The Night Witches

 

Die Nachthexen

The women of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces. Though women were officially barred from combat at the time, Major Marina Raskova used her position and personal contacts with Josef Stalin to obtain permission to form female combat units. They operated between 1942 and 1945, over this time the regiment accumulated approximately 23,672 sorties in combat.

These brave women flew missions over Germany in wooden World War One planes. Once over their targets they would cut their engines and fall almost noiselessly from the sky, deploying their 4 bombs, restart their engines they would disappear back into the night sky. German soldiers likened the sound of the falling aircraft to broomsticks and hence named the pilots "Night Witches". Due to the weight of the bombs and the low altitude of flight, the pilots did not carry parachutes until 1944.

After the War the unit was disbanded.