Night Witches

ight Witches were a group of women combat pilots in the Soviet Union who fought in World War II (1939-1945). They flew at night, and they were so deadly that the Germans gave them the nickname of “Night Witches.”

Women in Combat

The Soviet Union was the only Allied nation in World War II to use women pilots in combat. Women flew military aircraft in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, but only on transport or delivery flights. Such mis­sions could be difficult and often haz­ardous, but there was a low risk of encountering enemy aircraft.

During World War II, Soviet armed forces fought a desperate battle against large German armies following the German invasion of Russia in the sum­mer of 1941. The Soviets were desper­ately short of planes and pilots. In the

Communist Soviet Union, women drove farm tractors and trucks alongside men, so-Soviet generals reasoned-why not train them to fly combat planes?

Three regiments of female combat pilots were formed in the Soviet Union in 1942. The Night Witches belonged to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. The pilots, mechanics, and weapons person­nel in this unit were all women.

The Night Witches flew old – fashioned Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, really only suitable as training airplanes. These wooden and fabric planes had a top speed of only 94 miles per hour (150 kilometers per hour). The Po-2 biplanes had such weak engines that they could carry only two bombs. Possibly female pilots were given such old planes because the military did not have great concerns for their safety, but the Night Witches developed some tricks that surprised everyone.