Marina Mikhaylovna Raskova (Russian: Мари́на Миха́йловна Раско́ва, IPA: [mɐˈrʲinə mʲɪˈxajləvnə rɐˈskovə]; née Malinina; 28 March 1912 – 4 January 1943) was the first woman in the Soviet Union to achieve the diploma of professional air navigator.

Raskova became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments, one of which eventually flew over 30,000[1] sorties in World War II and produced at least 30 Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Her father was operatic singer and singing instructor Mikhail Malinin (Михаил Дмитриевич Малинин) and her mother a teacher.

When Raskova's training ended, she was able to become an instrument flying instructor and was allowed to teach command personnel advanced navigation.

[4] She set a number of long-distance records, a significant achievement in the eyes of the Soviet Union, which gave its aviators celebrity status.

The most famous of her long-distance records was the flight of the Rodina (Russian for "Motherland"), Ant-37 – a converted DB-2 long range bomber – on 24–25 September 1938.

On 2 November 1938, all three women were decorated with the Hero of the Soviet Union award, the first females ever to receive it and the only ones before World War II.

[7] Raskova is credited with having used her personal connections with Joseph Stalin to convince the military to form three combat regiments of women.

Following a speech by Raskova on 8 September 1941 calling for women pilots to be allowed to fight, Stalin on 8 October 1941 ordered the formation of the all-female 122nd Aviation Corps.

After their training, the Group's three regiments received their formal designations as follows: Raskova died on 4 January 1943, when her aircraft crashed attempting to make a forced landing on the Volga bank, while leading two other Pe-2s to the first operative airfield near Stalingrad.

[15] An American ship, Ironclad (launched as Mystic in April 1919), that had taken part in Convoy PQ 17 was transferred to Soviet ownership and renamed Marina Raskova [ru] in June 1943.