Despite raisas desire to fly and her many hours of. Jan 24, 2014 another, terrible, episode concerning the witches themselves in their po 2 is surprisingly not mentionned in the link above which is quite complete and matches and recalls finely the memory ive had of my former read. From 1942 to 1945, this allfemale squadron dropped 23,000 tons of bombs and was feared by. Mar 17, 2019 wikimedia commons a polikarpov po 2 biplane, similar to the aircraft operated by the night witches during their missions. The night witches were largely unique among the female combatants and even the female flyers of world war ii. Megan garber jul 15, 20 tass gettyit was the spring of 1943, at the height of world war ii. Untold story of soviet women in combat paperback 1 jun 1990.
The littleknown story of the night witches, an allfemale force in wwii. A polikarpov po2, similar to the aircraft operated by the night witches these ladies, 80 strong, dropped over 3,000 tons of bombs and werea the most highlydecorated female unit in the soviet air force. The night witches flew in wood and canvas polikarpov po2 biplanes similar to the one shown here. But since the germans surrounded stalingrad, valyas been forced to stay on the ground and watch her city crumble. Heroines of the highest orderand one of the worlds most successful aircraft designsbedeviled the nazis during world war ii. Night witches was a world war ii german nickname for the all female military aviators of the. Aug 22, 2018 the only regiment made up entirely of women ages 17 to 23 wore handmedowns from male pilots and flew militarized cropdusters known as polikarpov po2 biplanes. The po 2 biplanes flown by the night witches had an advantage over the. Buy on amazon night witch farm girl to aviator in the heroic wwii russian flying unit the germans called the night witches june 1941 nineteenyear old raisa tarasovas peaceful life shatters when hitlers forces invade russia. Wikimedia commons a polikarpov po 2 biplane, similar to the aircraft operated by the night witches during their missions. Ww2 night witches terrified the german army youtube. Two pilots, members of the soviet air force, were flying their planespolikarpov po2 biplanes, built mainly of plywood and canvas. Jul 15, 20 the night witches were largely unique among the female combatants and even the female flyers of world war ii. Meet the night witches, the daring female pilots who bombed.
The stories of the po2 regiment biplanes engaged in nightintruder raids and enemyterritory drops are hairraising. Night witches film by gunilla bresky part 02 youtube. The wikipedia entry for the il 2 claims that it is the single most produced military aircraft design in all of aviation history as well as the third most produced aircraft in history behind the cessna 172 and the polikarpov po 2, but it looks like the po 2 wasnt entirely exempt from bellicose uses. They were flying these awful po2 planes made of balsa wood and canvas and still handing the nazi german army their collective arsch. Any german pilot who downed a witch was awarded an iron cross. In the dead of night, these courageous women flew their repurposed polikarpov 2 po 2 biplanes made of canvas and plywood to bomb the nazi forces on the front lines. It is written for the younger generation, so being old i did wish that sometimes kathryn lasky had gone into more details. The book gave examples of young women using their feminine wiles to gain. Flying slow biplanes polikarpov po2, gasheva quickly showed one noticed talent for night navigation, mounting a successful partnership with pilot captain olga sanfirova. Gliding in, they would release their bombs before the enemy even knew they were there. In the dead of night, these courageous women flew their repurposed polikarpov2 po2 biplanes made of canvas and plywood to bomb the nazi forces on the front lines.
These planes flew slower than the stall speed of the bf108 and the fw190 fighters, which made them devilishly difficult to shoot down. In addition, youll get a letter from an airwomans father and a handcrafted piece of jewelrya necklace with a night witches po2 airplane design in copper and glass by kira magrann. The amazing story of russias women pilots in world war ii bruce. The night witches were not treated equally to their male counterparts. Jul 15, 20 the po2 biplanes flown by the night witches had an advantage over the faster, deadlier german messerschmitts.
It occurred to me, somewhere around the first quarter, that i had never read a wwii fiction book that took place in the ussrrussia and i need to read more in the future, because the combination of that and night witches fascinated me so much. The littleknown story of the night witches, an allfemale force in. The regiment flew in woodandcanvas polikarpov u 2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft hence its original uchebnyy designation prefix of u and for crop dusting, which also had a special u2lnb version for the sort of night harassment attack missions flown by the 588th, and to this day remains the mostproduced woodairframed biplane in aviation history. A history of the all female 588th night bomber regiment. They had to fly polikarpov po2 aircrafttwoseated, opencockpit biplanes that were obsolete even by the standards. Entity index this is the list of all entities in this result page. Til in wwii a womanonly soviet bomber regiment were. Though women were initially barred from combat, major marina raskova used her. A polikarpov po2, similar to the aircraft operated by the night witches night witches is the english translation of nachthexen, a world war ii german nickname russian, for the female military aviators of the 588th night bomber regiment, known later as the 46th taman guards night bomber aviation regiment, of the soviet air forces.
The witches was originally published in 1983 by jonathan cape in london, with illustrations by quentin blake like many of dahls works. The polikarpov po2 also u2, for its initial uchebnyy, training, role as a flight instruction aircraft served as a generalpurpose soviet biplane, nicknamed kukuruznik russian. See more ideas about wwii, red army and female pilot. Germans capture a downed polikarpov po2 in 1941 photo. The opencockpit po2 biplane was simple enough for peasant girls to fly, and cheap to build and repair. Jun 25, 2015 the littleknown story of the night witches, an allfemale force in wwii.
This is slower than even most world war i fighters and left them very vulnerable to enemy night fighters. Polikarpov po2 and the night witches simanaitis says. The wikipedia entry for the il2 claims that it is the single most produced military aircraft design in all of aviation history as well as the third most produced aircraft in history behind the cessna 172 and the polikarpov po2, but it looks like the po2 wasnt entirely exempt from bellicose uses. The other two womens regiments, flying yak1 fighters and pe2 attack bombers, proved to be brave and capable pilots, with several women. While they did not form allfemale infantry or tank divisions or anything like that, women did competently fill certain niche combat roles at a time. Although this novel is a work of historical fiction, the night witches were very real. The po 2 was very slow, but it was also extremely maneuverable. This site uses we recommend the following browsers select language site search donate site search donate.
The military provided them with outdated polikarpov po2 biplanes, 1920s cropdusters. Women pilots of the night witches receiving orders for an upcoming raid. Far less is written about their russian counterparts, the night witches of the 588th night bomber regiment. This was a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft and for cropdusting. The famed night witches, a group of female pilots that performed night bombing raids on german positions, used the u2 po 2. The top speed of the po2 biplane was 94 mph 82 knots. The book gives a great attention to the sexism that at first existed for these women as was similar with books such as a higher call, night witches delivers a fun, intriguing read. For a successful bombing run, the witches would cut the engine of their archaic and noisy aircraft. I had never heard of the night witches, nor had i ever read a book on wwii based in russia. The night witches were largely unique among the female combatants and even the female flyersof world war ii. Jan 01, 1981 this book entails the tales of russias women pilots of world war 2, or, as they would be nicknamed by the germans, night witches. Til in wwii a womanonly soviet bomber regiment were nicknamed the night witches by german soldiers. The top speed of the po 2 biplane was 94 mph 82 knots. With a maximum speed below the stall speed of enemy fighters, shooting it down was difficult.
Mar 20, 2019 the night witches by garth ennis with art by russ braun is a collection of the 3 night witch story from garth ennis battlefields, and follows one russian pilot for one heck of a story arc. Feb 26, 2016 soviet women pilots who served in the 586th, 587th, and 588th regiments during ww2. They had to fly polikarpov po2 aircrafttwoseated, opencockpit. Image provided by mirren hogan from the book night witches by mirren hogan. Shes a pilot whos always felt more at home soaring through the sky than down on earth. See more ideas about women in history, world war and female pilot.
The opencockpit po 2 biplane was simple enough for peasant girls to fly, and cheap to build and repair. U 2 planes were part of the 46th female guards night bomber air regiment. A polikarpov po2, the aircraft type used by the regiment. Fortunately, i found night witches by mirren hogan. Two pilots, members of the soviet air force, were flying their planespolikarpov po2 biplanes.
The stories of the po 2 regiment biplanes engaged in night intruder raids and enemyterritory drops are hairraising. Though women were initially barred from combat, major marina raskova used her position and personal. Choose this option to get all the rewards from the squadron commander level, including hardback books and cards. Jul 15, 20 it was the spring of 1943, at the height of world war ii. The female fighter pilots of world war ii the atlantic. The allfemale night witches squadron was the direct result of women in the soviet union wanting to be actively involved in the war effort. Soviet night witches pilots aircrew remembered site. Women played an important role in the soviet front lines. The incredible russian night witches of wwii jalopnik. Jun 07, 2019 meet the night witches, the daring female pilots who bombed nazis by night. The night witches didnt have great planes, or superior bombs, or even very much support for.
The women flew wood and canvas polikarpov po2 biplanes, very durable weapons platforms. Gasheva was assigned to the 46th aviation regiment night bomber guard, a female unit known by the germans as the night witches. And the po2s shortfield capability allowed it to take off and land almost anywhereideal for surprisestrike night operations. Pilots of the 588th night bomber regiment, aka the night witches, walk in front of a line of po2s at a soviet air force base in 1944. The book was adapted into an unabridged audio reading by lynn redgrave, a stage play and a twopart radio dramatisation for the bbc, a 1990 film directed by nicolas roeg which starred anjelica huston and rowan atkinson, a 2008 opera by marcus paus and ole. Namely, the night witches, an allfemale squadron of bomber pilots who ran. Her two brothers immediately enlist in the air corps. The stories of the po2 regiment biplanes engaged in nightintruder raids. The young women were then given uniforms that were far too large for them, as they were meant for men. Gr 7 uplaskys latest historical fiction novel flies readers to world war ii europe on a. Such shortcomings aside, kritter grants the airplane its tactical advantages crucial to the night witches missions. The women would fly twelve or more missions per night, dropping bombs on nazi encampments, keeping them awake and on edge at all hours. The tale of the night witches and the polikarpov po2 is a fascinating bit of aviation history.
The regiment was given fire prone woodandcanvas polikarpov po2 biplanes. The stories of the po2 regiment biplanes engaged in nightintruder raids and. One night, the germans put a nightfighter in the preditable path of the pos. Two pilots, members of the soviet air force, were flying their planes polikarpov po2 biplanes, built mainly of. It is about the coming of age of a young russian woman who becomes a night witch. With outdated biplanes, no radio, lights, defenses nor parachutes, these ww2 soviet pilots terrorized the germans. They would cut engines and glide to their target, drop bombs, then speed off. Meet the night witches, the daring female pilots who bombed nazis by night. The night witches were russian women who flew in combat against germany in the fight to defend their homeland. Many soviet women had grown weary of playing a support role during the war and wanted to be engaged in combat on the front lines. Another, terrible, episode concerning the witches themselves in their po2 is surprisingly not mentionned in the link above which is quite complete and matches and recalls finely the memory ive had of my former read.
And german fighters stalled at around 120 miles an hour. Reading the graphic novel the night witches, about female pilots who flew for the russians in world war ii, i thought about jane austen. A lot of this material is sourced from a book i love, night witches. The po2 was very slow, but it was also extremely maneuverable. The littleknown story of the night witches, an allfemale. In the united states, the history of the womens air service pilots wasp is reasonably well known, and their heroics are celebrated. The po2 biplanes flown by the night witches had an advantage over the faster, deadlier german messerschmitts. The storys main character is lieutenant anna kharkova, once a naive teenager, who grows into a hardened combat wwii veteran for the soviet air force. When her mother is killed during the siege, valya is left with one burning desire. Her first plane was a polikarpov po2, a biplane introduced in 1927, and went up against german antiaircraft as well as threats from. Sure, theyd were toast if a fighter got them in its sights, but that was hard to do.
The other two womens regiments, flying yak1 fighters and pe 2 attack bombers, proved to be brave and capable pilots, with several women scoring impressive totals of german aircraft. May 31, 2019 the night witches flew in wood and canvas polikarpov po 2 biplanes similar to the one shown here. They were a crucial soviet asset to winning world war ii. Meet the night witches, the daring female pilots who. A 1928 design intended for use as a training aircraft and for cropdusting, to this day it is the mostproduced biplane in all of aviation history. The witches is a childrens dark fantasy novel by the british writer roald dahl. Instrument of the famous night witches the versatile. They flew po 2 biplanes, called mules and crop dusters by other pilots. This book entails the tales of russias women pilots of world war 2, or, as they would be nicknamed by the germans, night witches. The story is set partly in norway and partly in the united kingdom, and features the experiences of a young british boy and his norwegian grandmother in a world where childhating societies of witches secretly exist in every country. Members of the 588th night bomber regiment decorated their planes with flowers. This is the time of stalin and the young communists league, and all russians fought.
Two pilots, members of the soviet air force, were flying their planespolikarpov po2 biplanes, built mainly of plywood and canvasover a soviet railway. Feb 04, 2014 two pilots, members of the soviet air force, were flying their planes polikarpov po 2 biplanes, built mainly of plywood and canvas over a soviet railway junction. This is a subreddit for war thunder, a cross platform vehicular combat mmo developed by gaijin entertainment for microsoft windows, macos, linux, playstation 4, xbox one. Pilots of the 588th night bomber regiment, aka the night witches, walk in front of a line of po 2s at a soviet air force base in 1944. The book gives a great attention to the sexism that at first existed for these women.
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