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Night Witch
Farm girl to aviator in the heroic WWII Russian flying unit the Germans called the Night Witches…
JUNE 1941 Nineteen-year old Raisa Tarasova’s peaceful life shatters when Hitler’s forces invade Russia. Her two brothers immediately enlist in the air corps. Despite Raisa’s desire to fly and her many hours of flying time, neither the air corps nor her father would allow such a thing. She is, after all, “just a girl.”
In September Raisa returns to her engineering studies at the university in Moscow. Once there, she jumps at the opportunity to join a newly formed women’s aviation unit. Wearing men’s uniforms hurriedly cut down to fit, Raisa and 300 other female recruits are loaded into railcars and
transported to a training base.
After six hard months of schooling, Raisa is assigned as a navigator with the all-women Night Bomber Regiment.
Their aircraft is the PO-2, a biplane made of wood and fabric. Months later, after a night of heavy losses, Raisa is given a field promotion and the new responsibility of pilot. She has no choice but to carry out her orders and face down a most significant enemy…her own fear.
Courage, an impossible romance, and a daring rescue only a woman would devise become part of Raisa’s new life as a member of the 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, the NIGHT WITCHES.
JUNE 1941 Nineteen-year old Raisa Tarasova’s peaceful life shatters when Hitler’s forces invade Russia. Her two brothers immediately enlist in the air corps. Despite Raisa’s desire to fly and her many hours of flying time, neither the air corps nor her father would allow such a thing. She is, after all, “just a girl.”
In September Raisa returns to her engineering studies at the university in Moscow. Once there, she jumps at the opportunity to join a newly formed women’s aviation unit. Wearing men’s uniforms hurriedly cut down to fit, Raisa and 300 other female recruits are loaded into railcars and
transported to a training base.
After six hard months of schooling, Raisa is assigned as a navigator with the all-women Night Bomber Regiment.
Their aircraft is the PO-2, a biplane made of wood and fabric. Months later, after a night of heavy losses, Raisa is given a field promotion and the new responsibility of pilot. She has no choice but to carry out her orders and face down a most significant enemy…her own fear.
Courage, an impossible romance, and a daring rescue only a woman would devise become part of Raisa’s new life as a member of the 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, the NIGHT WITCHES.
423 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 3, 2018
I enjoyed this book - especially the historical accuracy’s that were incorporated. I did find the dialogue stiff and some of the plot was a little far fetched. But overall I enjoyed the story.
Ever since learning of the Russian Night Witches - the all female night bombing aviation regiment - I have intrigued to read what I can. This book tells the story of Raisa, a country girl with a love of flying who joins the military after her brothers are recruited. She wants to do what she can for the war movement. She finds so much more than patriotism in her fight for Mother Russia - friendship, honor and even love.
Ever since learning of the Russian Night Witches - the all female night bombing aviation regiment - I have intrigued to read what I can. This book tells the story of Raisa, a country girl with a love of flying who joins the military after her brothers are recruited. She wants to do what she can for the war movement. She finds so much more than patriotism in her fight for Mother Russia - friendship, honor and even love.
June 19, 2016
Book Review: Night Witch
This book is a treasure. It has pretty much anything a reader will love. One of my 'stingy' five star ratings. A Story of a Russian girl, third year Engineering student who decides to fly as a bomber crewman, in the famous all female night bomber regiment, nicknamed by the Germans as the 'Night Witches'. It has a little of everything: A hard upbringing by her father, that made her strong, a posting as a Navigator in her unit, a 'backseater' to a Russian bomber pilot that is held in awe by her fellow pilots. She Becomes a pilot and establishes her own status as a leader. She copes with being shot down, being rescued, being captured by Germans, and even manages to escape and evade with the help of a foreign captured nurse and Russian partisan assistance.
RIch Johns
This book is a treasure. It has pretty much anything a reader will love. One of my 'stingy' five star ratings. A Story of a Russian girl, third year Engineering student who decides to fly as a bomber crewman, in the famous all female night bomber regiment, nicknamed by the Germans as the 'Night Witches'. It has a little of everything: A hard upbringing by her father, that made her strong, a posting as a Navigator in her unit, a 'backseater' to a Russian bomber pilot that is held in awe by her fellow pilots. She Becomes a pilot and establishes her own status as a leader. She copes with being shot down, being rescued, being captured by Germans, and even manages to escape and evade with the help of a foreign captured nurse and Russian partisan assistance.
RIch Johns
March 16, 2016
Excellent. History buff or not, a must read.
I was intrigued by the premise. I was totally into the book from start to finish. The progression of the night witches was amazing and well developed by the author.
I was intrigued by the premise. I was totally into the book from start to finish. The progression of the night witches was amazing and well developed by the author.
September 14, 2018
Historical yet relatable, loved this ode to women heroes. McCormack highlights challenges of women fighters during the second world war, from misogyny to work-life choices. Sadly these are the same issues women in men dominated fields face today.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2016
Was interested in the night witches...enjoyed the flying and combat descriptions. The hardships in Russia were horrific. Brave women!!
July 24, 2019
Review 4.3 stars
This was the second novel I read about a young woman who risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female Soviet night bomber regiment that wreaked havoc on the invading Germans in World War II.
Echoing the real friendships forged amid the harsh struggle to survive a gritty and vicious war – the terrible conflict known to the Soviets as the Great Patriotic War – this was a crafted story built around good research.
Nineteen-year old Raisa Tarasova’s peaceful life and engineering studies are shattered when Hitler’s forces invade Russia. But unlike her brothers, she cannot join the air corps despite her many hours of flying time – she’s a girl. However, when a women’s aviation unit is formed, she joins up with 300 other recruits.
After six hard months of schooling, Raisa is assigned as a navigator with the all-women 588th Night Bomber Regiment, which flies the PO-2, a biplane made of wood and fabric. Comrades die, leading to a field promotion to pilot – and a daring rescue at the expense of everything, including a burgeoning romance.
The build-up from peace to war pulls the reader in, giving the ideal amount of backstory. The author paints a clever contrast between everyday normality and the encroaching storm of war. The invasion triggers an increase of pace, although the female recruits are not rushed to the front – unlike men such as Raisa’s brothers.
From the training into the combat, the reader is enveloped in the realism of flying and the social interaction between the young women – and with the male aircrew. There is enough detail to ground the story, but not so much that the pace struggles. Events, especially at the front, are traumatic but some are humorous.
S.J. McCormack did her research, judging from my reading of a newly-published non-fiction book on Soviet airwomen I own. The author lists her sources, and these include ones I’ve heard of.
Only one thing concerned me. SPOILER ALERT…
I knew Stalin imposed strict orders that if you surrendered or were captured by the enemy – or even just ended up behind enemy lines – you were a traitor. So, when Raisa is shot down on the German side of the front, I wondered how she could ever return to her regiment safely.
END ALERT.
The resolution the author devised for the climax was ingenious, strengthened the story – and had me diving down research rabbit holes and nodding, grin on my face.
The characters all felt rounded, especially Raisa with all her complexities and central fear. Plus, her pilot-friend who everyone admires, and who inspires Raisa throughout the story is a strong role. Even the secondary characters seemed real, from her love-interest to the girl with the cow.
The settings worked as background to the story and characters, even if nothing came alive either as distinctive or as a distraction. But the locations worked neatly into the whole structure. Although there were no WOW-twists, the inventive ending had me ‘heading home’ with Raisa, nodding in agreement.
An enjoyable read and recommended for anyone who likes entertaining WWII historical fiction.
Story – four stars
Setting/World-building – four stars
Characters – five stars
Authenticity – four stars
Structure – four stars
Readability – five stars
Editing – four stars
Originally review posted at: https://rolandclarke.com/2019/07/24/n...
This was the second novel I read about a young woman who risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female Soviet night bomber regiment that wreaked havoc on the invading Germans in World War II.
Echoing the real friendships forged amid the harsh struggle to survive a gritty and vicious war – the terrible conflict known to the Soviets as the Great Patriotic War – this was a crafted story built around good research.
Nineteen-year old Raisa Tarasova’s peaceful life and engineering studies are shattered when Hitler’s forces invade Russia. But unlike her brothers, she cannot join the air corps despite her many hours of flying time – she’s a girl. However, when a women’s aviation unit is formed, she joins up with 300 other recruits.
After six hard months of schooling, Raisa is assigned as a navigator with the all-women 588th Night Bomber Regiment, which flies the PO-2, a biplane made of wood and fabric. Comrades die, leading to a field promotion to pilot – and a daring rescue at the expense of everything, including a burgeoning romance.
The build-up from peace to war pulls the reader in, giving the ideal amount of backstory. The author paints a clever contrast between everyday normality and the encroaching storm of war. The invasion triggers an increase of pace, although the female recruits are not rushed to the front – unlike men such as Raisa’s brothers.
From the training into the combat, the reader is enveloped in the realism of flying and the social interaction between the young women – and with the male aircrew. There is enough detail to ground the story, but not so much that the pace struggles. Events, especially at the front, are traumatic but some are humorous.
S.J. McCormack did her research, judging from my reading of a newly-published non-fiction book on Soviet airwomen I own. The author lists her sources, and these include ones I’ve heard of.
Only one thing concerned me. SPOILER ALERT…
I knew Stalin imposed strict orders that if you surrendered or were captured by the enemy – or even just ended up behind enemy lines – you were a traitor. So, when Raisa is shot down on the German side of the front, I wondered how she could ever return to her regiment safely.
END ALERT.
The resolution the author devised for the climax was ingenious, strengthened the story – and had me diving down research rabbit holes and nodding, grin on my face.
The characters all felt rounded, especially Raisa with all her complexities and central fear. Plus, her pilot-friend who everyone admires, and who inspires Raisa throughout the story is a strong role. Even the secondary characters seemed real, from her love-interest to the girl with the cow.
The settings worked as background to the story and characters, even if nothing came alive either as distinctive or as a distraction. But the locations worked neatly into the whole structure. Although there were no WOW-twists, the inventive ending had me ‘heading home’ with Raisa, nodding in agreement.
An enjoyable read and recommended for anyone who likes entertaining WWII historical fiction.
Story – four stars
Setting/World-building – four stars
Characters – five stars
Authenticity – four stars
Structure – four stars
Readability – five stars
Editing – four stars
Originally review posted at: https://rolandclarke.com/2019/07/24/n...
September 11, 2019
Couldn’t put it down
Another excellent read. I probably could have read this in two days, if I had more time. This one kept me up, wanting to read, just another chapter.
Another excellent read. I probably could have read this in two days, if I had more time. This one kept me up, wanting to read, just another chapter.
January 4, 2016
I love to read books about obscure World War 2 incidents. S.J. MCCORMACK in NIGHT WITCH has selected such a true story. The "Night Witches" were a group of women pilots who flew night bombing raids for Russia against German military units' positions in Russia in WWII. I knew about American women who flew American planes during that time frame but only as ferry missions (not in combat).
In addition to the military aspects of the story is the decision of one pilot to break the rules to save a young "innocent" held in Nazi occupied territory. Raisa (the erstwhile heroine) moves from her rural home in Russia to Moscow State University to the front lines of combat. She and her friends who are bomber pilots and navigators who flew fabric covered, open cockpit, wooden biplanes with top speeds of around 75 miles an hour. They flew only at night. They dropped their two bombs by hand. They had no sophisticated instrumentation, flying by the seat of their pants and visual navigation. And they were generally successful.
McCormack's style of writing ranges from young adult to adult which is why I only gave this 4 stars. The story itself is worth more than 5 stars. I understand there may be one or more books to follow. I certainly hope so because I want to know about this virtually unknown segment of WWII.
Thank you for bringing it to light
GO! BUY! READ!.
In addition to the military aspects of the story is the decision of one pilot to break the rules to save a young "innocent" held in Nazi occupied territory. Raisa (the erstwhile heroine) moves from her rural home in Russia to Moscow State University to the front lines of combat. She and her friends who are bomber pilots and navigators who flew fabric covered, open cockpit, wooden biplanes with top speeds of around 75 miles an hour. They flew only at night. They dropped their two bombs by hand. They had no sophisticated instrumentation, flying by the seat of their pants and visual navigation. And they were generally successful.
McCormack's style of writing ranges from young adult to adult which is why I only gave this 4 stars. The story itself is worth more than 5 stars. I understand there may be one or more books to follow. I certainly hope so because I want to know about this virtually unknown segment of WWII.
Thank you for bringing it to light
GO! BUY! READ!.
March 6, 2018
Probably rates a 3.5. Was an good introduction to information about which I was unaware or had not thought about. The plot was quite simple, but an easy read and could provoke interest in the subject area of women pilots and mechanics in Russia during WWII. Sometimes there are just too many coincidences to be realistic.
August 1, 2016
This was an interesting book to read. I, however, will probably not reread it another time. While I was reading, I noticed some bad grammatical error that were made so I think they should have spent more time editting/publishing
November 28, 2023
In good historical novel context, this author brings to light stories about the women who became pilots and navigators in the Russian army when Hitler invaded Russia in World War II. They wore men's uniforms and cut and sewed them to fit. They were transported to the war front in railroad cars and had very few conveniences. Their job was full of excitement and adventure as the author demonstrates. The author's own experience as a pilot is evident in her descriptions of her story's pilots and navigators who fly the PO-2 biplane made of wood and fabric. Courage, romance, breathtaking rescues, all of it is in this book about the women of the 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. Wonderful story, well-written.
January 11, 2020
Find my full review here:
https://abookloverswalk.blogspot.com/...
https://abookloverswalk.blogspot.com/...
March 13, 2017
Raisa is a 19-year-old Russian girl who has dreams of being a pilot. So far, she has 475 flight hours in. WWII is taking a huge toll on her country though, so when she hears of a women's aviation unit being formed, she eagerly signs up. She becomes part of the "Night Witches" - a group of female aviators and navigators who bomb and harass the Germans.
Based on true events, speaking to the courage of the Russian women who flew these many dangerous missions. Sadly, after the war, Stalin encouraged women not to speak about what they had done and much of the paperwork and other evidence was destroyed, so not much is heard about this topic now.
Good read-alike for FlyGirl by Smith
Based on true events, speaking to the courage of the Russian women who flew these many dangerous missions. Sadly, after the war, Stalin encouraged women not to speak about what they had done and much of the paperwork and other evidence was destroyed, so not much is heard about this topic now.
Good read-alike for FlyGirl by Smith
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews