Who Were The Soviet Night Witches?

The deadly, all-female squadron of bombers were known as the Soviet Night Witches, and they flew thousands of combat missions during World War II.

By Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi
Oct 20, 2022 4:00 PM
Soviet Night Witches
The Soviet 588th Air Regiment, also known as the Night Witches. (Credit: Sergey G/CC-BY-2.0/Wikimedia Commons)

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Soviet pilot Nina Raspopova knew her plane had been hit — anti-aircraft guns had blown away the bottom of the cockpit and her legs dangled over the open space. She was wounded and blood dripped down her limbs. Then, German searchlights targeting Raspopova’s plane blinded her. For a moment, she wasn’t sure which direction she was flying, though she knew she couldn’t crash in enemy territory.

In the distance, Raspopova saw a faint sparkle: the floodlight on her regiment’s runway. She directed the plane toward that direction and glided into neutral territory. After a rough landing, she walked with her navigator to a Soviet camp. Hours later, she sat on a bench and waited her turn for surgery.

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