Death in aerial combat near Dmitrievka

On August 1, 1943, Lydia Litvyak flew her fourth combat sortie of the day, escorting Soviet Il-2 ground-attack aircraft near the village of Dmitrievka in the Donbas region, during the aftermath of the massive Battle of Kursk. She engaged a formation of enemy fighters and was last seen being pursued by several German aircraft before her Yak-1 disappeared from view; witnesses reported seeing her plane go down, but no parachute was observed.

She was only 21 years old at the time of her death and had already achieved a formidable combat record, credited with numerous solo and shared aerial victories, making her the leading female fighter ace of the war. Because her body was not immediately recovered, Litvyak was initially listed as missing in action, and rumors even circulated that she might have been captured, leading to controversy over her status for decades.

Her remains were not positively identified until 1979, when a search-and-recovery effort located and confirmed her burial site in the village of Dmitrievka. This discovery allowed for her official military status to be corrected from missing to killed in action, and it paved the way for postwar recognition of her extraordinary service.

Litvyak's death exemplifies the immense sacrifices made by Soviet women who flew and died alongside men in the war's most dangerous combat roles, and her story became emblematic of Soviet wartime heroism.