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Night Witches
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All-women Soviet aviation unit
For other uses, see Night Witches (disambiguation).
588th Night Bomber Regiment<br>(1942–1943)46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (1943–1945)A Polikarpov Po-2, the aircraft type used by the regiment<br>Active1942–1945CountrySoviet UnionBranchSoviet Air ForcesRoleHarassment and tactical bombingNicknameNight WitchesEngagements<br>World War II<br>Eastern Front
DecorationsGuards designation<br>Order of the Red Banner<br>Order of SuvorovCommandersRegimental CommanderYevdokiya BershanskayaDeputy Regiment CommanderSerafima AmosovaCommissarYevdokiya RachkevichAircraft flownBomberPolikarpov Po-2Military unit
"Night Witches "[a] was a World War II nickname for the all-female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment [b], known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Red Banner and Order of Suvorov Regiment ,[c] of the Soviet Air Forces.
Major Marina Raskova used her position and personal contacts with the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to obtain permission to form female combat units. Combat facilitated and ushered in a reluctant acceptance of women in military, based more upon practicality and necessity than for equality.[1] On October 8, 1941, an order was issued to deploy three women's air-force units, including the 588th Regiment. The regiment, formed by Raskova and led by Major Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, was composed primarily of female volunteers in their late teens and early twenties.[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. Allegedly, German soldiers likened the sound to broomsticks and hence named the pilots "Night Witches".[dubious – discuss][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]
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. In February 1943 the regiment was honored with the Guards designation and reorganized as the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment in the 325th Night Bomber Aviation Division, 4th Air Army, 2nd Belorussian Front; in October 1943 it became the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment,[6] "Taman" referring to the unit's involvement in the Novorossiysk-Taman operations on the Taman Peninsula during 1943.
Conception<br>[edit]
This section needs more citations . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br>Find sources: "Night Witches" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
In October 1941, Major Marina Raskova was granted authority to select candidates for the 122nd Composite Air Group, an all-female aviation regiment. Raskova had already established several world records in long-distance non-stop flights and was referred to as the "Russian Amelia Earhart" for her achievements.[7]
When the Germans invaded in 1941, young women began writing Raskova letters, asking how they could best serve their country using their flight skills. Raskova used her personal connection with Stalin to obtain approval to establish the regiment.[8]
Stalin was quick to approve of the initiative, as he had a general interest in the women's "tremendous international propaganda value."[9]
History and tactics<br>[edit]
The regiment flew harassment and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 until the end of the Second World War (1945).[10] At its largest, it had 40 two-person crews. The regiment flew over 23,000 sorties, dropping over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells.[11][12] It was the most highly decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, with many pilots having flown over 800 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. Thirty-two of its members died during the war.[13]
The regiment flew in steel-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 plane could carry only 350 kilograms (770 lb) of bombs,[14] so eight or more missions per night were...