Soviet lieutenant and pilot (born 1921)

Lydia Litvyak

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, also known as Lilya, was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II. Historians' estimates for her total victories range from thirteen to fourteen solo victories and four to five shared kills in her 66 combat sorties. In about two years of operations, she was the first female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft, the first of two female fighter pilots who have earned the title of fighter ace and the holder of the record for the greatest number of kills by a female fighter pilot. She was shot down near Orel during the Battle of Kursk as she attacked a formation of German aircraft.

Born

1921

August 18

Died

1943

Era

1920s

Country

—

About

Lydia, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1921 Born
1943 Died

Also on August 18

What else happened on this day, through history

684 Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria.
707 Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei.
1304 The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle is fought to a draw between the French army and the Flemish militias.
1487 The Siege of Málaga ends with the taking of the city by Castilian and Aragonese forces.

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The world in 1921

When Lydia arrived

april 11 Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
april 2 The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
august 14 Tannu Uriankhai, later Tuvan People's Republic is established as a completely independent country (which is supported by Soviet Russia).
august 23 British airship R-38 experiences structural failure over Hull in England and crashes in the Humber Estuary; of her 49 British and American training crew, only four survive.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on August 18

Ahad Ha'am 1856– Hebrew essayist and journalist and pre-state Zionist thinker (died 1927) Elizabeth Beisel 1992– American swimmer Everlast 1969– American singer, rapper, and musician Gail Fisher 1935–2000 American actress (died 2000) Godfrey Evans 1920–1999 English cricketer (died 1999) Inge Dekker 1985– Dutch swimmer Joanna Jędrzejczyk 1987– Polish mixed martial artist John Debney 1956– American composer and conductor Lavr Kornilov 1870–1918 Russian general (born 1870)

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1921

Ágnes Keleti 1921–2025 Hungarian Olympic gymnast (born 1921) Alexander Dubček 1921–1992 Slovak soldier and politician (died 1992) Art Clokey 1921–2010 American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921) Bill Willis 1921–2007 American football player and coach (born 1921) Brian Moore 1921–1999 Northern Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (died 1999) Esther Williams 1921–2013 American swimmer and actress (died 2013) Ezzard Charles 1921–1975 American boxer (died 1975) Franciszek Blachnicki 1921–1987 Polish priest (born 1921) Franco Corelli 1921–2003 Italian tenor and actor (died 2003)

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More to explore

Lydia's birthday August 18 Lydia's zodiac Leo When Lydia arrived 1921