The Night Witches
Rebecca DeMatteo 2/18
It’s the winter of 1943. World War II is raging on and nothing seems to be stopping the Nazis. The wind is frigid. The unprotected pilots shiver at the cold wind hitting them. The crew of two doesn’t have radar. Instead, they are using maps and compasses to navigate their way to their target. They turn the plane’s engine off once they are in range. They deploy the bombs above unsuspecting Nazis and glide the plane until it is safe enough to turn the engines back on. These pilots are members of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Air Force, the most highly decorated female unit.
The 588th was unique among female units. The Soviet Union was the first nation to allow women to be able to engage in combat. Other countries, like the United States, allowed women to fly as members of their air forces, but they served in support and transport roles. The Night Bomber Regiment was one of the three female fighter pilot units created by Joseph Stalin, who was urged to do so by Marina Raskova.
She had received letters from women who wanted to join the war as pilots and gunners. This prompted her to want to start a female unit. She received over two thousand applications. She selected 400 women to be in each of three squadrons. Those selected trained at the Engels School of Aviation. They were able to learn everything they had to know in a few months. Raskova trained her recruits as navigators, pilots, and members of the maintenance and ground crews. She also prepared them for an environment that preferred to treat women as bombshells instead of bombers.
After many missions, the women earned the nickname Nachthexen, which translates to Night Witches. This was due to the sound of their planes. As they flew by, their planes made a soft whooshing noise. It reminded the Germans of the sound of a witch’s broomstick.
The planes they used were ones used for crop-dusting and training. They were made of plywood and canvas, which caused them to be highly flammable. If hit with tracer bullets, their planes would ignite. Nadezhda Popova, a commander, once found forty-two bullet holes in her plane. The planes had open cockpits. This left the women to freeze, though they continued their missions, despite not being able to feel some of their limbs. Their planes would become so cold that even touching them would cause their skin to rip off.
Over the course of four years, members (who ranged from ages 17 to 26) of the 588th flew over 30,000 missions. Each plane flew eight to eighteen missions a night. This was because the planes were only able to carry two bombs at a time. The weight of the bombs would cause the planes to fly at lower altitudes, which created a greater risk of being seen. In total, they dropped approximately 23,000 tons of bombs on German armies.
In the air, they fought to stay alive as they flew over Nazi territory. On the ground, they battled sexual harassment and skepticism. These brave women struggled to earn the respect of their brothers-in-arms. They even wore hand-me-down uniforms from male pilots. A male general initially complained about being sent “a bunch of girlies” instead of soldiers. Other male personnel believed the women added no value to the combat effort. Any German airman who was able to kill one was automatically awarded the Iron Cross Medal.
Some Germans had theories about why the women were so successful. One was that they were all criminals who were masters at stealing. Another was they had been given special injections that allowed them to see at night.
The Soviet Union was desperate due to the Nazi’s 1941 invasion. If it had not been for this invasion, the 588th may never have happened. They were not given the proper tools, such as radar or radios, which actually helped them since they were not able to be traced by the enemy. Instead they were given rudimentary tools like stopwatches, flashlights, rulers, maps, compasses, and pencils. Despite being the most decorated unit, the 588th was disbanded six months after World War ended. They weren’t included in the victory-day parade in Moscow either.
Sources
- Garber, Megan. “Night Witches: The Female Fighter Pilots of World War II.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 15 July 2013, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/07/night-witches-the-female-fighter-pilots-of-world-war-ii/277779/.
- Holland, Brynn. “Meet the Night Witches, the Daring Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 7 July 2017, www.history.com/news/meet-the-night-witches-the-daring-female-pilots-who-bombed-nazis-by-night.
Rebecca DeMatteo 2/18
It’s the winter of 1943. World War II is raging on and nothing seems to be stopping the Nazis. The wind is frigid. The unprotected pilots shiver at the cold wind hitting them. The crew of two doesn’t have radar. Instead, they are using maps and compasses to navigate their way to their target. They turn the plane’s engine off once they are in range. They deploy the bombs above unsuspecting Nazis and glide the plane until it is safe enough to turn the engines back on. These pilots are members of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Air Force, the most highly decorated female unit.
The 588th was unique among female units. The Soviet Union was the first nation to allow women to be able to engage in combat. Other countries, like the United States, allowed women to fly as members of their air forces, but they served in support and transport roles. The Night Bomber Regiment was one of the three female fighter pilot units created by Joseph Stalin, who was urged to do so by Marina Raskova.
She had received letters from women who wanted to join the war as pilots and gunners. This prompted her to want to start a female unit. She received over two thousand applications. She selected 400 women to be in each of three squadrons. Those selected trained at the Engels School of Aviation. They were able to learn everything they had to know in a few months. Raskova trained her recruits as navigators, pilots, and members of the maintenance and ground crews. She also prepared them for an environment that preferred to treat women as bombshells instead of bombers.
After many missions, the women earned the nickname Nachthexen, which translates to Night Witches. This was due to the sound of their planes. As they flew by, their planes made a soft whooshing noise. It reminded the Germans of the sound of a witch’s broomstick.
The planes they used were ones used for crop-dusting and training. They were made of plywood and canvas, which caused them to be highly flammable. If hit with tracer bullets, their planes would ignite. Nadezhda Popova, a commander, once found forty-two bullet holes in her plane. The planes had open cockpits. This left the women to freeze, though they continued their missions, despite not being able to feel some of their limbs. Their planes would become so cold that even touching them would cause their skin to rip off.
Over the course of four years, members (who ranged from ages 17 to 26) of the 588th flew over 30,000 missions. Each plane flew eight to eighteen missions a night. This was because the planes were only able to carry two bombs at a time. The weight of the bombs would cause the planes to fly at lower altitudes, which created a greater risk of being seen. In total, they dropped approximately 23,000 tons of bombs on German armies.
In the air, they fought to stay alive as they flew over Nazi territory. On the ground, they battled sexual harassment and skepticism. These brave women struggled to earn the respect of their brothers-in-arms. They even wore hand-me-down uniforms from male pilots. A male general initially complained about being sent “a bunch of girlies” instead of soldiers. Other male personnel believed the women added no value to the combat effort. Any German airman who was able to kill one was automatically awarded the Iron Cross Medal.
Some Germans had theories about why the women were so successful. One was that they were all criminals who were masters at stealing. Another was they had been given special injections that allowed them to see at night.
The Soviet Union was desperate due to the Nazi’s 1941 invasion. If it had not been for this invasion, the 588th may never have happened. They were not given the proper tools, such as radar or radios, which actually helped them since they were not able to be traced by the enemy. Instead they were given rudimentary tools like stopwatches, flashlights, rulers, maps, compasses, and pencils. Despite being the most decorated unit, the 588th was disbanded six months after World War ended. They weren’t included in the victory-day parade in Moscow either.
Sources
- Garber, Megan. “Night Witches: The Female Fighter Pilots of World War II.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 15 July 2013, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/07/night-witches-the-female-fighter-pilots-of-world-war-ii/277779/.
- Holland, Brynn. “Meet the Night Witches, the Daring Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 7 July 2017, www.history.com/news/meet-the-night-witches-the-daring-female-pilots-who-bombed-nazis-by-night.
