The Legend of Lilia A Novel Based on a True Story

"The Legend of Lilia" is the story of Lilia Litvyak, who at 15 made her first solo flight in a wood and canvas biplane. By the age of 21 she was the most dangerous woman in the sky as an ace fighter pilot over the Eastern Front of WWII. Research was gathered through in person interviews in post-Soviet Russia, with veteran female pilots and mechanics, Colonels of Lilia's regiment, historians, and declassified records from Soviet archives. "The Legend of Lilia" tells the amazing true story as never told before, uncovering previously unknown history of WWII, and the truth surrounding a decades old mystery.

After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941, three regiments of all female pilots were formed to join the war effort. Lilia enlisted with the hope of both saving her country and clearing her politically troubled family name. From the Battle of Stalingrad and across the frontline, Lilia would shoot down one enemy aircraft after another to earn the designation of ace. Yet it would take more than that to achieve her nation's highest honor, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and her place in history as a legend.

Christopher P. Redwine is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, a graduate of Bates College in Maine, and the grandson of a WWII pilot. The Legend of Lilia is his first novel, striking a careful balance between investigative journalism and historical fiction.