The 813th combat sortie flown by Vera Lukianovna Belik ended in an aerial engagement over Ostrołęka, Poland, on 25 August 1944. As a navigator for the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, she operated a Po-2 biplane alongside pilot Tatyana Makarova until a German fighter interceptor caused their aircraft to catch fire and crash.
Early Education and Military Enlistment
Born in 1921 in Okhrimivka, Vera Belik spent much of her youth in Kerch, Crimea, where she completed secondary school by 1939. She relocated to Moscow to attend the Karl Liebknecht Pedagogical Institute, focusing her studies on mathematics. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, she engaged in local defense construction, including digging anti-tank ditches, before joining the women's aviation units established by Marina Raskova in October 1941.
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Belik trained at the Engels Military Aviation school, compressing a standard three-year navigation course into six months. By May 1942, she deployed with the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, later redesignated as the 46th Guards Regiment. She served as the primary navigator for pilot Tatyana Makarova. While Belik briefly served as squadron navigator, she requested a demotion to flight commander alongside Makarova to maintain their partnership after heavy squadron losses in 1943. Their missions spanned Ukraine, the North Caucasus, Crimea, Belorussia, and Poland, culminating in the first regiment-led bombing sorties over East Prussia in August 1944.
Combat Record and Posthumous Recognition
During her tenure, Belik completed 813 missions, delivering 106 tons of explosives. Official records credit her with destroying two ammunition depots, two searchlights, three anti-aircraft guns, three crossings, and neutralizing over two platoons of infantry. Her final mission resulted in her death at the age of 23. On 23 February 1945, she was posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union. Her internment is located in Ostrołęka, and her service was formally recognized through the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class, and the Order of the Red Star.
Fast facts
- Born: 1921, Okhrimivka
- Died: 1944, Zambrów
- Military Rank: Lieutenant
- Total Sorties: 813
- Primary Aircraft: Po-2
- Burial Location: Ostrołęka
- Key Decoration: Hero of the Soviet Union
Questions readers ask
What was Vera Belik's role in the 46th Guards Regiment?
She served as a flight navigator, responsible for guiding Po-2 aircraft during night bombing missions.
Why was she awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union?
The award was granted posthumously for her combat service, which included 813 sorties and significant destruction of enemy assets.
Achievements
- Order of the Red Banner
- Order of Lenin
- Order of the Red Star
- Hero of the Soviet Union
- Recorded as aircraft pilot and armed forces
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