Soviet aviator who scored 17 kills during air combat in World War II. Yamshchikova was a flying instructor who volunteered for combat duty. Due in part to manpower shortages (the Soviet Union suffered millions of casualties, mostly among men) and partly because of the egalitarian ideals of Communism, over 1,000 women flew air-combat missions during the war. Yamshchikova shot down nearly as many planes as all the other pilots in her all-female 586th Fighter Regiment combined.