Will Power, a Short Story on WWII by Vera Ketlinskaya

The exact date of this episode is unknown. We've filled in the date above with a placeholder. What we actually have on record is: 196u-uu-uu.

This production of Radio Moscow is a dramatic reading of "Will Power," a short story by soviet author Vera Ketlinskaya. The author is described as "a Leningrader who lived through the 900 famine and bomb-ridden days of the Nazi blockade, [she] has made the gallantry of both civilians and military the subject of much of her writing."

Amidst the backdrop of World War II, the story follows Aliev, a Soviet pilot who narrowly returns his plane from a dogfight behind Nazi lines. "No strength remained, only his will. His will was stronger than death. It switched off the engine, guided the plane to the landing spot and set it down on three points as required."

[Most likely recorded in the mid-1960s]

Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection

WNYC archives id: 150297
Municipal archives id: T4067