Night Witches: A History of the All Female 588th Night Bomber Regiment

by Fergus Mason, HistoryCaps (Editor)

From 1942 until the end of World War II, the Soviets had a secret weapon: women. The 588th Night Bomber Regiment was one of the most decorated units; each member had flew more than 800 missions by the end of the war, and twenty-three were awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union (the highest distinction).

Despite all the awards, the unit is largely forgot now. This book looks at the history of one of the most daring aviations units ever commissioned.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II, War, History

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2014

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written, interesting and informative little book that tells the amazing story of the Night Witches. I love know that these women existed. Brave women bombing the Germans in the middle of the night from turned off aeroplanes, gliding so low the air moving over the planes was audible on the ground - do you get more badass that that?
Cummon Reece Witherspoon - make this movie why don'tcha.

[Melinda Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

WWII - Night Witches

I have an ever expanding hobby - it started with minority and female involvement in the US during WWII and is growing to include WWI and allied countries in both wars (or as I like to call them, the World War, parts 1 and 2). I first heard of the Night Witches when I was a college student in the 60s and forgot about them until now. This book is an excellent overview of both the history of the regiment and the war between the USSR and Germany. It’s well written and holds interest.

[Armanda Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing... Though it's a short read, it's delightfully written and marvelously sums up the origins, general context and history of some of the most outstanding women: the Night Witches.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who reads around 100 WWII fiction and non-fiction books a year, one of the things I love the most about reading history is that I am constantly finding out about things I have never encountered before. Mysteries are my brain candy, so this series is heaven for me: Billy Boyle, World War II #16, Road of Bones, by James R. Benn. Billy Boyle is sent to the heart of the USSR to solve a double-murder at a critical turning point in the war in this installment of critically acclaimed James R. Benn's WWII mystery series. It’s September 1944, and the US is poised to launch Operation Frantic, a shuttle bombing mission to be conducted by American aircraft based in Great Britain, southern Italy, and three Soviet airfields in the Ukraine. Tensions are already high between the American and Russian allies when two intelligence agents—one Soviet, one American—are found dead at Poltava, one of the Ukrainian bases. Billy is brought in to investigate, and this time he's paired, at the insistence of the Soviets, with a KGB agent who has his own political and personal agenda. In the course of an investigation that quickly sprawls out of control, Billy is aided by the Night Witches, a daring regiment of young Soviet women that flew outdated biplanes at night at very low altitudes, bombing hundreds of German installations..... I had never heard of Operation Frantic ( I think the name choice was excellent ) or the Night Witches. I had to learn more. My father and uncles served in WWII - I thought they walked on water - these 6 foot Norwegians - and developed a very early interest in the war. For far too long I was reading almost exclusively about the European Theatre of Operations, until a much needed DUH!!! moment. In 1967/68 I participated in a study group through St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and studied at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok for a semester. On the way and returning we visited Japan, Hong Kong, Penang, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Guam. Since I had visited some of the major battle areas of WWII, why was I not reading about the Pacific War. I visited the the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery for the thousands of British, Australian, Canadian, and Dutch POW's who died building the Death Railroad = Thai - Burma Railway. I even walked across the "Bridge over the River Kwai. In Manila I visited Fort Santiago, the last part of Manila's old city that was captured by the Americans. It was a prison / torture chamber for American POW's and local civilians. I had to leave the fortress - it felt too haunted..... For the last 3 years I have been catching up on the Pacific Theatre, but now I realize I have neglected the Eastern Front in Europe from the point of view of the Soviets. So now I have more catching up to do............. "Night Witches" was a World War II nickname for the all-female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Red Banner and Order of Suvorov Regiment of the Soviet Air Forces. ( There were at least two other squadrons with both male and female pilots. ) They were called the Night Witches because they flew WWI era bi-planes made mostly of wood and canvas. They were less detectable because of less metal density and they idle their engines when the aimed for a target. They also flew as low as possible and attacked at night. German soldiers on the ground could only hear a kind of "whooooshing" sound like a branch or broom moving through the air. Due to the weight of the bombs and the low altitude of flight, the pilots usually did not carry parachutes. Since the pilots and navigators were in open cockpits and did not sit on their chutes, they often sat on light pillows in order to see out of the plane. These were certainly brave young women as they had little heavy metal shielding typical of a bomber or fighter plane. They tormented the Nazis with their stealth and effectiveness. This book is a short read and is a "historycap" - a study guide for a particular event of period in history. I enjoyed the book and want to read more. I believe the history is sound and this edition is great introduction to the Soviet Night Witches. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Mike Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but informative read

As an aviation and WWII history buff, I’m surprised I hadn’t known about this unit before. After hearing a mention on the radio, I went searching on Amazon and found this book. It perfectly captured the essence the unit’s intriguing story in a quick but enjoyable read.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less stories and more facts than I hoped, but with the squadron all passed on, I imagine it would be difficult to get more.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative with extensive background to help with context.

[Lori Gronewold · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted more information about who were in the night witches

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly well written little book. I was a little disappointed when I saw the dinky publishing job and expected it to be terrible, but it was a great overview of the 588th and their contribution to the war.