The 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment relied on Irina Rakobolskaya as its chief of staff during the Second World War. A physics student at Lomonosov Moscow State University when the conflict began, she transitioned from academic life to military service in 1941, eventually overseeing combat operations while simultaneously pursuing a lifetime of rigorous scientific research.
Military Service
Rakobolskaya joined the Soviet military in October 1941 alongside seventeen other university students. Following training at the Engels Military Aviation School in 1942, she accepted the role of chief of staff for the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. During the war, she completed 15 sorties as a navigator. By the time of her demobilization in 1946, she had achieved the rank of major. She later documented these experiences in the book We Were Called Night Witches, co-authored with fellow aviator Natalya Meklin-Kravtsova.
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After the war, Rakobolskaya resumed her education at the MSU Faculty of Physics, graduating in 1949. She defended her thesis on muons under the mentorship of Georgy Zatsepin and Vladimir Veksler. In 1968, she and Zatsepin established a laboratory at the Institute of Nuclear Physics. Her research included placing X-ray emulsion chambers 60 meters below ground within the Moscow Metro to analyze the zenith angular distribution of muons. These experiments allowed her to identify the energy threshold and dependencies associated with the coplanar expansion of secondary particles.
Academic Tenure
Rakobolskaya advanced through the academic ranks at Moscow State University, serving as an assistant professor from 1950 and becoming a full professor in the Department of Cosmic Rays in 1977. She earned her Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics in 1975, with a thesis focused on high-energy muon generation. Beyond her research, she taught nuclear physics and cosmic ray science to over 80,000 students and published more than 300 academic works, including a comprehensive textbook.
Fast facts
- Born: 1919, Dankov
- Died: 2016, Moscow
- Education: MSU Faculty of Physics
- Military Rank: Major
- Primary Research: Cosmic rays and muons
- Academic Title: Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics
- Final Resting Place: Novodevichy Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What military unit did Irina Rakobolskaya serve in?
She served as the chief of staff for the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment.
Where did she conduct her muon research?
She utilized X-ray emulsion chambers located 60 meters underground within the Moscow Metro system.
Achievements
- Affiliated with Lomonosov Moscow State University
- Educated at MSU Faculty of Physics
- Worked as physicist, aircraft pilot and university teacher
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