DEATH May 20, 2008
PLACE OF DEATH Almaty