Famous fellow countrymen of the Ryazan region. The name is like a memory Vedenskaya Antonina Leontyevna swimming

She was born on October 12, 1920 in the village of Semion, now the Korablinsky district of the Ryazan region, in a peasant family. She graduated from high school and 3 years of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. Since October 1941 in the Red Army. She graduated from navigator courses in the city of Engels.

Since April 1943, Antonina Zubkova has been in the active army. She fought on the Western, 3rd Belorussian, 1st and 2nd Baltic fronts. During the Belarusian offensive operation, she took part in the battles for Vitebsk, Orsha, Bogushevsk, Dubrovno, Borisov.

By March 1945, navigator of the squadron of the 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment (4th Guards Bomber Aviation Division, 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Corps, 3rd Air Army, 1st Baltic Front) Guard Senior Lieutenant A.L. Zubkova flew 56 combat missions. On August 18, 1945, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Since September 1945, Guard Captain A.L. Zubkova has been in reserve. Lived in Moscow. She graduated from Moscow State University and taught at the Air Force Engineering Academy. She was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Red Star, and medals. She died on November 13, 1950. A fishing trawler, a street in Ryazan, and Korablinskaya school No. 1 are named after her.

In September 1938, a short, dark-skinned girl with smoothly combed dark brown hair and thoughtful blue eyes appeared at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. In the reading room she always occupied the same place by the window overlooking the Kremlin. Even before the lectures started, the girl came here to put away her books and notebooks, and immediately after class, she quickly ran into the dining room and, with her swift gait, hurried back to her desk.

The faculty soon recognized and loved her. Tonya Zubkova turned out to be an extraordinary mathematician. Her abilities were noticed. Probably, it was then that they noticed something else: what a great soul is hidden behind the external isolation of this blue-eyed girl with a strong-willed, stubborn chin. And she is not closed at all, if you look closely at her, if you listen to her. Tonya was chosen as the group's Komsomol organizer...

After 2 years of study, Tonya was destined for graduate school and scientific activity. She herself (how can we hide it) dreamed about this. But it turned out differently.

Time ticked inexorably minutes, hours, days. The second semester of the 3rd year was ending. June 22, 1941 arrived...

The university dormitory on Stromynka is unrecognizable. All its floors are in turmoil. There is one general meeting, and there is one main and urgent issue on the agenda. Some of the guys have already run to the military registration and enlistment office and learned about the rules for accepting volunteers. Lucky guys. Lucky again. They will be sent to the front without any hesitation. What should she, a girl, do?

One after another, Tonya's group friends approach: Dusya Pasko, Zhenya Rudneva, Katya Ryabova...

To you, Komsomol organizer. For advice. What we are going to do?

Tonya removes a wrinkle from her high, clean forehead. The snub nose trembled. Smiled!

Like "what to do"? Sopromat to prepare. Submit tomorrow. Our first contribution to victory is our excellent grades. - Catching an unnatural note in her voice, she shook her head: - And then we’ll see...

The exam was passed “excellent”. There was a new exam coming...

The Komsomol Central Committee, where she came, was not at all surprised. Apparently, she was not the first. They accepted the application and said:

Well, go to the military registration and enlistment office. We are not sending to the front yet.

At the military registration and enlistment office, the huge, stocky Major, looking her slender figure from head to toe with tired eyes, said in a deep voice:

What? Where? To the front?.. It’s impossible!

She was ready to cry. Where has the usual calm gone! Tears are standing in a lump at the very throat, and just like that they will break through. It's better to get away from the shame...

And the next day the whole course was harvesting hay at the Dedinovo state farm near Moscow. “This is a labor front,” the students were told. The words sounded unusual, but obliging: front!

We returned to Moscow. Only a few weeks have passed, but the capital has matured, as if it has matured. She looked like a person who had suffered serious blows from fate. In the evenings it’s dark, there are signs everywhere: “Bomb shelter”, anti-aircraft guns on the roofs of houses and squares...

Tonya never went down to the bomb shelter. Together with others, she was on duty on the university roof to extinguish German incendiary bombs...

Classes started in September. And at the same time, Tonya went to machine gun courses and mastered the specialty of a nurse. “It will come in handy,” she thought.

There were 9 girls from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. And among them is Antonina Zubkova.

The girls were eager to fight, but they were taught. Instead of the front line, there is the quiet Volga town of Engels, where withered grass curls right on the streets and goats walk peacefully not far from the center. Instead of stormy battles full of dangers, there is daily training, tiring, annoying, from morning to evening. Navigation school.

The theory was easy for Tone. No wonder she was an excellent student in the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics for 3 years! Scared by practice:

Just wait, the flights will begin, let's see how you feel there...

Tonya was worried and waiting for him, her first flight. She told herself more than once: “Theory is what it is!.. How will you feel in the air...”

Finally, the first flight along a given route is led by navigator Antonina Zubkova. She must plot the route for the plane, and the accuracy of the bombing also depends on her. And the bombs dropped by Zubkova hit the target. This goal is still conditional - training in bombing. She was thanked. Raskova herself saw in the little navigator a “master of navigation” and a “sniper of bomb strikes.” The regiment commander liked the brave and smart Tonya, and when the distribution was underway, Marina Mikhailovna Raskova took her into her regiment.

And now the first combat flight. At first it seemed to Tonya that the flight was no different from a training flight. She determined the course, and the car, obedient to the pilot’s hand, walked exactly in the given direction. You can even imagine that you are flying back to Engels or even to Moscow. But then a white cloud appeared next to the plane, and all illusions immediately disappeared. The enemy noticed the bomber and began shelling.

Clouds flare up near airplanes more and more often. They are condensing, threatening to cover and destroy. However, Tonya had already regained control of herself and firm calm had returned to her. Now, perhaps, it’s even calmer than on the university roof during my first duty. No time to worry! It is necessary to calculate as accurately as possible so that the bombs fly to the target, so that not a single one passes by.

The entire flight of sharp-nosed Pe-2s, following the plane, led by navigator Zubkova, rushes down. It seems that in their impetuous impulse they decided to pierce the globe. Here it is, the enemy airfield!

The Germans, apparently, were so confused by the daring raid of our planes that they did not have time to scramble their fighters into the air. Having completed the mission, the bombers returned safely to their airfield. And almost nothing remained of the enemy airfield.

"Blue Line"... Beautiful name! Even poetic. But it's actually scary. This is the front line from Novorossiysk along the Kuban and further, to the shores of the Azov Sea. The enemy has gathered large forces here. German units settled in the mountains, gorges, swamps and floodplains, tightly covered by a curtain of fire. The enemies had especially many air defense systems: they were most afraid of death from the sky, and therefore the Blue Line was covered by a wall of anti-aircraft fire and flocks of fighters constantly on duty.

The 125th Guards Aviation Bomber Regiment arrived here in the spring of 1943. The regiment's personnel, although small, already had combat experience. By this time, Antonina Zubkova had gained a reputation as an intelligent and courageous navigator. She was appointed navigator of the squadron.

Twilight reigned in the dugout. The unsteady light of the morgasik, made from the casing of a small shell, fluctuated, drawing fantastic shadows on the walls. For the first minute, Tonya couldn’t see anything. Several electric flashlights came on, and only then did Tonya see a broad-shouldered, strong woman in a tunic unbuttoned at the collar, with a bandage on her head. Tonya introduced herself.

Well, very good,” the woman smiled. Her voice was chesty, pleasant, soft in Ukrainian. - And I’m Fedutenko. The name is Nadezhda. Squadron commander. So, we'll fly together...

Maybe they were made for each other? Among the pilots they said that the pilot and navigator should form a well-coordinated duet. Fedutenko and Zubkova became such a duet. What brought them together? Passionate love for an airplane? Passion for the proud profession of flying? Yes, both. But the main thing, perhaps, is the same tenacity and iron will that distinguished their fighting friends.

The combat mission was extremely important. Almost the entire regiment flew out to bomb the enemy's front line. The day turned out to be unusually sunny. Not a cloud. Someone even joked that now would be the perfect time to sunbathe on the beach. The artillery cannonade, which had deafened everyone for several days in a row, fell silent. The silence seemed unnatural: people were so unaccustomed to it.

As they approached the front line, the Germans suddenly unleashed a fiery barrage of anti-aircraft guns on the bomber formation. It seemed like there was no way to break through this wall of fire. The presenter’s plane turned to the side, swerved, and turned again. What's wrong with him? A black fountain burst out from under the belly of the plane and followed it like a mournful trail. Knocked out!

The Germans hoped that the incapacitation of the leader would upset the entire column. Now the planes get mixed up, and... the operation is disrupted.

Airplanes must not be uncontrollable! Under no circumstances!.. Tonya remembered the words of Marina Raskova: “Don’t give up before your time and never give up...” She glanced at her commander. They understood each other without words: we need to save the situation. One moment - and their plane, breaking away from its nine, took its place at the head of the column. Courage, calmness and determination won. The column continued stubbornly towards its target.

Tonya chooses the most convenient moment when the target is best visible. Not a single bomb will fly in vain. Only on the heads of enemies. Following the new leader, the rest of the vehicles also went to the target. The bomb strike was accurate and effective. They returned as winners...

Among the pilots thanked by the command, Nadezhda Fedutenko and Antonina Zubkova were the first to be named. And soon Tonya wrote to her sister: “Darling! Congratulate me: I was awarded the Order of the Red Star. What a joy to realize that it was not in vain that I left Moscow State University, that my little work is useful and needed by the Motherland in this difficult time.”

The fighting continued. There were flights almost every day, and sometimes several times a day. These days, Tonya writes in her diary:

"... Lyuba Gubina died. I can’t even believe it. She was so cheerful and cheerful. Before the war she worked as an instructor at a flying club. She liked to teach people the difficult and noble art of flying. After the war she dreamed of returning to the flying club again. But it didn’t work out. We won’t see no more of her wonderful radiant eyes, we will not hear her infectious laughter. She fell like a hero in an unequal air battle. We buried Lyuba among the tall rustling pines. Now, at the morning roll call, Senior Lieutenant Gubina. They named the village after her - Gubino..."

From Kuban the regiment was transferred to the Oryol-Bryansk direction. One flight follows another - responsible, dangerous, difficult. And the Fedutenko-Zubkova crew withstands all the tests with honor. Here are the pages of the crew's combat chronicle for 1943.

9 August. The crew serves as deputy group leader. They bombed enemy artillery positions. The task was completed perfectly. 5 batteries and an ammunition depot were destroyed, which was confirmed by photographs.

August 31. Once again, the deputy leader of the group, Antonina Zubkova, successfully completed the task of destroying a concentration of enemy infantry and tanks in the Baltutino area. For the exemplary execution of the mission and the successful assistance to our ground forces, the command of these troops announced via radio their gratitude to all the personnel who carried out the task.

Pe-2 aircraft from the 125th Guards Dive Bomber Regiment.

September 2. Bomb attack on the enemy's front line in the Yelnya area. Navigator Antonina Zubkova showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. This flight is being reviewed throughout the division as a brilliant example of sniper bombing...

The hatch was struck when they had already bombed and were about to return to their airfield. Tonya had just dropped a portion of the “gift” on enemy fortifications near Dvinsk, and the plane began to gain altitude. This time the German anti-aircraft shell hit the target.

Tonya saw how Nadezhda shuddered sharply. Paleness spread across her face.

The plane suddenly began to change direction. Apparently, the pilot’s hands were weakening with every second. “We won’t make it,” Tony thought. But she immediately drove her away. “This is not the time to mope,” she ordered herself. She made her way to Fedutenko and began to unfasten the seat belts from the pilot’s seat. This was not possible right away: she got confused in the buckles, and Nadya was already having difficulty holding the steering wheel. Her eyes were half-closed, her strength was leaving her...

Tonya took the pilot's seat. The wounded plane was losing speed and altitude, but Zubkova stubbornly pulled it to her airfield... When the “Pawn” landed, Tonya barely left the cockpit. I couldn’t believe that there was earth under my feet and the danger was already behind me.

Nadezhda Fedutenko was carefully taken out of the plane. She was unconscious. She was immediately sent to the medical unit. Tonya lay down on the grass. One of her friends, stroking her hair, noticed a gray strand on her temple. It wasn't there before...

* * *

For the second time, the Fedutenko-Zubkova plane was shot down over the port of Pillau, where German units settled on the eve of victory, in April 1945.

The smoke filling the cabin corroded the eyes and made breathing difficult. The engine worked intermittently, like the heart of a person struck by a serious illness. Tonya had difficulty making out the map to determine the course. Nadya tried to put out the flames, but to no avail: the plane was burning, the flames were approaching the cabin.

“We’ll sit down,” Fedutenko shouted. - I see a lawn. Prepare for defense!..

They did not know who would meet them on this lawn - their own or their enemies. And the landing was masterful. The plane landed, perhaps a few moments before the explosion. But the entire crew managed to jump out to the ground and run to the forest. By evening they reached theirs.

On May 2, 1945, the 125th Guards Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Borisov Aviation Regiment named after Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova bombed enemies in Libau. Soviet planes dealt a crushing blow to the enemy. This was the last combat mission of Captain Antonina Zubkova, whose courage and heroism were awarded the highest award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war, Antonina Zubkova made 68 successful combat missions. She dropped more than 50 tons of bombs on enemy fortifications. 20 times navigator Zubkova led a flight of aircraft into battle, 2 times served as deputy leader of a group, 25 times led a group of nine and 2 times led a convoy of 54 aircraft. In the Crimea and Kuban, near Smolensk and Orsha, in Vitebsk and Koenigsberg, the courageous Heroine destroyed enemy military equipment and concentrations of troops.

And here it is again in Moscow. Again the dear university... Then graduate school. Antonina Leontievna Zubkova became a mechanics teacher at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy. An untimely and absurd death cut short the glorious path of this charming and gifted woman.

She did a lot for her homeland as a warrior. “She could have done a lot in science,” said MSU professor Golubev over her grave...

"Winged Girl"

We live in a small town with the beautiful name Korablino. We love our city. It has a lot of greenery. Modern multi-storey buildings. Wide straight streets: Sadovaya, Shkolnaya, Shakhterskaya. The Children's Art House is located on the street named after Antonina Leontyevna Zubkova.

Even as children, we were told that Tonya Zubkova was born in our area in the village of Semion; during the war she was a pilot and protected us from the Nazis. She is a Hero of the Soviet Union, which is why the street bears her name.

And today we will talk about her, about our courageous, heroic countrywoman. Having opened the first page of the book “Heroes of the Land of Ryazan” by P. Baturkin, we read:

“Let us bow to those great years:

To those glorious commanders and fighters,

And the country's marshals and privates,

Let us bow to both the dead and the living -

To all those who must not be forgotten,

Let’s bow, bow, friends.”

The further the days of the Great go Patriotic War, the fewer of those people remain, the soldiers - living witnesses of this terrible tragedy of the entire Soviet people, the more clearly we understand: we must never forget about the people who defended peace on earth.

IN Only one page is dedicated to this book by Antonina Leontyevna Zubkova. “Born in 1920 in the village. Semyon, Korablinsky district. Member of the CPSU since 1944. She graduated from high school and three courses at Moscow State University. IN Soviet army since 1941. Graduated from aviation navigator courses in Engels,” I read the terse lines. It turns out that Antonina Leontyevna volunteered to join the army, completed the courses with flying colors, and was appointed navigator of the 125th Bomber Aviation Regiment squadron.

By Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR dated August 18, 1945 A.L. Zubkova was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After reading this page, you can’t help but think: I wonder what Tonya was like.

She must have been extraordinary, very brave, since she voluntarily went to the front. And also, she loved her homeland very much.

It is very difficult to talk briefly about Hero of the Soviet Union Antonina Leontyevna Zubkova. The life of this wonderful woman during the Great Patriotic War was a real feat.

M
scarlet in stature, thin, with clear gray eyes, a high clean forehead and soft wavy blond hair - this was Tonya Zubkova, a simple Ryazan girl from the village of Semion.

At school they believed that there was no student more demanding of herself than Zubkova. She is always dissatisfied with herself, always inventing some super-difficult tasks for herself. The boys were even afraid of her - she could give change to anyone.

She wrote poetry and dreamed of becoming a pilot. She loved Pushkin, Lermontov, Blok, Mayakovsky. I read a lot by heart at school meetings. Everyone was surprised: how could she keep so many poems in her memory!

She loved mathematics, complex formulas and problems. She was very persistent. One day, her math teacher gave her a problem from the next class course. Tonya struggled for a long time, more than one day, but she finally decided.

She easily entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University. Tonya Zubkova turned out to be an extraordinary mathematician. Her abilities were noticed. It was then that they noticed something else: what a great soul is hidden behind the external isolation of this gray-eyed girl.

After two years of study, Tonya was destined for graduate school and scientific activity. She herself dreamed about this.

But everything turned out differently...

Time ticked inexorably minutes, hours, days. June 1941 arrived. War!..

Zubkova was taking her third year exams when the war began.

“At the university I immediately felt a chill towards studying. Solving integrals, reading Euler and Cauchy in comparison with what suddenly befell the country seemed somehow unnecessary and meaningless.”, - Zubkova later recalled.

Unrecognizable university dormitory. All its floors are in turmoil. Some of the guys have already run to the military registration and enlistment office and learned about the rules for accepting volunteers.

Tonya also went to the military registration and enlistment office. The huge, stocky major, looking her slender figure from head to toe with tired eyes, said in a deep voice: "What? Where? To the front?.. It’s impossible!”.

Students went into the army, and almost only girls remained on the faculties. More and more often, Tonya thought about where she could find her place in this struggle, where she could bring more benefit Motherland in this terrible hour. And more and more often she settled on one decision: to the front! We must go to the front!

But it was just a dream, and in the meantime, together with her university friends, Tonya got involved in active work for the construction of defensive fortifications on the approaches to Moscow. During enemy night raids, she was on duty on the roofs and dropped incendiary bombs on the ground.

At times it was very difficult, there was not enough physical strength, but Tonya courageously

overcame momentary weaknesses. After all, it was also not easy for others, because they were also tired, but they held on, which means that she, Tonya Zubkova, also needed to hold on. Her workmates treated her with respect, seeing the persistence and perseverance with which this little girl worked.

While working, Tonya did not give up her dream of going to the front and becoming a real fighter, defending the Fatherland with arms in hand. And at the same time she thought: “Where are you going?!” After all, there is no military specialty in the hands".

And she, Tonya, looked far from respectable. Her entire fragile figure, her shyness did not inspire confidence.

1October 2, 1941. A sunny autumn day, gentle and a little sad. On this day, Komsomol members and Komsomol members of the university, including Tonya, built defensive structures near the Kuntsevo station. During one of the breaks, the girls learned that on October 8, the Komsomol Central Committee announced the recruitment of Komsomol volunteers into the army. Tonya decided: her time had come.

There were a lot of people interested. Immediately, in a noisy crowd, everyone went to the Komsomol Central Committee. Despite serious warnings about difficulties military service, the girls were adamant in their ardent impulse to defend their Motherland.

True, Tonya was afraid that she might not be accepted into
army simply because she was very small in stature. But she was taken and placed at the disposal of Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova, who led the formation of three women's aviation regiments.

In her first conversation with Tonya, Marina Mikhailovna saw before her not only smart girl, knowledgeable in mathematics, physics and other sciences necessary for a navigator, but also capable of being firm, decisive and selfless if the situation demands it.

This conversation sealed the fate of Tonya Zubkova and gave her a ticket to become a navigator in combat aviation.

The girls were eager to fight, but they were taught. Tonya put in a lot of work and perseverance to justify the trust placed in her. “Never before, even on exam days, have I studied with such greed and inspiration,” Zubkova wrote then.

In Marina Raskova’s air group, pilots and aviation specialists studied twelve hours a day, and future navigators had to add another hour to these hours to master Morse code. Morse code was tapped out everywhere: in the corridor, on the wall, on tables... “The pilots were already getting ready for bed, and in the navigator’s room the buzzer was invariably beeping, competing with a broken gramophone playing “I’ve lost Eurydice, Eurydice is not with me.”, Zubkova recalled.

AND
This is the first training flight. Tonya waited impatiently, with bated breath, for her turn for the first “circular” flight. And this day has come. Wings grew behind Tonina’s back as the plane rose into the sky.

She wanted to see as much as possible and remember everything. Tonya spoke about her first flight:

“I felt that I was being lifted off the ground, as if I was being thrown high, high on a swing, and my heart was falling somewhere and sweetly skipping a beat. Never before this moment, nor after, nor in any battle have I experienced a stronger feeling.” .

And still studying went on.

We read with excitement the lines conveying the thoughts of Antonina Leontyevna:

“Forgive me, my dear land. I'll throw bombs at you, but it's for both of us. And if there are wounds, we will heal them, heal them with our own hands. Let only the cruel aliens disappear from your roads! Let my bombs cover them!..”

And the bombs dropped by Zubkova fly right to the target. This goal is still conditional - training in bombing. Raskova herself saw in the little navigator "masters of navigating" And "bomb strike sniper". The regiment commander liked the brave and smart Tonya, and when the distribution was underway, Marina Mikhailovna Raskova took Tonya into her regiment - the 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. And the peculiarity of this regiment is that its personnel consisted of women.

School ended at December 1942, and dive bombers piloted by girls took off from the Engels airfield. Flight navigator Antonina Leontyevna Zubkova was also on one of these PE-2 aircraft.

Fights follow fights.

Tonya was at the Kirzhach airfield near Moscow and here on January 6, 1943 she learned about the death of Marina Mikhailovna Raskova. Deeply experiencing the death of her beloved commander and mentor, Tonya expressed her mood in the following lines:

I would like to cross out this day,

Which brought so much grief. Motherland!

T

wear it today. Heart!

Burn with anger without tears.

You can lose your mother, friends.

It’s hard if a friend dies in battle.

But believe me, comrades, it hurts a lot

Lose a commander, a hero, a friend.

Patriotic fighter, modest and simple,

Always ahead, despising fatigue...

But her life, bright as a dream,

Light, like crystal, broke off.

She loved the sky, space,

And most of all - my native country.

Sleep well, beloved friend,

We will take revenge on the enemy for death.

IN
spring 1943. By this time, Antonina Zubkova had gained a reputation as an intelligent and courageous navigator. She was appointed navigator of the squadron. She flew with Nadezhda Fedutenko. What brought them together? Passionate love for an airplane? Passion for the proud profession of flying? Yes, both. But the main thing, perhaps, is the same tenacity, an iron will.

During one of the battles, N. Fedutenko was wounded, and Tonya took the pilot’s seat. The wounded plane was losing speed and altitude, but Zubkova stubbornly pulled it to her airfield...

When the plane landed, she barely left the cabin. I couldn’t believe that there was earth under my feet and the danger was already behind me.

When Fedutenko returned from the hospital, Tonya wrote her poems on a piece of card that were born on that memorable day:

The lake sparkled. There is a station, a forest...

It was ordered from the ground, - the shooter reports -

Bomb the target that is a little further north.

Let the map be carried away by the stream into the broken hatch.

The soldier's boot is full of sticky blood,

Twenty-five minutes left to fly -

We will finish the car by force of will.

.
..Spring 1943. Kuban wide steppes. The situation in the area of ​​upcoming hostilities is very tense. Along the entire front, the enemy switched to a stubborn defense, his aviation and anti-aircraft artillery were active. The enemy does not want to leave our land and snarls angrily.

Here is the combat course. There is a bomb target ahead. Enemy fighters will become impudent. Anti-aircraft fire is becoming more intense and more targeted. But the navigator has the most intense and responsible work ahead: in the few minutes remaining to the target, he must determine the angle of drift of the aircraft downwind, ground speed, and aiming angle. The received data must be quickly taken into account, installed on the instruments, deployed the sight, find the target in its optics and, without taking your eyes off it, giving commands to the pilot, calmly fly the plane over the target so that it passes along the sight line, and only then reset bombs and record the results of your work.

Tonya Zubkova acted like this not once or twice in her life, but on every combat mission. This was precisely her feat.

Among the pilots thanked by the command, Nadezhda Fedutenko and Antonina Zubkova were the first to be named. And soon Tonya wrote to her sister: "Expensive! Congratulate me: I was awarded the Order of the Red Star. What a joy it is to realize that it was not in vain that I left Moscow State University, that my little work is useful and needed by the Motherland in this difficult time.”.

Communist Tonya Zubkova also actively participated in political work.

And how interesting were her performances at literary evenings and amateur artistic concerts, which were organized in the regiment during quiet days! Sometimes she would go out onto an improvised stage, shake her ashen curls, her eyes would become especially radiant, and begin to read one of her favorite poems:

If your home is dear to you,

Where were you raised Russian?

Under the log ceiling

Where were you, rocking in a cradle, floating...

The power of K. Simonov's verse performed by Tony captivated the listeners, and when she sternly, with metallic firmness in her voice, said:

And until he was killed,

Then be silent about your love,

The land where you grew up and the house where you lived,

Don't call it your homeland...

From Kuban, the 125th Guards Bomber Regiment, in which Tonya Zubkova served, flew to Western Front and subsequently conducted combat work in Belarus, the Baltic states and East Prussia.

TO

At the beginning of the decisive offensive of our troops in Belarus, Zubkova was already a squadron navigator. More than once they trusted her, together with her combat friend, squadron commander Nadezhda Fedutenko, to lead not only their squadron, but also their regiment into battle.

So, on June 26, 1944, the regiment received the task: to destroy enemy trains with ammunition at the Orsha station. Communists Nadezhda Fedutenko and Antonina Zubkova were assigned to lead the regiment into battle.

It was assumed that the strike would be delivered from a height of four thousand meters. The weather was favorable for this in the morning, but during the flight to the goal, Tonya thought that the altitude would probably have to be changed, since rare clouds were floating very low along the route in white wisps. Then the cloudiness increased. They began to gain altitude. When we reached three thousand meters, Tonya gave the command to stop climbing.

TO
The column of our planes is holding the set course. Target soon. Visible through breaks in the clouds Big city And Railway. Enemy anti-aircraft guns are hitting. The caps of ruptures are becoming thicker and thicker. In some places they form an almost impenetrable wall; not only smoke, but also fire is already visible, and the crackle of explosions can be heard. Gaps appear everywhere: below, above the formation, between planes. But clouds prevent enemy anti-aircraft gunners from conducting targeted fire.

The column goes on a combat course.

Tonya quickly makes calculations and freezes at the sight. The most important thing, the most important thing comes: we need to destroy these echelons!... Tonya chooses the most convenient moment, when the target is best visible. Not a single bomb will fly in vain. Only on the heads of enemies. Following the new leader, the rest of the vehicles also went to the target. The bomb strike was accurate and effective. They returned as winners...

For the excellent performance of this task, Nadya Fedutenko and Tonya Zubkova, while still in the air, received the gratitude of the army commander via radio.

When soon Tonya Zubkova and Nadya Fedutenko were called to the corps headquarters for analysis, Tonya became worried: “What if I did something wrong?” And again and again she recalled, down to the smallest detail, the entire last combat mission. No, everything seems to be right. Clearly embarrassed, Tonya spoke simply and convincingly about her work in the air. The honored aviators listened to the little girl with respect and were sincerely surprised.

- Here's Zubok for you-voices were heard, - small spool but precious.

Here's another episode from military biography A.L. Zubkova: “For the second time, the Fedutenko-Zubkova plane was shot down... on the eve of victory, in April 1945.

… The smoke filling the cabin corroded the eyes and made breathing difficult. The engine worked intermittently... The plane was on fire, the flames were approaching the cabin.”. The girls decided to sit down. They did not know who would meet them on earth - their own or their enemies. The landing was masterful. The entire crew survived.

Nadya Fedutenko and Tonya Zubkova flew together well.

Dozens of times, day after day, they led their squadron into battle, which included brave and courageous pilots and navigators who bravely fought the enemy.

…

On May 2, 1945, the 125th Guards Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Borisov Aviation Regiment named after Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova bombed enemies in Libau. Soviet planes dealt a crushing blow to the enemy. This was the last combat mission of Captain Antonina Zubkova, whose courage and heroism were awarded the highest award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In total, during the war, Antonina Zubkova made sixty-eight combat missions. She dropped more than 50 tons of bombs on enemy fortifications. Twenty times, navigator Zubkova led a flight of aircraft into battle, twice served as deputy leader of a group, twenty-five times led a group of ten, and twice led a convoy of fifty-four aircraft.

On May 9, 1945, when at 2:15 a.m. the operational duty officer wrote in the regiment’s combat log: “The enemy has stopped resisting, military operations are o-k-o-n-ch-e-n-y.”

What happiness! The bloody war of the Soviet people against fascism has ended. In this mortal battle the winner was Soviet people, millions of people like Tonya Zubkova.

ABOUT
I was also happy. Now Tonya knows for sure that her place is not in a combat aircraft, but again in the classrooms of the university, which she left at the behest of duty.

And here it is again in Moscow. September 1945. The regiment's formation solemnly froze. On the right flank is a battle banner decorated with the orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov. The 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Borisov Regiment named after Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova solemnly sees off Tonya Zubkova to continue her studies at the university. On her chest is the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union - a well-deserved reward for her selfless military work.

In parting, the military friends wished Tonya happiness and success in her studies, happiness in her life.

Her life's dream came true. In 1948, she brilliantly graduated from Moscow University, then graduate school. Antonina Leontyevna Zubkova became a mechanics teacher at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy.

How much more could she do? useful to people! But untimely death cut short the life of this beautiful, talented woman. A.L. Zubkova died on November 13, 1950.

- She did a lot for her homeland as a warrior. She could do a lot in science, - said MSU professor Golubev over her grave...

We are proud that A.L. Zubkova is our countrywoman. It's good that native land she is remembered: a monument was erected in the village of Semion; a street in our city is named after her; installed at Korablinskaya Secondary School No. 1 Memorial plaque, perpetuating the memory of the legendary graduate, in the regional museum of local lore there is an exhibition telling about the glorious daughter of the Korablinsky land.

Let the years pass, and no matter what anniversary of the Victory we celebrate, we will always remember at what cost our happiness was won.

Those who defended our Motherland and gave their lives for it will live forever in our hearts...

Antonina Leontievna Zubkova(October 12, 1920 - November 13, 1950) - Soviet dive bomber navigator, guard captain, Hero of the Soviet Union (1945).

Born on October 12, 1920 in the village of Semion, Ryazhsky district, Ryazan province, into a peasant family.

After graduation high school with a gold medal in 1938, without exams, she entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. At the university I was a Komsomol organizer study group. She studied on the same course with other future famous pilots of the Great Patriotic War: Evdokia Pasko, Evgenia Rudneva, Ekaterina Ryabova.

In June 1941, Antonina Zubkova completed three years of university and, together with other students, took the exam session. According to fellow students, addressing them after the start of the war, she recommended not to interrupt preparation for exams, stating that: “Our first contribution to the cause of victory is our excellent grades.” However, she later noted in her memoirs about that period of time: “Solving integrals, reading Euler and Cauchy in comparison with what suddenly befell the country seemed somehow unnecessary and meaningless.”

After passing the examination session, she wrote a statement about her voluntary desire to participate in hostilities at the Komsomol Central Committee and the military registration and enlistment office, but she was denied voluntary admission. In the summer of 1941, she took part in the work of the labor front near Moscow. Upon returning to Moscow, she worked in a brigade involved in extinguishing incendiary bombs. She also took part in the construction of defensive fortifications near Moscow.

In September 1941, Antonina Zubkova continued her studies at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, while simultaneously attending machine gun courses and nursing courses. On October 8, 1941, newspapers published calls from the Komsomol Central Committee for the voluntary recruitment of Komsomol girls into the army. After that, together with eight other girls from her course, she volunteered for the army. She graduated from navigator courses at the Engel Military Pilot School. The release took place in December 1942. Upon distribution, she ended up in the 587th Borisov Bomber Aviation Regiment (later renamed the 125th Guards Dive-Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 4th Guards Bomber Aviation Division of the 5th Guards Bomber Aviation Corps), under the command of Marina Raskova. However, its commander Marina Raskova died soon (January 6, 1943).

She fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from April 1943, as a navigator of a regiment squadron. She participated as part of this regiment in the defense of Stalingrad, the battles to break through the Blue Line in the Kuban (during this period of the war she was awarded the first Order of the Red Star), then in the Crimea. Subsequently, the regiment flew to the Western Front and led the offensive in Belarus, the Baltic states and East Prussia.

Throughout the war, Antonina Zubkova flew in tandem with Nadezhda Fedutenko. Fedutenko said about her: “Don’t you look that she is so small. It gets pretty hot for fascists. She’s a great bomber” (Antonina Zubkova was short in stature, and was even afraid that she wouldn’t be accepted as a volunteer during recruitment because of this).

By May 1945, she made 56 (according to other sources - 68) combat missions on a Pe-2 dive bomber, blew up 3 enemy ammunition depots, and dropped 50,000 kg of bombs. She kept a front-line diary in which she recorded all the flights. After the first combat mission, she wrote in her diary: “Forgive me, my dear Earth. I will throw bombs at you, but this is necessary for both of us... Let only the cruel aliens disappear from your roads.” During the war, she actively participated in conducting political classes in the regiment.

For her courage and excellent performance of command assignments, Antonina Zubkova was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on August 18, 1945.

In September 1945, Guard Captain Zubkova retired to the reserve and returned to study at the university. In 1948, she graduated from Moscow State University in Mechanics and Mathematics and entered graduate school. She worked as a teacher at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N. E. Zhukovsky. Friends recall that she was a very gifted person and, in their opinion, the future of a famous scientist awaited her.

Lived in Moscow. Tragically died on November 13, 1950. She was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

“She did a lot for the Motherland as a warrior. She could have done a lot in science,” said Moscow State University professor V.V. Golubev over her grave.

The following are named after A.L. Zubkova:

Street in Ryazan
- street in Korablino
- fishing trawler
- Korablinskaya school No. 1.

Awards:

-Hero of the Soviet Union
-The order of Lenin
-Two Orders of the Red Banner
-Order of the Red Star
-Medals.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War, military pilot, guard captain, Hero of the Soviet Union. Antonina Leontievna Zubkova was born on October 12, 1920 in the village of Semion, Ryazhsky district, Ryazan province, now Korablinsky district, Ryazan region, into a peasant family. After graduating from high school with a gold medal in 1938, without exams, she entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. At the university she was a Komsomol organizer of a study group. She studied on the same course with other future famous pilots of the Great Patriotic War: Evdokia Pasko, Evgenia Rudneva, Ekaterina Ryabova.

In June 1941, Antonina Zubkova completed three years of university and, together with other students, took the exam session. According to fellow students, addressing them after the start of the war, she recommended not to interrupt preparation for exams, stating that: “Our first contribution to the cause of victory is our excellent grades.” However, she later noted in her memoirs about that period of time: “Solving integrals, reading Euler and Cauchy in comparison with what suddenly befell the country seemed somehow unnecessary and meaningless.”

After passing the examination session Zubkova A.L. wrote a statement about her voluntary desire to participate in hostilities to the Komsomol Central Committee and the military registration and enlistment office, but she was denied voluntary admission. In the summer of 1941, Zubkova A.L. took part in the work of the labor front near Moscow. Upon returning to Moscow, she worked in a brigade involved in extinguishing incendiary bombs. She also took part in the construction of defensive fortifications near Moscow.

In September 1941, Antonina Zubkova continued her studies at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, while simultaneously attending machine gun courses and nursing courses. On October 8, 1941, newspapers published calls from the Komsomol Central Committee for the voluntary recruitment of Komsomol girls into the army. After that, together with eight other girls from her course, she volunteered for the army. She graduated from navigator courses at the Engel Military Pilot School. The release took place in December 1942. When distributing Zubkov A.L. fell into the 587th Borisov Bomber Aviation Regiment (later renamed the 125th Guards Dive-Bomber Aviation Regiment), under the command of Marina Raskova. However, its commander Marina Raskova died soon (January 6, 1943).

Zubkova A.L. participated in the defense of Stalingrad, in the liberation of Kuban, Crimea, Belarus, the Baltic states,

Zubkova A.L. fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from April 1943, as a navigator of a regiment squadron. She participated as part of this regiment in the defense of Stalingrad, the battles to break through the Blue Line in the Kuban (during this period of the war she was awarded the first Order of the Red Star), then in the Crimea. Subsequently, the regiment flew to the Western Front and led the offensive in Belarus, the Baltic states and East Prussia.

Throughout the war, Antonina Zubkova flew in tandem with Nadezhda Fedutenko. Fedutenko said about her: “Don’t you look that she is so small. It gets pretty hot for fascists. She’s a great bomber” (Antonina Zubkova was short in stature, and was even afraid that she wouldn’t be accepted as a volunteer during recruitment because of this).

By May 1945, Zubkova A.L. made 56 (according to other sources - 68) combat sorties on a Pe-2 dive bomber, blew up 3 enemy ammunition depots, and dropped 50,000 kg of bombs. She kept a front-line diary in which she recorded all the flights. After the first combat mission, she wrote in her diary: “Forgive me, my dear Earth. I will throw bombs at you, but this is necessary for both of us... Let only the cruel aliens disappear from your roads.” During the war, she actively participated in conducting political classes in the regiment.

For her courage and excellent performance of command assignments, Antonina Leontyevna Zubkova was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on August 18, 1945.

In September 1945, Guard Captain Zubkova retired to the reserve and returned to study at the university. In 1948, she graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University and entered graduate school. She worked as a teacher at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N. E. Zhukovsky. Friends recall that she was a very gifted person and, in their opinion, the future of a famous scientist awaited her.

Zubkova A.L. lived in Moscow. Tragically died on November 13, 1950. She was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

In honor of Zubkova A.L. named Korablinskaya secondary school No. 1 and a street in Korablino.