The Night Witches: How Soviet Women in Wooden Biplanes Became a Nightmare For The Nazis
- dthholland
- 3 minutes ago
- 6 min read
In the frozen darkness above the Eastern Front during the Second World War, German soldiers faced many fears. But one of the most haunting sounds wasn’t an explosion, a machine gun burst, or the drone of a fighter engine – it was the eerie whooshing of wind over the canvas wings and struts of a near-silent biplane. It was described as the ghostly sound of a witch’s broomstick slicing through the air. To those below, it meant danger was moments away. The aircraft wasn’t a Luftwaffe design gone astray, nor an Allied incursion from the west. It was the Soviet Union’s 588th Night Bomber Regiment – a unit composed entirely of young women. The Germans called them the Nachthexen, or "Night Witches", a name meant to insult that these fearless flyers wore like a badge of honour.
Pioneering Women at War: Who Were the Night Witches?
The 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment was one of the most unusual – and remarkable – fighting forces of the Second World War. All of its members were women: pilots, navigators, ground crew, armourers, mechanics, and support staff. Unlike in the United States, where groups like the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) ferried planes and carried out test flights but were barred from combat, the women of the Soviet 588th actively flew bombing missions against Nazi positions – and did so directly from the front lines.
The creation of this regiment was the result of a campaign by Major Marina Raskova, a famed Soviet aviator often likened to Amelia Earhart. In the 1930s, aviation held great prestige in the USSR, and many women participated in flying clubs. Raskova herself had set several long-distance flight records and became a national hero. But when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, female pilots found themselves excluded from joining the Soviet Air Force in combat roles, even though women were already fighting on the ground.
Raskova began receiving letters from women across the Soviet Union asking why they could risk their lives with rifles and grenades but not with aircraft. She took this grievance directly to Joseph Stalin. Impressed by her stature and the passionate demand, Stalin authorised the formation of three all-female aviation regiments:
The 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment
The 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment
The 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment
Each regiment recruited approximately 400 women, most of whom were students in their late teens or early twenties. The volunteers underwent a punishing training programme – a condensed, intensive year’s course that taught them how to fly, navigate, repair, and maintain their aircraft under the most unforgiving conditions.
Improvisation and Adversity: Life in the Regiment
Despite the historic nature of the initiative, the women were not granted special treatment. Quite the opposite. The Soviet military had no gear specifically for female aviators, so the women were issued ill-fitting uniforms designed for men. The boots were often far too large – so they stuffed them with whatever they could find, including torn-up bedding. In winter, these inadequate clothes offered little protection from the freezing temperatures of the steppe.
Adding to this hardship, there weren’t enough modern planes to go around. The women of the 588th were issued Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes – outdated, flimsy aircraft originally designed in the late 1920s for agricultural work and flight training. Nicknamed "crop dusters" or worse, “flying coffins,” these aircraft had wooden frames covered in canvas, open cockpits, and a top speed of about 90 mph (145 km/h). The pilot sat at the front, and the navigator – who also served as bombardier – sat behind.
The planes carried just two bombs at a time, one slung under each wing. Due to weight limitations, no parachutes were carried – there simply wasn’t room, and at the altitudes they flew (often only a few hundred feet above ground), a parachute wouldn’t have deployed in time anyway. Instead, the women carried pistols – the last bullet saved for themselves to avoid capture.
Yet the Po-2 had certain advantages. Its lightweight construction made it nimble and capable of taking off and landing in fields and forest clearings. German radar couldn’t detect the wooden-and-canvas planes, and their top speed was so slow that German fighters often stalled trying to engage them. In a stroke of poetic irony, what made the Po-2s seem useless in theory made them devastating in practice.
Strategy, Stealth and the Sounds of Terror
The Night Witches primarily flew at night to evade detection and enemy fighters. They developed a unique strategy to attack targets heavily defended by anti-aircraft fire and searchlights. Pilots flew in formations of three: two planes would draw enemy fire and lights, veering off in opposite directions, while the third – its engine cut – would glide silently toward the target.
It was during this silent glide that German soldiers heard the now-famous whooshing sound, compared to a witch’s broom. By the time it was heard, it was often too late. Bombs would drop, the engine would reignite, and the pilot would climb into the night sky once more.
This psychological warfare was perhaps even more effective than the bombs themselves. German soldiers began to dread the night, unable to sleep properly, fearful of the near-silent approach of destruction. It was the goal of the regiment to wear down morale, harass supply lines, and bombard enemy positions into retreat.
Because each sortie only allowed for two bombs, the women had to fly many missions per night – often between eight and eighteen. After each drop, they would land at temporary forward bases, refuel, rearm, and take off again. The pace was relentless. Rest was scarce, and weather conditions were punishing.
Notable Night Witches and Incredible Feats
The stories of individual Night Witches are as remarkable as the unit itself. Nadezhda Popova, one of the most well-known pilots, once returned from a mission with 42 bullet holes in her aircraft, helmet, and map – and survived. Another pilot managed to fly home after the bottom of her plane was blown out by enemy fire.
Despite discrimination from male colleagues – who often doubted the women’s competence or questioned their presence in a combat zone – the Night Witches earned respect through sheer effectiveness. Many male pilots mocked them initially, but the unit’s performance quickly silenced critics. Still, they were not given radios or machine guns to protect themselves – a mark of the systemic inequalities they faced.
Major Operations and Combat Record
From their first orders on 8 October 1941, the Night Witches were involved in major Soviet operations, primarily on the Southern Front. Some of their most significant contributions include:
Battle of the Caucasus (25 July 1942 – 12 May 1944): The regiment defended key locations such as Vladikavkaz and carried out precision bombing raids over Prokhladnaya and Digora.
Kuban Bridgehead (March – September 1943): The unit played a key role in softening German defences on the Taman Peninsula. Their efforts during this campaign earned them the honour of becoming the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment.
Liberation of Novorossiysk (1943): A strategically important Black Sea port, Novorossiysk’s liberation helped open routes for future Soviet advances.
Kerch-Eltigen Operation (Nov 1943 – May 1944): These missions provided air support in the Crimean offensive, crucial to securing Soviet gains in the south.
Poland Offensive (August 1944): The Night Witches helped dislodge German forces from Polish cities like Warsaw and Augustów, pushing back the Nazi front lines.
By war’s end, the 588th had flown more than 23,000 sorties, dropped over 3,000 tonnes of bombs and incendiary devices, and inflicted significant damage on enemy infrastructure. Their total included the destruction or damage of 17 river crossings, 9 railway lines, 26 warehouses, 12 fuel depots, 176 armoured vehicles, and 86 enemy firing positions. They also delivered 155 resupply drops to Soviet ground forces in critical moments.
Recognition and Post-War Legacy
Despite their heroism, the Night Witches were not allowed to fly in the Soviet victory parade in Red Square in 1945 – their aircraft were deemed too slow. Still, their accomplishments were eventually recognised. Twenty-two members of the regiment were awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union – the USSR’s highest honour. Overall, eighty-nine Soviet women received the title for their wartime efforts.
Colonel Marina Raskova, the visionary behind the regiments, was among those killed in service. Her death was mourned as a national tragedy, and she was given the first state funeral of the war, with her ashes buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
After the war, women were once again edged out of military aviation in the USSR. For decades, the memory of the Night Witches faded. But in recent years, renewed interest in their story – helped by books like The Huntress by Kate Quinn – has brought their incredible achievements back into the spotlight.
Legacy of the Night Witches
The Night Witches were not just brave; they were strategic innovators, pioneers in gender equality, and among the most effective air units in the Soviet military. They proved that determination, skill, and creativity could turn even the most outdated equipment into a weapon of war. And they did it all in the face of institutional sexism, extreme hardship, and lethal danger.
