Valentina Stupina

Valentina Sergeevna Stupina (; 4 June 1920 22 August 1943) was a Soviet-Russian pilot, flight navigator, and the head of communications of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment during World War II until her death in 1943, after which her role was taken over by Khiuaz Dospanova.

Early life Valentina Stupina was born on 4 June 1920 in Stavropol-on-Volga (now Tolyatti), the middle of three children. Her father, who worked in forestry died in 1933 before she moved to Samara with her older brother Anatoli where she first learned to parachute. After living in Samara for a year she moved to Stavropol where she was active in sports and graduated from secondary school with honors in 1937, after which she entered the Moscow Aviation Institute where she studied until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. After the start of the war she left school to work digging anti-tank ditches and constructing defensive fortifications.

Military career After being encouraged by the Komsomol to join the women's aviation regiment founded by Marina Raskova, Stupina volunteered in October. After navigation training at Engels Military Aviation School she was deployed to the Southern Front in late May 1942. Stupina flew 15 sorties before she was appointed to be the regiment's head of communications, even though she expressed that she would rather continue flying combat sorties.