Maria Smirnova

Maria Smirnova

Surname	Smirnova
Given Name	Maria
Born	31 Mar 1920
Died	10 Jul 2002
Country	Russia
Category	Military-Air
Gender	Female

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseMaria Vasilyevna Smirnova was born in 1920. During WW2, she flew 950 sorties in Po-2 biplanes as a member of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Air Force. She made a Hero of the Soviet Union. She joined the Communist Party in 1943. In a later interview, she recalled the strain placed upon her body and mind from flying night time combat missions:

When we returned from missions at dawn, I couldn't fall asleep. I tossed in bed and had anxiety attacks. Fear was always an inseparable part of our flights, but we knew we had to go through with it for we were saving our motherland.

ww2dbaseSmirnova passed away in 2002.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Mar 2017

Photographs

Officers of 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, 325th Night Bomber Division, Soviet 4th Air Army Yevdokia Bershanskaya (left), Maria Smirnova (standing), and Polina Gelman, 1944

Maria Smirnova Timeline

31 Mar 1920	Maria Smirnova was born in Vorobievo, Tver Oblast, Russia.
15 Oct 1945	Maria Smirnova retired from the Soviet Air Force.
10 Jul 2002	Maria Smirnova passed away in Tver, Russia.

Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

Facebook
Reddit
Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

RSS Feeds

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
	Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Change View

Desktop View

Search WW2DB

World War II Database

Maria Smirnova