Biała Róża ze Stalingradu. Prawdziwa historia Lidii Władimirowny Litwiak, najskuteczniejszej radzieckiej pilotki II wojny światowej

by Bill Yenne

Lidia „Lilia” Władimirowna Litwiak dorastała w skromnych warunkach, by stać się najsłynniejszą pilotką elitarnych jednostek myśliwskich. Lilia, „Biała Róża ze Stalingradu”, służyła początkowo w jednym z radzieckich kobiecych pułków lotniczych utworzonych przez zaprzyjaźnioną ze Stalinem Marinę Raskową. W napisanych po niemiecku, rosyjsku czy angielsku relacjach z wojny powietrznej na froncie wschodnim jednostki te były opisywane z podziwem i we wszystkich zgodnie utrzymuje się, że Lilia wywalczyła co najmniej pięć zwycięstw powietrznych wymaganych do uznania jej za asa.

Urodzona w Moskwie 19 sierpnia 1923 roku, podczas wielkich przemian w Rosji, w wywodzącej się z biednego chłopstwa rodzinie. Dwadzieścia jeden lat później, 1 sierpnia 1943 roku, zniknęła bez śladu z nieba Ukrainy. Nowa biografia, w której wykorzystano wspomnienia i dzienniki współczesnych Lilii, artykuły prasowe, dokumenty archiwalne i historie operacyjne jednostek, określa miejsce zajmowane przez Lilię w radzieckim eksperymencie radykalnego równouprawnienia płci, dzięki któremu grupa zdeterminowanych kobiet mogła wziąć udział w walkach drugiej wojny światowej. Jak twierdzi autor tej książki, historyk Bill Yenne, ważnym elementem było tu osobiste zainteresowanie Stalina lotnictwem i poparcie, jakie okazywał kobiecemu lotnictwu wyczynowemu przed napaścią Niemiec na ZSRR.

Talent myśliwski, przejawiany przez tę długowłosą blondynkę w czasie krwawych bojów z Niemcami, uczynił z niej legendę. Aż do tej pory nie podjęto próby napisania obszernej biografii Lilii Litwiak. Bill Yenne na podstawie wszystkich dostępnych źródeł stworzył ciekawy portret drobnej fizycznie, lecz wielkiej duchem dziewczyny, której niezwykła odwaga i jedyne w swoim rodzaju zdolności wyróżniły ją w czasach wielkiego kryzysu spośród wielu jej rówieśniczek i rówieśników.

Genres: History, Aviation, Nonfiction, Biography, War, World War II, Military Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Bill Yenne is the author of several novels and over three dozen books on historical topics. He has also been a contributor to encyclopedias of both world wars.

The New Yorker wrote of Sitting Bull, his biography of the great Lakota leader, that it "excels as a study in leadership." This book was named to the number 14 spot among Amazon's 100 Best Books of the Year.

Library Journal observed that "enthusiastic World War II readers will be drawn to" his dual biography, Aces High: The Heroic Story of the Two Top Scoring American Aces of World War II.

Recently, his book Convair Deltas was named as Book of the Month by Air Classics, while his book Tommy Gun was named Pick of the Month by Shooting Illustrated.

His book Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint was listed among the top business books of the year by Cond Nast Portfolio Magazine, which rated Yenne's tome as its TOP pick for "Cocktail Conversation."

Yenne's Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II, was praised by Walter Boyne, former Director of the National Air & Space Museum, who called it "a fast moving... page turner," and the "best book yet written on the saga."

The Wall Street Journal wrote, when reviewing his Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West, that Yenne writes with "cinematic vividness," and says of his work that it "has the rare quality of being both an excellent reference work and a pleasure to read."

The author lives in San Francisco, California, and on the web at www.BillYenne.com

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Reviews

[Jeff Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

An exhaustively boring work which rarely mentions Lidiya Litvyak, contains nothing pertaining to her early life, but focuses instead on the author's knowledge of Soviet history.

There are no facts here, just frustrating speculation on the part of the author. which forced this reader to abandon this text book of Soviet history after over 100 pages. This "biography" has no information about the principle character. It is like trying to find the Invisible Man by throwing flour in the air in a vain attempt to discover something of his silhouette.

Give it a pass.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay. A big chunk of the narrative is devoted to an overview of Soviet life under Stalin. The writing style seems a bit simplistic, making this the perfect biography for young teens to read. Personally, being quite a bit older, I preferred Anne Noggle's "A Dance with Death" and Reina Pennington's "Wings, Women & War", both referenced heavily here.

[Xavier Alexandre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lidiya Livyak is probably one of the purest heroes of WW2. Flying solo at age 15, she punched through the "glass ceiling" and then some: shooting her first Messerchmitt 109 at age 19, then becoming a Soviet ace fighter, with at least 12 victories, by the age of 21. This, at a time when women in Western armies were still mostly nurses and phone operators. She was shot down in 1943. One can only wonder what would she have become if she had survived the war.

[Pancha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where information on Lilya is sparse, the author turns focus to other young women in similar circumstances in order to flesh out what Lilya's life might have been like. Only after she beings her fighter pilot career does the narrative focus more closely on her. Readers who are looking for a tight biography might be disappointed, but those looking for information in general on the Soviet female aviators and Night Witches will probably enjoy this.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute thrill ride from start to finish. If you’re looking for a gripping tale that combines history, adventure, and girl power, then this is the book for you. Yenne expertly weaves together the factual accounts of Lidiya Litvyak’s life with a narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Each chapter is filled with heart-pounding action as Litvyak takes to the skies, battling enemy planes and defying the odds. What makes this book truly special is the incredible story of Litvyak herself. Yenne expertly brings her to life, painting a vivid picture of a courageous and determined young woman who was not afraid to break barriers and challenge societal norms. Litvyak’s journey from a young girl dreaming of becoming a pilot to becoming the highest-scoring female air ace of all time is nothing short of inspiring. Throughout the book, Yenne also provides valuable historical context, giving readers a deeper understanding of the events that unfolded during World War II, particularly the Battle of Stalingrad. His attention to detail and extensive research make the story even more compelling. “The White Rose of Stalingrad” is not just a book about war and aviation; it is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of following your dreams. Yenne’s storytelling abilities and his ability to bring history to life make this book an absolute must-read for anyone looking for an engaging, inspiring, and entertaining read.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does an admirable job of piecing together source materials from Soviet and German sources to tell the story of Lidya and other female Soviet pilots from what it was like growing up during the years under Stalin, the obstacles they faced as women entering a "man's domain" right up to detailed descriptions of the combat sorties they flew. Most touching was the toll it was taking on Lidya as the years went on; she lived more in her (almost) 22 years than most will face in a lifespan of 100 years.

[Leanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impressively researched, and with a lot of interesting details, this book is overwritten and undermined by a number of flights of fancy, which Yenne could not possibly have verified. Additionally, it is best approached as a book about women pilots more in general and not specifically Lidiya Litvyak since Yenne writes with a much wider scope than one subject.

[Randall Mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herstory

I missed Russian/Chinese history in high school. This book does a great job piecing some of that in for me. Once I realized that, I dug in and enjoyed the lesson. Tragic times for a young lady turned warrior. Superb research into the details.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is some interesting information in here, but there isn't a lot that is known about Lidiya. So, the author filled much of the book with information meant to give some insight into her background and the times that can get rather boring.

[Cyndi Cascone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more details and info about Lidiya.

[Chuck Stromme · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolutely abominable book. Author demonstrates no feel for Red Army aviation or history or, even, Ms. Lidiya Vladimirovna Litvyak.

[Ron Blazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so much a book about Lilya Litvyak as the jacket reads but a story about Russian life under Stalin and shirttail references to many other women pilots.

[Peter Holford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why some reviewers have scored this book poorly. Perhaps a third of it (the first third, really) is a social history of the first 20 years of the Soviet Union. I suspect that is because there is so little documentary evidence concerning the early part of Lilya's life - but then again, how much detail is there of any children living in the 1920s and 1930s, especially in soviet Russia? And Lilya only became a public figure in the last year or so of her life, dying at age 21. Consequently, Bill Yenne has relied on contemporary accounts left behind by others of the era, including girls living in Moscow at the time, just like Lilya. Fortunately for me, I am interested in Russian history in general, and was not put off by the long early chapters covering this part of her story.

Moving beyond this, however, I found this an engaging and exciting account of this remarkable young woman who loved her motherland (the Rodina, as the Russians called it) and her leader (Stalin was thought of as 'Father') despite all that she and her family suffered during that time. Her own father had been a victim of the purges in the 1930s and Yenne speculates that the disgrace associated with this was a motivating factor for Lilya. As the author points out, Lilya would have hated the Germans with a passion shared with all her people, and this passion gave her an edge in aerial combat that took the Nazi pilots by surprise.

I particularly enjoyed the account of the German ace (Erwin Meier) shot down by Lilya and captured by the Russians. He demanded to meet the pilot who had ended his career and 'took umbrage at the insult of such a ridiculous practical joke' when they told him that he had been shot down by a young woman. She was brought to meet him and she described with meticulous detail the dogfight that had brought him down, in such a way that he knew she was the pilot. Apparently he couldn't even look her in the eyes!

This woman was an extraordinary fighter pilot, whose score has never been equalled or exceeded in the 60 years since her death.

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could rate this book 3.5 stars, I would.

The story of Lidiya Litvyak is a difficult one to tell. She was not a public figure; there's really not much documentary evidence of her life. Yenne tells her story by telling the stories of other girls of her age who lived near her in Moscow or the other women pilots. This includes some general history of the Soviet Union between the October Revolution and the war. Some other reviewers here didn't like this technique but I think it worked quite well. We can't know what she said or thought because there's very little record of it, but we can deduce what she must have experienced based on events and conditions that were common with other people.

The book has an index and bibliography but no source notes. From this, I deduce there was no original research done. But there are many sources referenced in the text that don't appear in the bibliography, so my deduction may be incorrect. Many places in the text Yenne reconciles conflicting accounts - this magazine article says she had x victories in this time period, that article says y. It's clear he's done a fair amount of research and tells a story not often told. Having read the book, I see I could have learned about Litvyak by reading two or three of these other sources, but had I read just one, I wouldn't have gotten as accurate a picture as Yenne compiles.

[Mark Lisac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars (a generous rating) because there's a fair amount of interesting information here but the book has problems. Nominally it's the story of Lidiya (Lilya) Litvyak, who from late 1942 to mid-1943 became the highest-scoring female fighter ace of all time. Actually, little seems to be known about her aside from a handful of letters, some official records and some recollections from surviving war veterans. Nearly the first half of the book consists of a historical sketch of Stalinist Russia up to the start of the war. Some of the remainder sketches Soviet aviation history, particularly the role of women, and the course of the great Soviet-German battles from 1941 to 1943. The sections dealing directly with Litvyak are both stirring and poignant. But Yenne strays well beyond his survey of secondary sources and indulges unfounded speculation or imagining presented as fact. His breezy tabloid prose also far too often turns purple, as in: "Lilya exiled all sensitivity and compassion to a Gulag deep inside her being, sentencing it to an internal exile that would last until no more German airplanes prowled the skies above her beloved Rodina." Thought it worth the short time needed to read, though.

[Relstuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically this is supposed to be a biography but the actual biographical details available must be pretty sketchy. So it's more history then biography. The author needed an editor to reign in his purple prose and fiction writing. The author, doubtless under temptation to write a compelling story and get the ready to feel like they are entering into the experience of Litvyak, writes fiction details about his main character feels or how she screwed the side of her lip up to one side while doing this or that. Then it becomes clear later there is no info about her in some particular described circumstance.

Good work by the design team on the cover layout and colors.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros:
An actual book about Lidya Litvyak!
A lot of detail about her life, many names mentioned.
A solid bibliography mentioned throughout the book = good pointer for further reading.

Cons:
Impossibly melodramatic, to the point of making stuff up (usually "cinematic" details like people's emotions).
Factual errors, usually in the technical topics.

The Czech translation has extensive notes with additional details and corrections - some of it is nitpicking, but usually they're on point.

I am really glad I bought the Czech edition - not only are the editor notes valuable but the editor has a distinct 'catty' voice and it's just hilarious to read.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because details of Lilya's life are sparse, much of the book is taken up with generalisations about post-Revolution Russia, and the subject's childhood is extrapolated from the lives of her contemporaries. Once we get on to her war service, things hot up and the story becomes a real nail-biter.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutly great book about famous women ace at WWII. Book also describes atmosphere and backround in Soviet Union in the begining of Stalin's dictature and how it affected life and mind of young people living there.