Yekaterina Budanova Yekaterina Vasylievna Budanova ( Cyrillic : Екатерина Васильевна Буданова ) , also known as Katya Budanova ( Катя Буданова ) , ( 6 December 1916 – 19 July 1943 ) , was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II . With 11 air victories , along with Lydia Litvyak , she was one of the world ' s two female fighter ace s . She was shot down by either Luftwaffe ace Georg Schwientek of " JG 52 " or ace Emil Bitsch , of " JG 3 " . Early life . Budanova was born into a peasant family in Konoplanka village in Smolensk Oblast . After leaving elementary school with the highest grades , she had to abandon her studies due to her father ' s death , and began working as a nanny . At the age of thirteen her mother sent her to join her sister in Moscow , where she began working as a carpenter in an aircraft factory . It was there that she began an interest in aviation , and she joined an aeroclub ' s parachutist section , obtaining her flying licence in 1934 and graduating to flight instructor in 1937 . She took part in several air parades , flying the single - seater Yakovlev UT - 1 . World War II . After the German attack on the USSR in June 1941 , she enlisted in military aviation and was assigned to the 586th Fighter Regiment ( 586 IAP ) , formed by Marina Raskova . This unit consisted entirely of female pilots and was equipped with Yak - 1 . Initially all women pilots were placed into three all - women units ; the 586th IAP , the 587th BAP and the 588th NBAP . The 500 designations were originally meant to signify defense reserves . These units were originally made up women who were flight instructors or members of pre - war flying clubs . As the Battle of Stalingrad raged the supply of replacement male pilots was drying up and thus the 586th ( under Major Tamara Kazarinova ) saw combat action in the spring 1942 . In May 1942 the 586th IAP redeployed to Anisovka where it was assigned to the 144th IAD ( Air Defence ) covering the railway installations near Saratov , and it was here Budanova flew her first combat missions . Seeing the skill of these women , the Soviet High Command began dispersing selected female pilots to existing male units . On 10 September she was assigned with Lydia Litvyak , Maria M . Kuznetsova and Raisa Beliaeva to the 437th IAP , based in Verkhnania Akhtuba on the east bank of the Volga river . engaged in the fighting over Stalingrad . The 437th was a LaGG - 3 regiment , under Major Khvostikov , who was initially skeptical of the ability of women pilots . But in a short time Budanova became known for her aggressive attacking and high piloting skill . According to some historians , she shot down her first opponent — a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter — on 14 September 1942 , combining forces with Lydia Litvyak . According to regiment archivist Ekaterina K . Polunina on 2 October 1942 Budanova achieved her two first solo air victories , shooting down a Junkers Ju 88 and a Bf 109 . However , Budanova ' s aircraft mechanic , Inna Pasportnikova wrote that she shot down her first aircraft on 6 October when she attacked 13 Ju 88 bombers , downing one . From October until January 1943 Budanova ( and Litvyak ) served in the Stalingrad area with the elite 9th Guards Fighter Regiment , commanded by Lev Shestakov , Hero of Soviet Union . This regiment consisted either of aces or potential aces . One of them was Vladimir Dmetrievich Lavrinenkov , who ended the war with 46 victories ( 11 shared ) . He later recalled that Budanova " was tall , kept her hair cut short . . . and in her flightsuit hardly stood out from the fellows . " He characterized Budanova as a " cheerful , lively character " while Litvyak looked " thoughtful and quiet " . Both he said were excellent pilots . Initially the two females had they had flown together but then more often flew separately as wingmen to other pilots . While in the Stalingrad area , an order was received citing the return of the women aircrew to the 586th . Pasportnikova later recalled " Budanova and Litvyak appealed to Lt . Col Shestakov , the commander of the 9th Fighter Regiment , with a request to let them remain in the regiment . " They were allowed to stay , remaining with 9th IAP for over three months . On 10 December Budanova shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 110 s . In the following months she was credited with several more aircraft . In January 1943 the 9th was re - equipped with the US - built P - 39 " Airacobra " and Budanova and Litvyak moved to the 296th Fighter Aviation Regiment ( later the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment ) of Nikolai Baranov , and continued to fly the Yak . It was with 73 IAP that Budanova and Litvyak achieved the bulk of their combat claims . Budanova was selected to fly with Baranov , while squadron commander Alexei Solomatin took Litvyak as wingman . Budanova was soon given permission for " solo hunting " , an honor given to aggressive and successful pilots . On 10 February 1943 , near Rostov on Don , she shot down a Focke - Wulf Fw 190 along with " Starshij Lejtenant " Nikolaj Demkin and the wingman , " Lejtenant " Boris Gorkhiver . On 23 February she was awarded with an Order of the Red Star . On 9 March 1943 between 17 . 30 and 18 . 30 she claimed a Bf 109 along with " Lejtenant " Oleg Filipchenko . On 20 April 1943 " Ogonek " , a political - literary weekly publication intended for young adults , featured a cover photo of Budanova and Litvyak . An article detailed their accomplishments , honouring - in true Soviet style - their collective , rather than individual , achievements . The magazine gave a combined number of combat missions and kills to date for the two pilots . On 30 May under command of Soshnikov , Budanova shared in the destruction of another Bf 109 . By June 1943 Budanova had six victories to her credit , and operating near Rostov on Don during the liberation of Donbas , heavy air combat saw her claims raised to 11 . Last mission . On 19 July 1943 she flew her last mission , near Novokrasnovka . That morning she took off for an escort mission and near Antracit in Luhansk Oblast she was involved in a dogfight with Bf 109s . Inna Pasportnikova later recalled : Budanova managed to put out the fire and force landed in no - man ' s land . By the time local farmers came to pull her from the aircraft , she was already dead . They buried her on the outskirts of the village of Novokrasnovka . The pilots who shot her down were Georg Schwientek of " JG 52 " or Emil Bitsch , of " 8 . / JG 3 " , the only two pilots that claimed a Yak - 1 on Novokrasnovka on 19 July 1943 . Controversies about number of victories . There have been several different versions of Budanova ' s aerial victory score published , with no official tally . The most common quoted is for 11 kills ( 6 individual and 5 shared ) . According to some historians she achieved 11 individual air victories . Pasportnikova has stated that Budanova had five personal kills at the time of her death . She was twice awarded Order of the Patriotic War . Although she was proposed for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the war she did not receive it officially . In 1 October 1993 she was posthumously awarded with the title Hero of the Russian Federation .