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The Hardcore Women of World War II Knew How to Take Care of Business

Khalid Elhassan October 19, 2020 32 min

World War II - Night Witches — Night Witches in front of a Po-2. Flite Test

19. Forming Women Pilots Into “The Night Witches”

A Polikarpov Po-2, the type of plane flown by the Night Witches. Imgur

Overcoming and ignoring the skepticism of naysayers, enthusiastic young Soviet women flocked to the 588^th Night Bomber Regiment. Many had lost family and loved ones to the Nazi invaders, and were itching for an opportunity to exact vengeance. Until then, they had only been allowed to contribute to the war effort in support roles. However, many had wanted to be – and knew that they could be if given the chance – pilots and gunners.

The volunteers were mostly in their early twenties, but some were as young as seventeen. Not only were the pilots in these squadrons women, but so were the ground staff and ground crews. They were determined to demonstrate that female pilots and female aerial squadrons could make a valuable contribution to the defense of the Motherland. By June, 1942, training and organization had been completed, and the Soviet female aviatrixes were ready for combat.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.