| 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment | |
|---|---|
| 586-й истребительный авиационный полк | |
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch |  Soviet Air Force |
| Engagements | Eastern Front of World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Regimental Commander | Yevgeniya Prokhorova (acting) (1941–1942) Tamara Kazarinova (1942) Aleksandr Gridnev (1942–1945) |
| Commissar | Olga Pavlovna Kulikova |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Yakovlev Yak-1 Yakovlev Yak-7 Yakovlev Yak-9 |
The 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Russian: 586-й истребительный авиационный полк, romanized: 586-y istrebitel'nyy aviatsionnyy polk) was one of the three Soviet women's aviation regiments founded by Marina Raskova at the start of the Second World War after she convinced Joseph Stalin to allow her to form three all-female aviation regiments. The regiment was originally equipped with Yakovlev Yak-1 aircraft and later acquired Yak-7 and Yak-9 aircraft in 1943. Sorties were conducted to patrol over military installations and carry out defensive missions. While the regiment was intended to be an all-female regiment it became coed with a preponderance of females after regimental commander Tamara Kazarinova transferred to another unit in October 1942 and was replaced by a man, Aleksander Gridnev. The regiment yielded two female flying aces, Lydia Litvyak and Yekaterina Budanova, who were posthumously awarded the titles Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of the Russian Federation respectively.[1][2][3]
- ^ "Боевой путь 586-го женского ИАП – Красные соколы: советские летчики-асы 1914–1953". airaces.narod.ru. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ Stockton, Harold; Tyminski, Dariusz; Bergström, Christer (1998-12-09). "Marina Raskova and Soviet Female Pilots". WWII Ace Stories (in Polish). Elknet.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ^ Noggle, Anne (1994). A Dance With Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II. Texas A&M University Press. p. 157. ISBN 9781585441778.