Night Witches
Encyclopedia
"Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II
German
nickname (Russian
Ночные ведьмы), for the female military aviator
s of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces. The regiment was formed by Colonel Marina Raskova
and led by Major Yevdokia Bershanskaya.
The regiment flew harassment bombing and precision bombing
missions against the German military
from 1942 to the end of the war. At its largest size, it had 40 two-person crews. It flew over 23,000 sorties and is said to have dropped 3,000 tons of bombs. It was the most highly-decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, each pilot having flown over 1,000 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union
title. Thirty of its members died in combat.
The regiment flew in wood and canvas Polikarpov Po-2
biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft and for crop-dusting. The planes could carry only two bombs at a time, so multiple missions in a night were necessary. Although the aircraft were obsolete and slow, the pilots made daring use of their exceptional maneuverability; they had the advantage of having a maximum speed that was lower than the stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109
and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190
, as a result, the German pilots found them very difficult to shoot down. A stealth technique of the night bombers was to idle the engine near the target and glide to the bomb release point, with only wind noise to reveal their location.
From June 1942, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment was within the 4th Air Army
. In February 1943 the regiment was honored with a reorganization into the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment and in October 1943 it became the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. The word Taman referred to the unit's involvement in two celebrated Soviet victories on the Taman Peninsula
, during 1943.
Notable members:
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
nickname (Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Ночные ведьмы), for the female military aviator
Aircrew
Aircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...
s of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces. The regiment was formed by Colonel Marina Raskova
Marina Raskova
Marina Mikhailovna Raskova was a famous Russian navigator. She later became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments which would eventually fly over 30,000 sorties in World War II.- Early life :...
and led by Major Yevdokia Bershanskaya.
The regiment flew harassment bombing and precision bombing
Precision bombing
Precision bombing is bombing of a small target with extreme accuracy, to limit side-effect damage. An example would be destroying a single building in a built up area causing minimal damage to the surroundings...
missions against the German military
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
from 1942 to the end of the war. At its largest size, it had 40 two-person crews. It flew over 23,000 sorties and is said to have dropped 3,000 tons of bombs. It was the most highly-decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, each pilot having flown over 1,000 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
title. Thirty of its members died in combat.
The regiment flew in wood and canvas Polikarpov Po-2
Polikarpov Po-2
The Polikarpov Po-2 served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik for maize; thus, 'maize duster' or 'crop duster'), NATO reporting name "Mule"...
biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft and for crop-dusting. The planes could carry only two bombs at a time, so multiple missions in a night were necessary. Although the aircraft were obsolete and slow, the pilots made daring use of their exceptional maneuverability; they had the advantage of having a maximum speed that was lower than the stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
, as a result, the German pilots found them very difficult to shoot down. A stealth technique of the night bombers was to idle the engine near the target and glide to the bomb release point, with only wind noise to reveal their location.
From June 1942, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment was within the 4th Air Army
4th Air Army
The 4th Air Army was a Soviet Air Force formation and from 1992 to 2009 was part of the Russian Air Force. From 1998 the army was designated the 4th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence. It was first established on 22 May 1942 from the Air Forces of the Soviet Southern Front, and fought on the...
. In February 1943 the regiment was honored with a reorganization into the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment and in October 1943 it became the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. The word Taman referred to the unit's involvement in two celebrated Soviet victories on the Taman Peninsula
Taman peninsula
The Taman Peninsula is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia. It is bounded on the north by the Sea of Azov, on the west by the Strait of Kerch and on the south by the Black Sea. The peninsula has evolved over the past two millennia from a chain of islands into the peninsula it is...
, during 1943.
People
Commanders:- Yevdokiya Bershanskaya - Regimental Commander
- Yevgeniya Zhigulenko, Hero of the Soviet Union - Flight Commander
- Tat'yana Makarova, Hero of the Soviet Union - Flight Commander
- Nina Ul'yanenko, Hero of the Soviet Union - Flight Navigator
Notable members:
- Nadezhda PopovaNadezhda PopovaNadezdha Anastasya Vasil'yevna Popova, is one of the first military female pilots in the Soviet Union and was awarded the decorations of Hero of the Soviet Union, Gold Star, Order of Lenin, and Order of the Red Star during the Great Patriotic War.-Early life:Popova was born in Shabanovka...
- Natalya Meklin
- Evgeniya RudnevaEvgeniya RudnevaEvgeniya Maksimovna Rudneva , also known as Zhenya Rudneva was a Soviet military air navigator, a Hero of the Soviet Union, a member of the Moscow branch of the Astronomical-Geodesical Society of the USSR, and head of the Solar Department. She was Ukrainian, born into the family of an office worker...
- Vera BjelikVera BjelikVera Bjelik was a World War II navigator born in Yakymivka raion, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine.She joined the Red Army in 1941 and became active from May 1942...
- Irina SebrovaIrina SebrovaIrina Feodorovna Sebrova was a lieutenant and pilot for the Soviet Air Forces who served in the all-female Night Witches during the Great Patriotic War...
- Polina GelmanPolina GelmanPolina Vladimirovna Gelman was a Soviet Air Force officer, decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union for her service with the famed Night Witches unit during World War II.-Biography:...
- Rufina Gasheva
Cultural references
- Harry TurtledoveHarry TurtledoveHarry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
's alternate history series WorldwarWorldwarWorldwar is a series of novels by Harry Turtledove whose premise is an alien invasion of Earth in the middle of World War II. The military invasion begins on or around May 30, 1942, but the aliens, who call themselves the Race, reached Earth orbit in December 1941...
features Lieutenant Ludmilla Gorbunova, a fictional "Night Witch". - The Night Witches had appeared in the long-running British comic strip Johnny Red. Writer Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
, a childhood fan of the strip, would later write a three-part comic book mini-series called Battlefields: The Night WitchesBattlefields (comics)Battlefields is a comic book metaseries written by Garth Ennis, comprising three mini-series, each illustrated by a different artist and published by Dynamite Entertainment.-Publication history:... - Katya Berkovna, a character in the novel Last Citadel by David L. RobbinsDavid L. Robbins (Virginia writer)David L. Robbins is an American author of several historical fiction novels, and founder of the James River Writers and the Richmond-based Podium Foundation.- Biography :...
, serves with the Night Witches during the Battle of KurskBattle of KurskThe Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
. - "Nachthexen" (Night Witches) is the title of a song off the 2008 album ...Of Frost And War by Dutch death metal band Hail of BulletsHail of BulletsHail of Bullets is a Dutch death metal band from Amersfoort. The band's lyrical content deals with the Second World War. The band has released two albums via Metal Blade Records.-Albums:*…Of Frost and War...
.
External links
- "Day of Glory for USSR's Night Witches," by Robyn Dixon. Los Angeles Times. May 10, 2001, Part A: Foreign Desk, page A1.
- The Night Witches.
- Soviet Women Combat Pilots New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum
- The Incredible Story of the "Night Witches."
- Female Faces of the Air War
- Russian Women Pilots
- Marina Raskova and Soviet Female Pilots
- The Night Witches - Russian Combat Pilots of World War Two
- Airwomen of the Red Star San Diego Aerospace Museum.
- Stalins Himmelsstürmerinnen SPIEGEL story on the Night Witches, in German
- Unit Cohesion Among the Three Soviet Women's Air Regiments During World War II (Master's thesis by Jessica Bhuvasorakul)
- The Glorious Daughter of the Steppe and Brave Hero of the Skies