The Night Witches

‘Sometimes, the women have to take over. Like in the war.’ This was said in reference to how women have to take control over the household and take care of their families while men were off fighting their battles for their respective nations. But The Night Witches were a different kind of women. They took over in the war but not in the kitchen or at home but in the battlefields in the skies.

The 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Air Forces, made up of all female aviators, was trained for bombing missions behind enemy (German) lines. Although women were initially barred from combat of any kind, Major Marina Raskova used her position and personal contacts with Joseph Stalin to her advantage and managed to gain permission to form female combat units out of which this Regiment was one of.

They flew 1920s-era planes made of canvas and wood with no radio or radar, and their bombs were held to the wings by wire. This construction gave the planes the advantage of flying below enemy radar and the element of surprise to attack them in the dead of night. They flew 16-18 missions each per night and their planes often returned ‘riddled with bullets’. An attack technique of the night bombers involved idling the engine near the target and gliding to the bomb-release point, with only wind noise left to reveal their presence. The German soldiers compared the sound to broomsticks and thus the 588th Night Bomber Regiment were dubbed as ‘The Night Witches’.

Written by: Kevin Manoj