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Hiyaz DospanovaKazakh pilot, navigator-gunner
Date of Birth: 15.05.1922
Country:  Kazakhstan |
Content:
Biography of Khuyaz Dospanova
Early Life and EducationKhuyaz Dospanova was born on May 15, 1922, in the village of Ganyushkino in the Gurievskaya region. She completed high school No. 1 in the city of Uralsk in 1940, receiving a gold medal. Along with her diploma, she also obtained a pilot's certificate from the local aeroclub. Dospanova was an outstanding student and an active member of various organizations, including being a pioneer leader and the secretary of the Komsomol organization at her school. In the summer of 1940, she successfully completed both the tenth grade and the aeroclub, holding two documents - an excellent student certificate and a reserve pilot's certificate. With the former, she could have enrolled in Moscow State University without exams. However, Dospanova chose a different path and applied to the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy in Moscow. Unfortunately, she was politely but firmly rejected, which was a blow to her dreams and plans. Despite this setback, Dospanova did not return to Kazakhstan and instead applied to the First Moscow Medical Institute. Thanks to her excellent student certificate, she was accepted without exams. However, before she could complete her first year, the war broke out.
Service in World War II
Dospanova was enlisted as a bombardier-navigator in the 588th night bomber aviation regiment. She carried out combat missions on the Southern Front, Northern Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Dospanova returned from the war as a disabled veteran of the second group but remained actively involved in public life.
Post-War Career
After experiencing the challenges and obstacles of pursuing her dream of becoming a pilot, Dospanova faced the dilemma of what to do after the war. As someone who had dedicated herself to this profession and had obtained the necessary qualifications, it seemed impossible for her to continue flying due to her disability. However, with the support and understanding of her fellow officers and friends in the regiment, Dospanova was allowed to continue flying despite her injuries. It was a special privilege granted only during wartime, similar to the case of Alexey Maresyev. Dospanova, with her legs broken but healed, knew that her path to the sky was truly closed. It was during this time, shortly before victory, that Dospanova and her friends Natasha Meklin, Raia Aronova, Sasha Khoroshilova, and Zhenya Zhigulenko discussed the possibility of returning to medical school. She mentioned this in her memoirs. However, Dospanova ultimately chose a different path - a career in public service. Minaydar Salin, the then First Secretary of the West Kazakhstan Regional Committee of the Party, proposed that she work in party-political activities. Dospanova was approved as an instructor of the regional party committee. After a year, she was sent to a higher party school in Almaty. Dospanova progressed from being an instructor in the district committee of the party in her native West Kazakhstan to becoming the secretary of the Central Committee of the Leninist Communist Youth League (LCY) of Kazakhstan. In 1951, she was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR and, in the same session, became the secretary of the Presidium. Until her retirement, Dospanova served as the secretary of the Alma-Ata City Party Committee, actively participating in the life of the capital.
Later Years and Legacy
In the late 1950s, the consequences of her wartime injuries and concussions began to affect Dospanova's health. Her condition noticeably deteriorated, and at the age of less than forty, she was forced to retire in 1959. The sports palace in Atyrau was named after the legendary World War II pilot, Khuyaz Dospanova. For her bravery and courage during the Great Patriotic War, she was awarded the Orders of the Red Star, the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree, the Red Banner, as well as medals such as "For the Defense of the Caucasus," "For the Liberation of Warsaw," "For the Victory over Germany," and other combat awards. Dospanova, a brave pilot who was wounded twice, was allowed to continue flying, even though no one would permit disabled individuals to take control of an aircraft. This exception was made because her commanders and friends in the regiment understood that preventing Dospanova from flying would have been a greater trauma than the injuries that had kept her in the hospital for a long time. Dospanova likely realized that her path to the sky was genuinely blocked. Perhaps, this explains why, shortly before victory and after being transferred to the regiment's headquarters, Dospanova and her friends discussed returning to medical school. She wrote about this in her memoirs. However, she did not return to medicine and instead pursued a career in public service. In anticipation of the 60th anniversary of Victory, Dospanova was awarded the highest state title of Kazakhstan, "People's Hero," by the presidential decree of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
