Yönoidat : neuvostonaisten ilmasotayksiköt toisessa maailmansodassa

by Lyuba Vinogradova, Antony Beevor (Foreword), Mirko Harjula (Translator)

Vuonna 1941 perustettiin puna-armeijalle hävittäjärykmentti 586 sekä pommittajarykmentit 587 ja 588. Kaikista toisessa maailmansodassa taistelleista lentorykmenteistä nämä kolme erosivat siinä, että niiden jäsenet olivat kaikki naisia.

Ljuba Vinogradovan kirja kertoo, keitä olivat nämä urheat naiset, joita Hitlerin joukot kutsuivat nimellä Nachthexen, yönoidat.

Lentorykmenttien vielä elossa olevien jäsenten haastatteluihin perustuva teos kertoo näiden naisten koskettavan tarinan värväyksestä aina viimeiseen traagiseen taistelutehtävissä katoamiseen, seurapiiritanssiaisista merkitsemättömiin hautoihin, ratkaisevista taisteluvoitoista Stalingradin kauhuihin.

Punailmavoimien lentäjänaisilla ei ollut vastassaan vain Luftwaffen lentäjä-ässät, vaan myös omien maanmiestensä ennakkoluulot ja miespuolisten esimiestensä seksistinen ja alentuva suhtautuminen.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Russia, Aviation, Military History, Feminism

394 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2015

About the author

Nació en Moscú en 1973, traductora e investigadora, especialista en historia contemporánea rusa y en la Unión Soviética. En 1995 conoció a Antony Beevor con el que trabajó en la investigación para Stalingrado (Crítica, 2000). Desde entonces ha trabajado en múltiples proyectos con Beevor y con otros autores de renombre como Max Hastings o Simon Sebag Montefiore. Es coautora junto a Beevor de Un escritor en guerra- Vasili Grossman en el ejército rojo 1941-1945 (Crítica, 2009). Las brujas de la noche es su primer libro en solitario.

Reviews

[John Gribbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent book as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough. The author wanted to write about the most famous female Soviet air ace of WWII, Lilya Litvyak, but couldn't find enough information about her so decided to write the full story of Soviet air force women (not just pilots) of the era. But the story ends with Litvyak's death, just when the tide of war is turning in the USSR's favour. I wanted (still want!) to know the the role of female pilots and crew developed over the rest of the war!
A minor point. The maps are too small and pretty much useless.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a book about the Night Witches - 588 regiment - which is the only one of the 3 female regiments to remain an all female regiment throughout the war. It seems odd, then, that theirs was the only one that got no page time whatsoever, except for a couple of lines here and there. I did learn a lot about the heavy bomber and fighter regiments that were formed - which I didn't actually know about beforehand - so it was interesting but it was mostly a book about Lilya Litvyak and Katya Budanova. Both absolutely very worthy of being written about and undoubtedly very brave, but it seems a shame that the women who flew hundreds upon hundreds of sorties over the course of the war in plywood and canvas training planes, under cover of darkness, earning a supernatural nickname from their enemy would get next to no mention in a book specifically about the women who flew against the German armies.

[María · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comencé este libro para conocer al regimiento 588 de bombarderos nocturnos. No obstante, desde el comienzo me quedó claro que no iba a ser un monográfico sobre las Brujas de la Noche. Pues, a pesar del título, la intención inicial de la autora era realizar una biografía de la piloto de caza Lilia Litviak, pero la limitación de las fuentes le hizo modificar su idea original e incluir al esto de sus camaradas. Esto explica la mayor atención a los regimientos de caza y bombarderos pesados o la inclusión de capítulos dedicados a los regimientos masculinos.

Partiendo de la presentación de Marina Raskova, fundadora de los 3 regimientos de aviación femeninos: 586 de caza, 587 de bombarderos pesados y el 588 de bombarderos nocturnos, el libro nos hace un recorrido por las vivencias de estas jóvenes pilotos a lo largo del conflicto bélico, con Lilia Litviak, transformada en el hilo conductor de la narración.

El foco, siguiendo el frente bélico, se desplaza de un regimiento a otro, de una piloto a otra, permitiendo una aproximación a su día a día, a la relación con sus compañeros masculinos, a la organización del ejército, a sus penurias materiales y también a sus pensamientos y sueños. Intercalando las explicaciones con extractos de entrevistas, diarios, cartas, la autora da una imagen más humana de estas valientes mujeres y también de los hombres que compartieron su destino.De esta forma, la autora consigue que las historias individuales se entremezclen con la realidad del frente, en la que tienen cabida también artilleras, mecánicas, radioperadoras.

Si bien es cierto que esperaba algo diferente y de mayor profundidad al aproximarme a esta lectura, no lo es menos que me ha resultado interesante.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very educational, I didn't know much at all about Russia during WWII or the fact that they had female fighter pilots let alone some who flew at night! The list of names and level of detail - clearly highly researched - is at times, overwhelming. It's fascinating nonetheless, and the intermittent photographs help round out the story by putting faces to names.

[KL · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is readable and striking, it is still on my mind months after reading it! It ticks three important boxes to me, which are: it is a pleasure to read, it taught me something and it is written in a beautiful language.

Admittedly I picked it up initially with some hesitation as I am no fan of horror stories, and one can easily see the potential for a book about war turning rather horrific. However, despite an obviously gloomy subject, the story is presented delicately and tastefully; sometimes I found myself smiling through tears but thankfully not suffocating with grief. I got to find out more about the war history in general, and more importantly developed a sense about those people on the ground fighting the battle of Stalingrad, what brought them there, what their daily routines were like - all from a simple human point of view. It turns out that even heroes at the midst of deaths and chaos sometimes get bored, fed up, fall in love and require a supply of flirty underwear!

In retrospect, I have also found that this is a wonderful self-help book (bear with me). Whenever I feel tired, low, finding things too hard or life unfair - I only need to think back about those brave women, and suddenly all my struggles appear to be... a privilege, my life seems full of comfort and freedom in comparison to those who sacrificed their youths and lives, in order that we can live in peace.

[Simon Binning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells a story little known or understood outside Russia. Most people interested in history are aware that many women in the Soviet Union fought in WW2, either in the army, or with partisan brigades, but the story of women in the Air Force is less well known.
The author has accumulated a huge amount of information about some of the women involved, and tells their story, from the initial idea of forming women's air units, through the expected resistance to the idea, the training, their deployment, and to the fate of many of the pilots. As with most Soviet history, she also has to try and separate fact from propaganda and myth. She does all this with style and credit must also go to the translator as well.
What let the book down slightly for me is that it was an incomplete history in some ways. It is, in reality, a history of the female pilots who were involved from the beginning, and their story is told in as much detail as is available. However, the story for most of them has no happy ending, and the book ends rather abruptly in mid 1943, when the story of those pilots we are following ends. We are then left wondering what happened in the last two years of war; were there more female pilots? Where did they come from? What happened to them?
So as a book about a group of specific female pilots and their experiences, it is still a great read. But I would have liked a little more about the wider picture.

[Mike White · Rating 4 out of 5]

“With the arrival of the girls, the men started shaving more regularly and swearing less.”
A detailed and authentic account of the women who flew in combat for the USSR in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45). The author has sifted through the many conflicting tales and outright lies surrounding the heroic activities of the only group of women to fly in combat during World War II. They flew fighters, heavy bombers and biplane night bombers against a background of Stalin-induced mistrust, fear and betrayal. Downed pilots who escaped from behind German lines were certain to be interrogated and most likely imprisoned or shot as potential spies. Their leader was a member of the NKVD and they were encouraged to spy on their colleagues and betray them.
The book is well-written and dense with facts. I found it a hard read but rewarding. If one is interested in the period and subject it is essential.

[Alan Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, the subject material is fascinating and not something that most western readers will be aware of.

Unfortunately there are several things that appear to be missing from this book.

There is an obvious focus on the fighter pilots with relatively little mention of the actions of the bomber pilots, which I must admit was the reason that I bought the book in the first place.
More serious than that however is the fact that the book does not go to the end of the war and stops abruptly during the liberation of the Ukraine.

Having said that, I found it an interesting book and will probably buy Vinogradova's next book, which I believe is about female snipers on the Eastern Front.

[Peter Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Defending the Motherland: the Soviet women who fought Hitler’s aces,” by Lyuba Vinogradova,, translated by Arch Tait (MaLehose, 2015, first published in the US by Quercus, 2018). This is an extraordinary book. Not because of the writing, which tends toward the hagiographic. Not for its military history or aviation information, both of which are there but not the primary focus. It tells a story that is unique to both Russia and the Soviet Union. Vinogradova has a doctorate in microbiology, and a second degree in foreign languages. She helped Antony Beevor research “Stalingrad” and apparently was hooked. This book is the result of extraordinary research. She went so far beyond any official accounts that she fell off the standard maps. She found and interviewed 16 women and men who either were fliers or flew or worked with the girls---and they are called girls all the way through. Among other things, some were teenagers. She found diaries, letters, fragments, unpublished manuscripts, gravesites, newspaper accounts---she created the history. The story, although not completely unknown in the West, is astounding. In Stalin’s USSR, everyone was equal: women could do anything men could do. Before the war, there were flying clubs for girls, full of eager youngsters who wanted to chase clouds. When war came, Mother Russia called for help, and they responded as eagerly as American boys after Pearl Harbor. Maybe even more eagerly, since they were full of Communist fervor and optimism, sure that their system was the best, the future. They also were sure the Red Army would throw the invaders back and destroy them in weeks---that’s what they had been told, and they believed it. But also in Stalin’s USSR, everyone seemed to be spying on everyone else. Marina Raskova, the great aviatrix, the heroine every girl aspired to follow, was herself a major in the NKVD secret police, and did her part snapping up anyone who deviated in the slightest from the Party line. The girls apparently knew, and accepted, the fact that everything they wrote—letters home, diaries—was opened and read. They knew that there were spies and informants among themselves. It didn’t matter---they were young, sure of their country and their Party, and eager to defend the Motherland. The USSR formed three regiments of girl fliers: a fighter regiment, a night bomber regiment, and a heavy bomber regiment. The night bombers are known in the West. They were the Night Witches who flew U-2 biplanes, ancient creations of wood and canvas so slow German planes had trouble shooting them down. They bombed German encampments at night, turning off their engines so they would not be heard approaching. But there were fighter pilots who flew Yak-1s, which Vinogradova describes as the best Soviet fighter, although that was probably the Yak-3. The bomber crews flew Pe-2 dive bombers, which were not heavy bombers at all. Some may have flown the big, ungainly, vulnerable TB-3, but that is not clear from the text. In any case, the girls endured the horror of Stalingrad and the Cauldron of trapped Nazi soldiers, and the gradual movement west, including the Battle of the Kursk Salient. They did in fact encounter discrimination; commanders did not want to let the women fly in the most dangerous combats, especially the fighters. But some did get into the heaviest air battles, and shot down their share of Heinkels, Dorniers, Junkers, Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmitts. And some of them were shot down and killed or just disappeared. Vinogradova describes the awful living conditions, especially during the winters, with matter-of-fact clarity. The food: maybe soup with some noodles or bits of meat. If you touched metal with your bare hand, you would lose flesh. They moved constantly, first retreating and giving up airbases, then recovering them and moving forward. People froze to death. The spookiest story tells of a troop truck that comes upon a German formation one night. The Germans don’t move. They had all frozen to death, and some prankster stood them up in the snow. It’s hard to imagine Allied troops being able to endure and fight through all this. There is so much in here I won’t try to unpack it all. One unusual element: this was written for a Russian readership, so it is almost, as I said above, hagiographic. The girls are almost all pretty, eager, quick, determined, happy to be helping to save the country. They go to dances; they yearn for makeup and clothing; they often had to take men’s uniforms and adapt them. They read and wrote poetry, sang together at night. They flirted and had affairs, male and female. But Vinogradova makes clear that the Party’s cold, ruthless eye was on everyone. One high officer was hauled away because he said that a general had been too generous with Russian blood. And all this while the Yanks were so proud just for letting women fly trainers and ferry planes across the ocean. One frustrating element: the extensive bibliography gives the books’ Russian titles; fat lot of good that does me. Taking it with all its flaws, this is a powerful book.

https://www.maclehosepress.com/books/...

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ljuba Vinogradovan "Yönoidat : neuvostonaisten ilmasotayksiköt toisessa maailmansodassa" (Minerva, 2015) jatkoi tänä vuonna lukemieni ilmailuaiheisten kirjojen putkea.

Naisia palveli ns. Suuressa isänmaallisessa sodassa niin hävittäjien kuin pommikoneiden ohjaimissa siinä missä mekaanikkoina. Vaikka neuvostoyhteiskunta korosti paperilla sukupuolten tasa-arvoa, joutuivat naiset kuitenkin erilaisten ennakkoluulojen uhreiksi. Naisten kykyihin saatettiin suhtautua hieman epäillen, mutta esimerkiksi Stalingradin veristen taistelujen aikaan taivaalle jouduttiin komentamaan jokainen kynnelle kykenevä, ja viimeistään siellä ässästatuksen saaneen Katja Budanovan kaltaiset lentäjät näyttivät todella kyntensä.

Neuvostonaiset kantoivat sodassa raskaan taakan, ja moni heistä kaatui taistelussa saksalaisia vastaan. Sodan hirveys tulee kirjan muistemajaksoista hyvin esille, eikä näissä tarinoissa ole samanlaista rempseää henkeä kuin esimerkiksi monien suomalaislentäjien muisteloissa. Neuvostoliiton sankarimyyttejä esiintuova sotapropaganda oli toki erikseen.

Lentäjät uskoivat monissa tapauksissa vakaasti neuvostojärjestelmään ja fasisteja vihattiin, mutta myös kääntöpuoli tuodaan esille. Sotavangiksi joutuneet jäivät helposti järjestelmän hampaisin, ja vaikka he olisivat onnistuneet pakenemaan takaisin omille linjoille, saattoi siitä kiitoksena olla oman koiran purema ja ylimääräinen keikka Siperiaan. Epäilys saattoi kohdistua keneen tahansa.

Sodan, nälän ja kurjuuden keskellä myös rakastuttiin, luettiin ääneen kaunokirjallisuutta ja perustettiin jopa filosofisia keskustelukirjoja. Viimeisenä mainittu ei tosin ottanut kai kovin hyvin tuulta purjeisiinsa.

Venäläiseen sotakirjallisuuteen, arkistolähteisiin ja tekijän tekemiin haastatteluihin pohjautuvassa teoksessa paneudutaan erityisesti Lilja (Lidija) Litvjakin tarinaan. Harmillisesti teos myös päättyy hänen katoamiseensa kesällä 1943.

Vinogradovan teos on kokonaisuutena varsin mielenkiintoinen, etenkin kun neuvostoliittolaisesta näkökulmasta kertovia ilmailumuistelmia ei ole ilmestynyt suomeksi ihan pilvin pimein verrattuna vaikkapa saksalaiseen sotakirjallisuuteen.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually give a book at least 50 pages, but this one I got up to 100 and finally had had enough.

The author (at least during the fist 100 pages) chose not to structure the narrative around a small number of individuals, but perhaps it was not possible to get enough details to do that. It just didn't seem well organized and I didn't become engaged in the story.

I had read elsewhere about the "night witches" who flew obsolete Soviet aircraft to bomb German front line positions at night, shutting off their engines and gliding over the German positions with no defensive armament and considerable vulnerability, not to mention the technical difficulty of the flying they were doing. It turns out that other Soviet women flew heavy bombers and fighter aircraft. This book didn't get to a discussion of any of their engagements with the enemy during the first 100 pages.

Certain facts are presented oddly, by which I mean incorrectly I suppose. The port city of Mariupol is described as a "Russian city" - for that time, you could describe it is a Soviet city, or a city in Soviet Ukraine, or simply a Ukrainian city, but it isn't and wasn't a Russian city.

This is a translation of a book published in Russia in 2015 for a Russian audience (with all the historical knowledge that a typical Russian would have). I think translations of non-fiction that don't either provide footnotes to explain certain things or some other added explanations for the non-native are not serving the reader well.

The "voice" of this book seemed odd, which I assume is from the translation, but I have not seen the original Russian version. There are various Russian-language memoirs from particular women pilots and there are several American books covering this topic, so I may look at some of those.

I wanted to like this book.

[Rocio Laverde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Las Brujas de la Noche
En defensa de la madre Rusia
Liuba Vinodagroba

En la segunda guerra mundial hacia el año 1941 Stanlin crea un escuadron de elite con pilotos femeninos que se volvieron el terror de la luftwaffe.
Mujeres jovenes aguerridas algunas eran pilotos pero la mayoría no. Dispuestas a defender su país y llevar con orgullo un uniforme por el que abian luchado aunque no fuera lo que esperaban. Les costó mucho ser reconocidas, pero aunque muchas murieron era un orgullo esta lucha.
Llamadas las brujas de la noche por los alemanes que no aceptaban que ellas dominarán los cielos.
Esta novela histórica nos sitúa en una epoca muy díficil para la humanidad . Donde la escritora hace una investigación detallada y situa al lector en tiempos y lugares que con mapas de la epoca se demuestra como ocurrieron los hechos.
Es un libro donde la mujer ocupa un lugar en la historia . Se dice que solo un país como la union Soviética pudo haber reconocido el talento de estas mujeres sin prejuicios valorando sus capacidades y dones. Donde sortearon situaciones en contra de la maquinaria fascista.
Con una narrativa maravillosa la autora nos describe situaciones difíciles que les toco vivir y que superaban porque lo apostaban todo por una meta .
En el libro hay un poema de Kostantain Simonov
"Espérame
Esperame que volvere;
Tu solo esperame.
Esperame cuando las lluvias de otoño
Hagan que te sientas triste.
Espera cuando la nieve azote el suelo
Y al calor del verano.
Espera por aquellos que nadie espera
Por haberlos traicionado ayer.".
Para esos hombres y mujeres que lucharon contra el fascismo.

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I read a magazine account of the brave Soviet women who flew the rickety Polikarpov Po-2, or U-2 as it is known in this book, biplane on night bombing missions over German held territory during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. In the West these women pilots, and their navigators, are best known by the nickname Wehmacht troops bestowed upon them, Night Witches. I figured that was as far as it went for women in the Red Air Force.

Well, I was wrong and "Defending the Motherland: The Soviet Women Who Fought Hitler's Aces" corrects my misconception.

The Red Air Force during the darkest opening days of World War II, when the Nazi military juggernaut seemed unstoppable, was woefully undermanned and outgunned. Fortunately young Soviet women answered the call and became some of the most capable and outstanding pilots of the era.

Lyuba Vinogradova tells the history of this period by focusing upon several key women, from commanding officers to mechanics. Yet hovering over all is the beautiful, somewhat enigmatic Lilya Litvyak*. Just from appearances Litvyak did not seem destined to a fearsome fighter pilot. But she was, and it is a fascinating story. To this day her remains have never been discovered, adding to her allure and legend.

I feel this book is a must-read for all aficionados of World War II history.

*On the dust jacket of the US edition, above, Litvyak is the woman on the left.

[Astor Teller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a memoir per se, but a retelling of many persons where the main characters are the Soviet hero and founder of a female air regiment and Marina Raskova the pretty fighter ace Lilya (Lydia) Litvyak and numerous other persons (also the Sturmovik pilot Anna Egorova who has written her own memoirs).
The story is put into the context to the war at large and also the time before the war with the craze for joining flying clubs (and also to join the war when it breaks out, as everybody believes it will be over in weeks, not years).

The female perspective is interesting, and also that many come from poor peasant families to become modern war pilots, where they first have to cut off their long hair and then don oversized male uniforms as there is none made for females (so silk from parachutes are popular to make homemade bras as many of the pilots are good seamstresses).

The good thing about this book is that it is candid and critical as the author interviews the veterans and read their diaries, separating fact from fiction (of which there are many, especially about the people who didn’t survive to write their memoirs).

Overall a good book, but I got lost in all the Russian names. It doesn’t focus on the fighting, but more about the organising and the experience of being female in a male-dominated military structure. So the reason for the three stars is that I expected more of a memoir and found it a bit too long.

[El Mago de los Libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Segunda Guerra Mundial, donde la humanidad conoció el horror en todas sus vertientes. Porque aunque la guerra siempre es cruel, este segundo conflicto a escala planetaria fue particularmente dañino. Sanguinario. Doloroso.

Sin embargo, la historia de la humanidad está trufada de guerra; no se podría comprender nuestro desarrollo sin ella. Por suerte, a día de hoy, en general, vivimos en entornos más seguros y podemos ver aquellos conflictos como algo a estudiar, no a vivir. Repito, por suerte.

Y hete aquí que nos encontramos con este libro, Las Brujas de la Noche, donde nos encontramos una historia de guerra, una historia de seres humanos en lucha; una historia del Frente Oriental, tantas veces desdeñado por la historiografía...

(El resto de la reseña, en Instagram)

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the massive scope of this book, all three women's fighter units under Marina Raskova, as well as the women who served in mostly male units, the book is easy to follow. Well-researched, the author clearly tracked down many first person sources, interviewing surviving veterans, and poring over surviving journals, diaries, and field notes. The story is fascinating, an interesting look at the Soviet Union during wartime, and its flawed application of "equality". Lots of first-person sources make this book interesting, and the author does a great job of balancing multiple POVs. Well-written, easy-to-read, and a fascinating story.

[Rory M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very compelling read. As someone who grew up in a comparatively neutrally just country, I cannot imagine the pain and suffering of the men, woman and children who had no choice but to “serve” their country but coming out of the war - knowing that they adapted to a lifestyle that was completely foreign and inhospitable to them but having developed a new life skill; piloting and what not and this being the only forced positive that came out of this life altering experience for them is truly an other worldly read.

[L-ssar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro interesante por la visión que aporta sobre las aviadoras, navegantes y mecánicas que tomaron parte en el Ejército Rojo pero al que le falta un poco de cohesión y algunos apuntes sobre los aviones, la estructura militar y algo de contexto. Habría sido para nota tener opinión de algún superviviente del bando enemigo :D

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesantísimo tema, del cual desconocía por completo, como es la formación de escuadrones femeninos en el Ejército Rojo y su papel en la II Guerra Mundial. Sin embargo, a veces te perdías entre demasiados detalles y saltos de localización en el mismo capítulo sin especificar, lo cual te hacían marearte más que Lilia o Galia en sus propios Yak.

[Neus VinyaPérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

És una història de les que s'ha de saber i s'ha d'explicar. Però el nivell de voltes, anades i vingudes, m'ha fet difícil enganxar-me i l'he acabat més per disciplina que per gust.
Això sí, que visquin les aviadores soviètiques!

[Noemí · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro ejemplo más de que la Historia se olvida de ELLAS.
Necesario 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Stephen Bigger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book, about female pilots in Russia in WW2. Very well researched

[Noah · Rating 2 out of 5]

i couldn't finish it. i expected more, ut bored me.

[Ernesto López · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un tributo a la memoria de las mujeres de un bando que dieron su vida, por sus creencias.

[Rosa Chacón García · Rating 2 out of 5]

La forma en que está redactado, la forma en que nos cuentan los hechos, no me ha gustado ni un poquito. Me he aburrido soberanamente.

[Kitsune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Temat książki niezwykle ciekawy, wiadomości mnóstwo, ale nie są przedstawione w systematyczny i sensowny sposób. Jest bardzo nieuporządkowana, pełna dygresji, które mocno rozpraszają.

[Nahir Cobalto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se me hizo algo denso y en ocasiones, confuso.

[Julkano · Rating 4 out of 5]

cudowna ksiazka

[Matt Gallant · Rating 1 out of 5]

eh

[somebody · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was an intense read. Thrilling, chaotic and depressing (I have a type).