!Amazing heros for the Soviets and certainly under appreciated still. Its a story about women of the past who have done some truly amazing things, Quinn said in an interview. These planes, which rarely had ammunition to defend themselves, would release a flare to light up the intended target. Did you see the comment by Dmitry below? She showed him the letters and convinced him to have the Soviet Air Force accept women as combat pilots. Raskova, known to many as the Russian Amelia Earhart, had already made a name for herself as the first female navigator in the Soviet Air Force, with an impressive number of long distance flights already recorded. Raskova quickly started to fill out her teams. The women's uniforms were hand-me-downs from male pilots. But in peacetime a woman can only fly for sportotherwise how can one combine a career with a family and with maternal happiness?[25], On 8 October 1941, Order number 0099 specified the creation of three women's regimentsall personnel from technicians to pilots would be entirely composed of women. In addition to bombings, the unit performed 155 supply drops of food and ammunition to Soviet forces. There were also holes in her map. Related: 6 Incredible Female Spies of World War II, By the end of war, 32 Night Witches had given their lives in defense of their homeland. By Michael S.. Raskova trained her recruits as pilots and navigators, and also as members of maintenance and ground crews. They were the all-women pilots of Russias 588thNight Bomber Aviation Regiment. All rights reserved. This post is Part 1 in a series about Soviet women pilots in WWII. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Although the Night Witches story isn't well-known in the U.S., it shows how women aviators left their mark on WWII history. During World War II, these women were believed to be "ghost" pilots. Any German pilot who downed a "witch" was automatically awarded an Iron Cross. Not only were the Nazis thrown off by the near-nightly attacks, but they were also particularly incensed when they learned that an all-woman regiment was responsible. By The Night Witches of World War Two - BBC In Russia, almost every schoolboy knows about them. When the regiment was deployed on the front line in June 1942, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment became part of the 4th Air Army of the Southern Front. [2][3] Due to the weight of the bombs and the low altitude of flight, the pilots did not carry parachutes until 1944.[4][5]. Kuban, Taman, Novorossiysk 4,623 sorties, This page was last edited on 27 June 2023, at 02:22. These irreplaceable items, along with fully operational military vehicles, introduce visitors to a seminal period in American history. She looked back on her time in the legendary 588th with a mixture of astonishment and pride. The soft whooshing of the wind off the struts of a Night Witch jerry-rigged biplane bomber; described as the eerie sound of a witchs broom as it quietly glided in to drop its payload of bombs. Long Nights, Stealth TacticsThe Polikarpovs could only carry two bombs at a time, one under each wing. Updated: June 7, 2019 | Original: July 7, 2017. Being made of wood and canvas, the plane didnt show up on German radars or infrared indicators. Film Club: 'The Night Witch' - The New York Times However, this came as literal cold comfort to the aviators who had to fly the ships through walls of enemy fire in the dead of night, with the freezing wind whipping around and through the exposed cockpits, often giving the pilots frostbite. The Night Witches | U.S. Naval Institute Night Witches: Russia's Women Pilots in Ww II - amazon.com But outflying the enemy was a last resort. These women deserve just as much recognition as any soldier! Using such vulnerable craft to make their bombing runs, the cover of night was crucial to their success and survival. Their planes were slow but very maneuverable. Quinn stumbled across the story of the Night Witches during a late night Google hunt for potential story lines. The female pilots were given ill-fitting male uniforms and oversized boots, which they would have to stuff with their own torn up bedding to ensure a better fit. They destroyed 17 river crossings, 12 fuel depots, and 176 armored cars, among other targets. Nazi air defense forces fought back by placing rings of searchlights around likely targets. The ground crew Night Witches all would repair any damages, refuel the planes, and load more bombs for the next sortie. One general, male, initially complained about being sent a "a bunch of girlies" instead of soldiers. Film Club Film Club: 'The Night Witch' 44 This animated Op-Doc explores the life of Nadezhda Popova, known as Nadia, who became a World War II hero as part of a Soviet all-female bombing. And so it was that on Sept. 24, 1938 the three ladies took off from an airfield in Shchcyolkovo near Moscow, in a Tupolev ANT-37, which normally had a range of about 5,000 km or 3,100 miles. The Night Witches: Russian Female Combat Pilots of World War II Its light weight made it more maneuverable than the German planes, which made them harder to shoot down. This month marks the 73rd anniversary of the start of their pioneering service. The 588ths first mission, on June 28, 1942, took aimsuccessfullyat the headquarters of the invading Nazi forces. The 588th was the most highly decorated female unit in that force, flying 30,000 missions. Raskova did her best to prepare her women for these attitudes, but they still faced sexual harassment, long nights and grueling conditions. Theyd complain to one another about the misery of wearing mens underwear. However, ideology was not always exhibited in practice which is seen time and time again especially through times of war whether it be prior, during, or after. From the start of WWII, Russian women were looking for ways to contribute in both support roles at home and in hands-on roles near the front lines. In the harsh Soviet winters, the planes became so cold, just touching them would rip off bare skin. Whilethe roles of women in the military have continued to grow and evolve across the globe, the Night Witches were instrumental in showing that women are just as capable, even with minimal support, respect, equipment, and with all the odds stacked against them. Eventually, because of their high performance, many men did grow to respect them. It was equipped with a variety of aircraft in theYakovlev Yak-1, Yak-7B and Yak-9. Understandably, they didnt get a lot of sleepbut neither did the German units nearby that had to be prepared for nighttime air raids. Despite being the most highly decorated unit in the Soviet Air Force during the war, the Night Witches regiment was disbanded six months after the end of World War II. These planes were crop dusters from the 1920s and typically only used for training purposes. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Since the women of the 588th were seen by many to be less than, or as little girls, they werent taken seriously or provided proper equipment. Did you see the comment above of the book author looking for more info? or I have put together chapters based on diaries / letters / conversations with family members. [14][15][16][17], Members of the regiment were deployed from the Engels Military Aviation School to the Southern Front as part of the 218th Division of the 4th Air Army on 23 May 1942, where they arrived on 27 May. Get HISTORYs most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week. [27] The 586th and 588th Regiments employed male mechanics,[28][29] the 586th because no women had received training to work on the Yakovlev fighter planes before the war. One of the other notable units included the 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (later known as 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment). Their maximum speed was slower than the stall speed of the Nazi planes, which meant these wooden planes, ironically, could maneuver faster than the enemy, making them hard to target. While two of them inevitably became mixed-gendered, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment remained exclusively women for the entirety of its existence. The soft "whooshing" of the wind off the struts of a "Night Witch" jerry-rigged biplane bomber; described as the eerie sound of a witch's broom as it quietly glided in to drop its payload of bombs. At least 30 Night Witches never returned from sorties. $7.95. Many had lost brothers or sweethearts, or had seen their homes and villages ravaged. From June 1942 to October 1945, the unit flew approximately 23,672 combat sorties, collectively logged 28,676 flight hours, and dropped over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells. One of the most famous of the Night Witches, Nadezhda Popova, who herself flew 852 missions, earning her multiple medals and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, described the situation a bit. Rumors began to spread among the Germans that the Soviets were giving the women pills and treatments that gave them the night vision of a cat. In the 1930s, with the black clouds of war gathering over the skies of Europe once more, the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin pushed to demonstrate its techni. [24], In 1917, Russia became the first country to declare legal equality for women, which allowed them to enter military service. Address Thats the name the Germans came up with for their nightly terror 80 or so female aviators from Russia dropping bombs from rickety wooden planes that sounded like brooms sweeping the sky. Despite all this bravado, however, the female fighter pilots initially struggled to earn the respect of their brothers in arms. About some of the most amazing smart, brave Woman I ever heard of being ever involved in any war actions Being ex-military. Who Are The Night Witches? - The Museum of Flight In order to make meaningful dents in the German front lines, the regiment sent out up to 40 two-person crews a night. But when Germany invaded Russia in 1941, Russian women werent allowed in the Soviet Air Force even though they were allowed on the front lines in the army. The Russian Night Witches of World War II - YouTube They underwent a highly compressed educationexpected to learn in a few months what it took most soldiers several years to grasp. I was brought to this deeply informative and interesting article through Kate Quinns book Night Witches. Annie Reneau 09.29.22 Avgeekjoe/Flickr The Night Witches were feared by the Germans for their stealth bombing runs. Those who did make it home alive spent the rest of their lives marveling at what they had done. She also prepared them for an environment that preferred to treat women as bombshells rather than bombers. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. The 588th, under the command of Major Yevdokia Bershanskaya, was the only one of the three to remain all-female for the duration of the war. Amazing, brave, gutsy fearless women I could go on & on. Though women were officially barred from combat at the time, Major Marina Raskova used her position and personal contacts with the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to obtain permission to form female combat units. Another pilot lost the bottom of her plane to enemy fire but kept on flying. The pilots weren't the only women in the 588th. ", Once, after a successful flightwhich is to say, a flight she survivedPopova counted 42 bullet holes studding her little plane. The biplanes also could take off and land almost anywhere. At its largest strength, the 588 th Regiment consisted of . Their equipment wasnt much better. will have to read the book! They braved bullets and frostbite in the air, while battling skepticism and sexual harassment on the ground. Marina Raskova, who had been so instrumental in leading the Soviet Union to become the first nation to officially allow women in combat, died in a crash landing near Stalingrad in 1943. They had to fly Polikarpov Po-2 aircrafttwo-seated, open-cockpit biplanes that were obsolete even by the standards of the day. Because their planes could carry only two bombs, the Night Witches flew multiple bombing sorties from eight to eighteen in a single night. Popova herself once flew 18 in a single night. Most runs would happen with three planes, the first two meant to draw attention and enemy fire, with the third being the one to drop the bomb. There was some upside to the older aircraft. But now, thanks to New York Times best-selling author Kate Quinn, their story is being revived. Those noises reminded the Germans, apparently, of the sound of a witch's broomstick. The only way British female pilots would see action during World War II was to secretly accompany RAF members in combat. This article was published more than4 years ago. But the Night Witches were the first women military pilots in the 20th century to directly engage an enemy in combat. If they happened to be hit by tracer bullets, which carry a pyrotechnic charge, their wooden planes would burst into flames. Despite the regiments success, the women of the 588th routinely faced derision and harassment from their male counterparts. In extremely cold weather, they could get frost bite. A newly unearthed photo shows Amelia Earhart survived her final flight, investigators say, Discovered: Never-before seen photos of Charles Lindberghs first Spirit of St. Louis flight, Local news, weather, sports, events, restaurants and more, Fierce, feared and female: The WWII pilots known as the Night Witches, Jackson Rutledge, the Nationals 2019 first-round pick, is on the rise, This Nats roster should look much different when August rolls around, Caps first-rounder Ivan Miroshnichenko, 19 and cancer-free, chases NHL dream, A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II.. [11], The regiment flew in wood-and-canvas Polikarpov U-2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft (hence its original uchebnyy designation prefix of "U-") and for crop dusting, which also had a special U-2LNB version for the sort of night harassment attack missions flown by the 588th. The mystery is why. Sunday: Noon4:00PM. Because the cockpits were open, the pilot and navigator were exposed to the elements, including rain and freezing wind. Great Story, will put it in my paper The On Guard, local veterans paper! Nadezhvda Popova, who was shot down numerous times and once returned from a mission to find her plane riddled with 42 bullet holes, married a fellow fighter pilot, worked as a flight instructor, and raised a son who became a general in the Belarussian Air Force. Nadezhda Vasiliyevna Popova, one of the pilots interviewed, said she volunteered after her brother was killed in battle. They were considered such a problem by Nazi officers, that any German pilot who . It was the spring of 1943, at the height of World War II. https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/remarkable-journeys-of-the-second-world-war/9780750994866/. 4.0 out of 5 stars. The witches were forced to wear old uniforms and boots discarded by their male counterparts. Russian Night Witches - Women in History Stalin also authorized the creation of three all-women fighting groups: Thousands of women enlisted. And their planes had open cockpits, leaving the women's faces to freeze in the chilly night air. Undeterred by the lack of faith from many of their male counterparts, the women embraced their identities, and are said to have painted their lips with navigational pencils and to have drawn flowers on the side of their aircrafts. But in a unique twist of fate, the least qualified became the most feared and famous. 5 Amazing World War II Stories That Deserve to Be Movies, Biden Kicks Off First 2024 Campaign Rally With Pro-Union Message. Betty Joe died June 22, 2013 in Denver, just two days after her 90th birthday. They were a crucial Soviet asset to winning World War II. Related: Fly Girls: The Daring Women Who Competed in Airplane Races During the Early 1900s. Theyd drop two bombs, return to their temporary base, refuel and take on two more bombs, and then fly off on another sortie. Marina Raskova, pictured above, was instrumental in the creation of three air regiments for Soviet Women. info@wrightmuseum.org, Open daily through October 31st 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. (Agentur Voller Ernst/AP Images). Sign up for our essential daily brief and never miss a story. Themain goal of the 588th was to disorient and sleep deprive the enemy, and soon after beginning their runs, it became clear that they were successful. Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of WWII The planes they used could only hold two bombs at a time, so one pilot would fly up to eight or more missions nightly. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2008. My husband told me about this story, I had to investigate. Flying in formations of three, they sent two planes ahead as decoys. Before the war, the Polikarpov Po-2 had primarily been used for training exercises and crop dusting. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Wasps and Witches: Women Pilots of World War II - Films Media Group I can still imagine myself as a young girl, up there in my little bomber. With sexual harassment and ridicule a daily occurrence, these women had to learn quickly how to be stronger both in and outside of battle. From more than 2,000 applications, she selected around 400 women for each of the three units. Her success was helped by the fact that Joseph Stalin personally knew and respected Raskova and her efforts, and in October of 1941, he ordered her to create three female-only air squads. She refused to appeal the sentence as a show of loyalty to the party, but was later acquitted after the political commissar attached to the unit intervened on her behalf, her sentence was suspended and she was reinstated to her position. Many can see this passing as a way to get more nationalistic views for Russia, along with soldiers to fight for their country, rather than for the actual equality and treatment of women. Made of plywood frames with canvas stretched over them, the craft were light, slow, and provided absolutely no armor. Made predominantly of canvas and plywood, the two-person Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes were considered by most to be a death wish if used in combat. They lost a total of 30 pilots, and 24 of the flyers were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. [2], An attack technique of the night bombers involved idling the engine near the target and gliding to the bomb-release point with only wind noise left to reveal their presence. The Night Witches accomplished their mission, which was to disrupt the Germans sleep (and therefore, morale) while bombing important targets. Irina Rakobolskaya, pilot with the 588th Regiment, rationalized the difficult reality and challenges she faced to pursue both a family and piloting career when she stated, I think that during the war, when the fate of our country was being decided, the bringing in of women into aviation was justified. Flying was popular in the 1930s and thousands of women belonged to flying clubs. And then, as darkness descended, they became killing machines. Seeing this gave me feelings inside that made me want to fight them.. The planes, each with a pilot upfront and a navigator in back, traveled in packs: The first planes would go in as bait, attracting German spotlights, which provided much needed illumination. Night Witches: The Female Fighter Pilots of World War II These ladies flew planes; they also dropped bombs. The only one reported to have remained exclusively female was the team of night bombers, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, where everyone from the pilots, to the commanders, to the mechanics were women. Buy Now - "" ", "120 : " ", " , , ", " 0099 08.10.41 ", "Unit Cohesion Among the Three Soviet Women's Air Regiments During World War II", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Night_Witches&oldid=1162115659, 12 June 1942: The regiment's baptism by fire took place on thSouthern front in bombings of river crossings on the, January 1943: Assisted in the breakthrough of enemy defensive lines on the, March September 1943: Assisted in the breakthrough of the, April July 1943: Participated in an aerial campaign over, November 1943 May 1944: Provided air support to ground troops in the, JuneJuly 1944: Bombed enemy fortifications along the, August 1944: Operations over Poland in campaigns to expel the Germans from the cities of, March 1945: Participated in offensives over. Around400 women, ranging in age from 17 to 25, were selected and moved to Engels, where they began training at the Engels School of Aviation. Despite their clear aptitude and success, the Night Witches, a name they wore with pride, continued to receive criticism and contempt from many of the males in the Soviet military throughout their time in the war. Meet the Night Witches: The female pilots who struck fear into Nazi troops The main goal of the 588th was to disorient and sleep deprive the enemy, and it became clear they were successful.. World War II Veteran Pat Rudd joins Martha, to reflect on her service during the war, and discusses how she became one of the first women deployed overseas after the passing of the WAVES Act in 1942. Women's History Month: The WWII pilots known as Night Witches - The The women faced significant obstacles even before they began engaging in combatnamely, with the equipment. They also had no modern instruments and had to rely on maps, compasses, stopwatches, pencils, and flashlights to find their way to their objectives. Some also cut their hair short to appear like men, but painted flowers on their planes and used navigation pencils to color their lips to add a feminine touch to the war. Besides having the coolest name in aviation history, the Night Witches were a tough bunch of women pilots and navigators who stood their own against the male-dominated Soviet military. A real live family member of one of these brave women soldier/pilots. The Night Witches carried no parachutes because they flew so close to the ground and parachutes also added extra weight. Illuminated from below, the flimsy, slow-moving Po-2s were no match for flak guns and tracer bullets. The 588th lost 30 pilots during the fighting, and 23 pilots, including Popova, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The sound of air whooshing over a stalled plane quickly became the stuff of German nightmares. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. In the darkness from the mouth of Hell Russian Armata flies and ready to die we go into battle night witches. [8] At its largest, it had 40 two-person crews. 37 miles) of Berlin. The women pilots flew 1928 U-2 biplanes made of wood and canvas. My grandmother was in an air defense regiment during WW2. On October 8, 1941, Stalin gave orders to deploy three all-female air force units. As one of the pilots would recall in a later interview, We didnt recognize ourselves in the mirrorwe saw boys there.. Then the navigator would drop her bombs and the pilot, hopefully, would restart the engine and fly off. Namely, the Night Witches, an all-female squadron of bomber pilots who ran thousands of daring bombing raids with little more than wooden planes and the cover of nightand should be as celebrated as their male counterparts. They often operated in stealth mode, idling their engines as they neared their targets and then gliding their way to their bomb release points. Night Witches: The All-Female WWII Night Bomber Regiment "Night Witches"die Nachthexen Russian , Nochnyye Vedmy) was a World War II German nickname for the all-female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces. Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls March 9, 201012:00 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Susan Stamberg Listen Listen Playlist Embed Transcript WASP (from left) Frances Green, Margaret. That quality was essential because the 588thhad to operate very close to enemy lines, constantly moving operations during the day so the women could fight at night. Plus, they also made 155 supply drops of food and ammunition to Soviet forces. In order to remain hidden, the pilots would also kill their engines when they got near their target, and simply glide over it, deploying their payload. The weight of the bombs and crew forced the plane to travel low, which allowed it to be spotted easily by the enemy. They flew their first mission in June 1942and quickly developed a reputation for deadly precision. All-female flight crews known as 'Night Witches' bombed the crap out of Nazi targets in WWII The Germans were terrified of these pilots whose silent planes swooped in like ghosts. Flying no-frills wooden planes with ill-fitting uniforms and no parachutes, these Soviet pilots not only faced off against Nazis, but also judgment, doubt, and mistreatment by many of their male counterparts. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Beware the Night Witches: The All-Female Pilot Crew Who Struck Fear A Woman Leads the ChargeThe squadron was the brainchild of Marina Raskova, known as the Soviet Amelia Earhartfamous not only as the first female navigator in the Soviet Air Force but also for her many long-distance flight records. And the top speed of the Po-2 was slower than the stall speed of German fighter planes, making it hard to engage from the air. No sorcery needed. "Katya, my dear," the pilot told her navigator, "we will live long.". Its these stories that set the stage for where we are today. Start your free trial today. Joseph Stalin was one of Raskovas admirers. Because the Soviet Air Force had no females up until then, the women were given old mens uniforms. The regiment was made up primarily of female volunteers who were in their late teens and early twenties. The discrimination strengthened their determination to succeed. So amazing, Dmitry! Who were these Night Witches? They flew another version of the plane called the U-2LNB into combat. They had the 588th Guards Regiment stationed nearby. The Soviet Night Witches | Wright Museum of World War II Access hundreds of hours of historical video, commercial free, with HISTORY Vault. German soldiers likened the sound to broomsticks and hence named the pilots "Night Witches".
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