In Memory of Hero of Russia Vasilisa Pashchenko

Vasilisa Pashchenko was an air gunner aboard a Soviet A-20 Boston bomber, which was shot down by the Germans near the Moravian village of Loděnice on 19 April 1945. 

The stricken aircraft crashed to the ground, but Vasilisa survived. When the Germans approached the downed bomber, Pashchenko opened fire on them with a machine gun. The young woman, aged just twenty-two, was killed and listed as missing in action. However, thanks to the efforts of the head of the Starovičky Military-Historical Club, Radek Harašta, military-history researcher Vlastimil Schildberger and other concerned Czech residents, documents relating to her heroic action were collected. Karel Kampas, Mayor of Loděnice, helped to install a commemorative plaque and a small exhibition. Unfortunately, Karel died of coronavirus, but Vasilisa was posthumously awarded the Gold Star of Hero of Russia in 2021.