The Night Witches-Combat Pilots WWII-Heroines of the Soviet Union

by Emma Gee

The Night Witches Combat Pilots WWII Heroines of the Soviet Union Eager young Russian women pilots, some of them still teen-agers, fearlessly fly night bombing missions at the Russian front. They fly outdated Polikarpov Po-2 open cockpit biplanes converted to bombers. These courageous night bomber crews drop their payload of bombs relentlessly on the German invaders during the Great Patriotic War of Russia 1941-1945 during WWII. While caught in the blinding searchlights, they face the overwhelming superiority of the Messerschmitt fighter planes of the German Luftwaffe along with the endless barrage of the enemy anti-aircraft guns on every sortie. At first, the Russian Military turned away the young female volunteers, telling them to go home and help their mothers, but as the German invasion of Russia progresses, they accepted the female pilots to train as combat pilots. As the war rages on, the courageous women demonstrate their resolve, their male counter parts respectfully refer to the highly decorated airwomen of the night bomber regiment as their ‘brave little sisters.’ To the German soldier, they are the Nachthexen, the dreaded ‘Night Witches’ because of the quiet swoosh of the silenced engines of the Po-2 biplanes, which reminds them of the swooshing sound of a witches broom flying through the air. The constant harassment bombing in the dead of the night, leave the Germans with little rest. Romance at the front is often just a brief encounter, a kiss goodbye with the hopes of meeting again after the war is over. Some of the airwomen meet soldiers, fall in love, and marry, only to find themselves widowed not long afterwards; that is the way of life on the front lines. The daredevils of the all-woman night bombing regiment fly between 10 and 18 sorties a night in any kind of hazardous weather conditions. Many of them receive the ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ award, the country’s highest honor, some posthumously, for their awe-inspiring bravery. These courageous young aviators, the only women combat night bombers of WWII, play a significant role in defeating the German invaders and driving them out of their beloved Russia.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2014

Reviews

[Fiona]

I was disappointed in this book. First, I thought it was based on real people & real facts. At the end in the Author's Notes, I read that all the characters are fictional. Second, the writing is poor. At first, I thought it was because of poor editing but it's more than that. It's as if this was the author's first attempt at writing a book. Thirdly, the plot line continues after the war but doesn't add any value to the WWII events or to the strengths of the characters.

The Night Witches is the name the Nazi Luftwaffe pilots gave to the Soviet women night bomber pilots. They flew the Po-2 bi-planes and turned off their engines when they were over their drop sites. Although the engines became silent, there was swooshing sound as they flew overhead and gives an image of a witch flying on a broom. There were regiments of women bombers who flew combat missions to defend their country during WWII. They always flew at night and under the radar. When arriving at their drop sites, they would turn off their engines to bomb their targets and then turn on their engines to fly back to the base to prepare for another sortie.

Remarkable and strong women. I just wish this book was based on real women instead of fictional characters.

[Lauren]

Interesting insight into the night witches which is an amazing part of WW2 but it read like a poorly written high school essay. I had a hard time getting through it

[Bill Johnson]

A Great Story

A story about the toll wars take on people. And how they were able to follow up with their dreams.

[La]

While unevenly written, I found this book most educational. I've been interested in these female combat pilots for a while and this book gave me quite a good feel for their life during the war.