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Hard Core Women...A little Russian WWII history

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  • Hard Core Women...A little Russian WWII history

    Read this little article about the Russian "Night Witches"

    Femal bomber pilots during WWII, could you imagine?




    Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II German nickname (Russian Ночные ведьмы), 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 regiment was formed by Colonel Marina Raskova and led by Major Yevdokia Bershanskaya.

    The regiment flew harassment bombing and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 to the end of the war.[1] At its largest size, it had 40 two-person crews. It flew over 23,000 sorties and is said to have dropped 3,000 tons of bombs. It was the most highly-decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, each pilot having flown over 1,000 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. Thirty of its members died in combat.[2]

    The regiment flew in wood and canvas Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft and for crop-dusting, and to this day the most-produced biplane in all of aviation history. The planes could carry only two bombs at a time, so multiple missions per night were necessary. Although the aircraft were obsolete and slow, the pilots made daring use of their exceptional maneuverability; they had the advantage of having a maximum speed that was lower than the stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and as a result, the German pilots found them very difficult to shoot down. An attack technique of the night bombers was to idle the engine near the target and glide to the bomb release point, with only wind noise to reveal their location. Because of the weight of the bombs and the low altitude of flight the pilots carried no parachutes.[3]

    From June 1942, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment was within the 4th Air Army. In February 1943 the regiment was honored with a reorganization into the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment and in October 1943 it became the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment.[4] The word Taman referred to the unit's involvement in two celebrated Soviet victories on the Taman Peninsula, during 1943.

    This is what they were flying

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  • #2
    Here is another good article if youre interested..

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

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    • #3
      Cool story! Thanks for sharing it!
      Chris - HRPT Long Haul 03, 04, 05, 13, 14, 15,16 & 18
      74 Nova Project
      66 Mustang GT Project

      92 Camaro RS Convertible Project
      79 Chevy Truck Project
      1956 Cadillac Project

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      • #4
        Knew there had to be women pilots in Russia.. Cool they did this!

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        • #5
          Reminds me of the outdated "Swordfish" that crippled the Bismark.

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          • #6
            And they were pretty feared snipers too!
            Tom
            Overdrive is overrated


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            • #7
              Originally posted by Deaf Bob View Post
              Knew there had to be women pilots in Russia.. Cool they did this!
              there was more than that about the women.

              Fantastic story. I have a grandma that wanted no name on her grave..(and she did not get one)
              just bizarre. Anyway, a Russian theory was one of the unknown facts.

              A nova scotia entry.. and nothing else. Not a jew or a german..
              the Russian tale gets me going, age group and all.

              Lucky American.. however we got here.
              Last edited by Barry Donovan; August 8, 2013, 08:51 PM.
              Previously boxer3main
              the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

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