Night Witches

German Translation

"Nachthexen" means "Night Witches" in German

Nina Ulyaneko

- Commander of flight navigation

Weapons

- Couldn't carry weapons - Brought rulers, pencils, stopwatches, and compasses instead

Struggles

- Faced sexual harassment from male peers - Uniform were hand-me-downs from male pilots - The use of female fighter pilots was laughable despite their ability - Were not allowed in public without helmets on - People did not support female fighting in war - Two years of training in six months - Sent in applications which were denied - Military leaders questioned if it was strategically and moral right to send women into war - Could not have weapons or radios - Slept in anything they could find; holes in the ground, tents, or caves - Only brought into the war because the Soviet Union was desperate after Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa - One General said that he had been sent "a bunch of girlies" - Were not allowed to participate in the V-Day parade because their planes were "too slow" - Had very outdated equipment

Male Peers View

- Gave little to no respect to the Night Witches Regiment - A general complained that he was given "a bunch of girls" - The Regiment faced sexual harassment from peers

Yevdokiya Bershanskaya

- Leader of the Regiment

Squadron

- Most decorated squadron - Weren't disbanded; converted into the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment

588th Night Bombers Regiment

- Nicknamed "Night Witches" - First all-female Night Bombers Regiment - Had about 80 flying crews - Were a crucial Soviet asset in winning WWII - Lost 30 pilots total - Most women were barely 20 years old

Marina Raskova

- Nicknamed the Russian Amelia Earhart - Creator of the 588th Regiment -Colonel -Died in a flying accident

Nadezhda Popova

- Shot down multiple times - Flew up to 18 missions in one night - Highly decorated with awards including "Hero of the Union" award

Nazis

- Thought there women were criminals - Refused to smoke outside for fear they would reveal themselves - Were incredibly fearful of the Night Witches - Were an easy target for the Night Witches - Messerschmitts' and Focke-Wulfs' were the planes Germans used to try and take down the Night Witches

Missions

-Flew 30,000+ missions total -First mission on June 8th, 1942 -Planes flown in groups of three -Had to fly back to base between each mission to reload bombs -Would fly at least eight mission per night -Had about 80 flying crews

Reloading the Plane

-Had to do it manually -Had to get outside of the cockpit during flight

Training

-Lasted six months when it was supposed to take two years

Material of Planes

-Made out of wood and canvas -Wings had patches in them from bullet holes -Slowest motor in WWII

Downtime

-Needlework or patchwork -Would decorate their planes

Navigation and Supplies

-No radios, no maps, no weapons; planes couldn't hold that much weight -Used navigation pencils as their eyeliner -Didn't get parachutes until 1944, but they weren't very useful

Polikarpov PO-2

-Plane flown by the Night Witches -Were originally crop dusters -Too small to show up on enemy radars -Could hold two bombs at a time -Malfunctioned very often -Made a "swoosh" noise; it was the only warning the enemy got -Could not reach 100 mph -Women would fly with an open cockpit with only a shield of glass to "protect" against harsh, cold weather -10th most produced aircraft at the time -Easy to maneuver due to slow speed

Engine Malfunctions

-The women flying the planes would climb onto the wing mid-flight and restart the engine

Strategy

-Two planes distract the searchlights -Third plane would bomb the target -Were able to make sharp turns which the German planes could not do -Flew close to their targets then shut off their engines -Would glide to their targets, then release bombs

V-Day in Moscow

-Unable to fly in the parade due to the "lack of speed" their planes flew at

Public View

-Viewed as heroes -Public didn't know they were women -Forced to wear their helmets in public

The Soviet Union

-Was pleased to use female fighters as propaganda -Was against using female bombers at first -Questioned if using female fighters was morally right -Used female fighters as a last resort -First country to use female fighters

Nazi Reward

If a Nazi shot down a Night Witch plane, they received an Iron Cross or 2,000 Shekels

Night Witches

Russian female pilots who helped defeat Germany in WWII

Women in the Red Army

Served as... -Tank crew members -Machine gunners -Combat medics -Snipers