In 1995 I was a Canadian working in Moscow. On May 9th I headed to the city center, with the rest of the city. The 50th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory was in full swing. I was lucky enough to happen upon a group of Night Witches, still beautiful and very proud in their 70's. My (now) wife was ecstatic to meet them, heroes who she grew up knowing of. When I told these heroes my father was also pilot in the war of an RCAF Spitfire, they spontaneously hugged me as if they knew and flew with my father. Awesome memory...
David Cole ... So true so many different facets of this war I never heard of before and didn't have a clue that existed. Coming into the story from knowing how great our factories were at being able to produce good quality war material and products at a speedy pace, unbelievable. Not to take away from this wonderful story here. But to come to realize how much of that war I had no idea of what's going on.
There is a book titled "The Unwomanly Face of War" written by Svetlana Alexievich. It is a compilation of interviews with Soviet Female Veterans of the second world War. Fascinating listen(its on audible). Pilots, tank crews, infantry, snipers, guerilla fighters, nurses, doctors.....the list goes on. Got a bit choked up, so young and brave.
Their was a elderly lady that lived in the neighborhood I grew up in. My mother told me she was raped by many German soldiers when she was a young girl in France. I also worked for a gentleman who had his concentration camp number tattooed on his forearm. I just find this so amazing but at the same time appalling. These men and women fought for our freedom and I’m am thankful every day to be free.
I've read many stories of impressive female snipers in the red army, but this is the first I'm hearing of their female pilots and tanks crews. I'll definitely have to check that book out. The strength, courage, and selflessness required to do those kinds of jobs in the midst of the most brutal war in modern human history is absolutely incredible. It's a shame that we don't see big-budget blockbusters on this topic instead of the usual female heroes from comic books.
My wife, a Girl Guide leader here in Australia had only told me of these amazing women the other day. The story she has is that the planes were loud and unreliable so they would have to turn the engines off, glide in for the attack, then climb out on the wing and restart them and fly back to base. Eva way, amazing women and an amazing story. Thank you for sharing.
The Po-2 isn't especially noisy (you can check the engine sound here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-blnn0ZyqGQ4.html), at least not compared to a Thunderbolt or a Mustang - those planes _roar_ whereas the Po-2 goes "put-put-put-put". I've seen and heard a Mustang, a Spit, and a 109 fly over low in formation, and the only one I could hear was the Mustang, the engine sound of the two others simply drowned. The reason the Night Witches idled their engines on approach was not to give the Germans time to get in cover or man their AA guns, which just adds to the devastating psychological effect of only realizing they were under attack when the high explosives started raining from the night sky. Badass chicks the lot of them.
@@mace8873 Thanks for replying. It’s a beautiful and simple plane. Even though the exhaust pipes and he seem to be a foot long straight out of the engine, it is fairly quiet. I would imagine to start it you would have to be standing in front of the plane and turn the propeller?
I have never seen evidence that they climbed on the wing to restart the engine. I know this story is making the rounds, but look at a picture of the plane and imagine doing that from the rear. Look how far back the wing is. You would have to leave the wing entirely, somehow hang on with one hand, stick your other hand through the cylinders and try to turn the prop. With one hand. From the rear. Near the center of the hub. Which would be difficult to turn even at the prop tip, standing on solid ground from the front. This is completely disregarind that the airstream would turn the prop anyway which would make the whole thing futile. This is just not possible. There are accounts of them going on the wings to release stuck bomblocks. But starting the engine? There is no way to do that from the rear.
That sounds incredible, physically impossible, but what a story. I'm not doubting she said it and perhaps believes it. When I was in the navy I heard all kinds of things teams like mine could do, fewer were true than not, on the other hand we didn't say we couldn't.
@@DrCruel On ratio of payload on take off and payload delivered on target it is the case. If you want to engage in rhetoric please go ahead and humor me.
@@downundertruckie7953 Name me a battle that the Night Witches were instrumental in winning. Name me an operation where the crucial factor was dropping grenades out of biplanes at night. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't blame me.
@@BUSTER.BRATAMUS That's true...however...at that time in human history it was TREMENDOUSLY important that Hitler's Nazis , and Imperial Japan , and Mussolini 's Fascists were defeated as the main threats to world peace . Say what you want about Stalin; , what the German dictatorship had in store for the Slavic Eastern' inferior' peoples was.....extinction.
@@BUSTER.BRATAMUS the key is that those millions would *actually live* under Stalin, as opposed to die under a victorious Nazi regime - on top of those already killed under Stalin.
@@deforged My Estonian granduncles died in a gulag thanks to the soviets invading Estonia and deporting people by cattle cars. Soviets killed way more people than Nazis ever did yet are celebrated in the west.
Although I've studied WWII history and had heard of the famous "Night Witches", I had never heard their story and assumed that they flew YAK fighters. Flying WWI type bi-planes took extreme courage, given the types of advanced aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Excellent presentation. Thanks....
Yak-1 fighters were used in another, 586th female regiment. Also there was 587th reg. of dive bombers on Pe-2. And “night witches” Po-2 588th was third female regiment in Red army
Learning about the Night Witches at 18, 19, significantly changed the very American story in my head about what happened in WW2. There are so many specific and important stories beyond the “nazis, pearl harbour, also Americans showed up and saved everyone” ones that are told over and over again in the US. An over- and often dishonest-simplification. There’s a photo of a Night Witch repairing one of her plane’s wings while it’s flying, taken by her co-pilot standing even further out on the wing. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
Yep, it's definitely a dishonest over-simplification. Really more like just straight up dishonesty, heh. The USSR did the vast majority of the fighting, and they deserve the vast majority of the credit (if we wanna assign some rough number, probably like 80%+ of the credit). They also likely suffered the most losses and most destruction (given the fascists invaded them, of course), and the N@zis committed countless terrible atrocities against their people. We must always remember the ~27 million Soviet people who lost their lives in the fight against fascism.
What wonderfully brave women! I had never heard of them until this video but applaud their bravery and patriotism. It must be remembered that at this time these women were our allies, we should have known more about them. What an inspiration to all women.
I was part of a group of women studying at Ruskin College, Oxford UK, the studies were titled: Women's Studies - but we were never taught about the bravery and heroism of the Russian Night Witches. Heroes every one!
Great video! The Night Witches, & other Russian female snipers & combatants of WWII, were amazing. It makes me wonder what could've been, had women from allied countries been placed in combat, Navy & Air Force roles. Females were pivotal in intelligence. Never underestimate the fighting spirit & strength of a woman!! Regards from the USA! 🦸🏻♀️🇺🇲💕🙏🏻
Those girls were amazing and they have my undying love and respect. When I first heard about them I was awestruck , and even now I like to watch everything about them. Back then people did amazing things in perilous times.
14:21 Note - some girls wear skirts. This is also for a reason. In those days, in the Red Army, girls were often punished for misdemeanors by flogging with salted rods on the ass and thighs. And after the spanking, it was easier for the girls to walk in a skirt. In addition, girls sometimes needed to relieve the accumulated sexual tension. Therefore, the girls could also be whipped on the ass and thighs to reduce tension.
I love that song, of course I'm a (American) military brat of more generation than I can imagine, a history geek, part of the age of heavy metal, and more than a little obsessive - compulsive about details. From the depths of hell in silence cast explosive spells in violence Russian night time flight perfected flawless vision undetected . I'd go on but voice to text is making me do it one word at a time.
What an awesome group of women who came to the aid of their country during these trying times. I salute their courage, honor and loyalty to their fellow flyers, country and the Allied fight against the terror that was the fascist Axis powers. Respect to them all from the USA!!
I'd like to add my own thanks and respect to these heroic ladies who so valiantly fought and died for their country. They are an inspiration for every woman in every country in the world. Anyone who doubts that women can fight needs to know about story of the Night Witches of the USSR.
Women shouldn't fight unless absolutely necessary. Having said that, they should also learn war techniques in case they need to defend themselves. What people need to realize is if not for the men, the women could not bring victory. Nevertheless, the Soviet army lost far more casualties than they should have. I'm not against women being in the army, don't get me wrong. In fact, it's quite important. And yes, sometimes they have to fight for example when they are getting attacked by the enemy. Of course women soldiers can kill men solddiers there's no doubt about that. But the risks are too high. 1. Women are physically weaker than men, therefore their endurance is not as strong. This also means their emotional nature is weaker in many aspects, and also they don't have the right physical makeup for fighting. 2. If women soldiers are caught, the potential for them to be raped is very high, which is very Demoralising for the men. 3. If they are mixed, it can lead to a lot of affairs as did happen. A lot of the Soviet commanders had wives and Mystresses, those mystresses got abandened after the war mostly. 4. As happens in the American army, women could be sexually assaulted by their own officers, which is why women and men need to be segregated. . Bottom line, there deffenitly should be a place for women in the army. But eeach gender is different. It is the job of men to rule the country, to lead the nation to glory and victory. And it is the job of women to have kids and nurcher the upcoming generations. I'm not saying it's wrong for a woman to work or earn a living by any means, or be the head of a business. All I'm saying is, some things should be left specifically to men.
On October 8th 1941, the 588th regiment was formed. An airforce regiment formed of Russian female volunteers, the Night Witches. October 8th is my birthday, and I am honoured to have been born on the anniversary of this legendary team of brave warriors.
My Grandfather was the 8th youngest son in the family, all 7 of his brothers died in Stalingrad, his father almost died of wounds during Königsberg offensive. My grandmother survived Soviet purges (her family was killed, survivors deported), worked in the ammunition factory during the war(she wasn't even an adult), survived german bombing god knows how many times. Those times were brutal from all perspectives imaginable, and i don't even know how they met!
Actually, their entire bodies were brave, not just their donkeys. The writer who adds burros to his sentences didn't need to spend extra typing time, even if he is too embarrassed to just say brave.
There is a recent book “Call Sign White Lilly” which tells the tale of one of the most highly decorated of these women pilots. Fascinating and inspiring.
The reason Russia is undefeatable since Peter the Great. Their comes the Mongols, Huns, the Seljuk Turks, then Ottoman Empire, came next French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte with 600,000 men Grand Army from 20 nations that captured Moscow in 1812 and followed by Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler 3. 8million men Operation Barbarossa' supported by four thousand tanks and thousands aircraft that swarmed east. These invading armies in millions combined were defeated one after another by the Russians. No army in history that remain combat ready, it's history glorious and fighting spirit intact. The Russian Army cannot be defeated by the US-led West.
That's because the west had more $$$ than eastern euro. Also the west still somewhat looked down upon women. Eastern euro used women into the army out of necessity.
Какие же вы пустые... Для вас это очередной голливудский блогбастер. Советский союз потерял 26000000 человек. Не было семей в которых, хоть кто то не погиб в этой войне.
WOW NEVER HEARD OF THESE BRAVE WOMEN UNTILL NOW!! HEARD OF AMELIA...BUT NOT THE OTHERS .THANK YOU FOR THIS VERY INTERESTING PART OF HISTORY. BLESS THESE WOMEN.🙂👍❤🙏
One of the most amazing stories I have ever heard. When people think of dying they think so negative but I think of meeting people like these woman and listening to there stories.
These women were absolutedly brilliant they should never, ever be forgotten for their amazing bravery, valour and fighting spirit, what they achieved as individuals and a squadron was incredible they are so unique Russia should be so proud of them their should be a massive and wonderful monument in Moscow to bravery to their mother country so the young people of today can appreciate how great they were they deserve every honour this programme moved me so much and I am English born and bred THANK YOU SO MUCH THE NIGHT WITCHES.
@@nicktan4530 true, Sophie Scholl was executed at 14 for trying to stop the nazis, and i am sure many others worked against them as well, but for determination, courage, skill and effectiveness the Night Witches rank right up there with any combat unit in WWII.
The more i think i know about military history, the more i realise how very little i actually do know. What an absolutely bloody amazing story. Just like Maggie Thatcher being called the "iron Lady" to belittle her, the name emboldened her and she embraced it. Rest in peace heroes, you have won a place in my heart right next to the glorious Anzacs that gave birth to my beautiful country Australia. Every single part of this story says Hero!
These women were some of the bravest women in the war , young ladies in a time growing up in a war doing something that was never done that way before and doing so much so brave , ❤️❤️❤️
Not women. But bravest soldiers, period. They were basically sent on a suicide mission, and ended up being some of their best soldiers, fighting against both their side and the opposition. Their male soldiers at least were supported and given functional machinery.
14:21 Note - some girls wear skirts. This is also for a reason. In those days, in the Red Army, girls were often punished for misdemeanors by flogging with salted rods on the ass and thighs. And after the spanking, it was easier for the girls to walk in a skirt. In addition, girls sometimes needed to relieve the accumulated sexual tension. Therefore, the girls could also be whipped on the ass and thighs to reduce tension.
This was so interesting and very informative. I've never seen a video as detailed as this one about the Night Witches. Glad I'm subscribed, just LOVE 💗 learning new things and this channel never disappoints me 😊
What an incredible page of history these extra ordinary women wrote . Tinged with sadness in that they did not receive their full recognition . The constant fear and adrenaline burns at your spirit and leaves you shaking and fragile
I recently read an historical novel about the Nachthexen (Night Witches): The Huntress, by Kate Quinn, and I enjoyed learning more about these dedicated and courageous women from this excellent video. If you enjoyed this video, I highly recommend the book.
I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I was unfamiliar with the story of the Night Witches. Thank you for telling their story! It was incredibly informative! Well done!
These incredible women not only have to fight the foreign enemy, but the enemy within as well, in order to survive these amazing women had to have the double amount of courage and stamina of their male counterparts, they deserve a much bigger recognition and homage for their incredible valour. Seen this made me quite emotional.
Great war adventure story! My greatest respect to these young, brave and skilful women that foght for their country. And thank you WarsofThe World for relating it in this video. Well done!
WOW!! THE "NIGHT WITCHES" were something else. I know Stalin was no sweetheart or well liked person but i would give him props on letting ladies in the military. As a USAF (mechanic) these ladies laid down some serious history for other ladies who wished to fly in the military. R.I.P. NIGHT WICHES!
When I was stationed in W. Germany in the 80s, one of my favorite things to do off duty was talk to Eastern Front veterans. Bring up the name Night Witches, and even the toughest of them would get a look of sheer, stark terror on his face. Some had seen their work first hand; others only heard stories. All were scared of them. Those ladies were no joke and have always had my respect. Credit given where credit is due.
This was quite an interesting part of WW II. They flew at night in old airplanes, that were barely held together with wire. The Night Witches were deadly.
What an incredible part of history. Every detail about these strong marvellous women has been so well put forward, making the reader an intimate part of the experience. Sad to hear, however, of the final treatment meted out to them. in Truth they ought to have been at the head of the celebrations post war.
Wow, this is so fascinating! Today’s generation of girls need to learn from these hero’s rather then looking up to pop singers who contribute nothing to society, it’s always an eye opening experience, listening on how women were treated from history, what they had to endure and how this holds up in today’s day and age. This video subject is very intriguing and I would love to read more on these type of storylines. Anyone got any suggestions on any books on lesser known real life World War II experiences?
Try this one, there were some 2500 Soviet female snipers who fought on the front; estimates as high as 11,000 Wehrmacht infantry fell to their cunning and marksmenship Lyudmila Pavlichenko - the extraordinary sniper / Red Army female sniper (Biographics) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DjHkik2cYMQ.html
WWII? Not as much, most come from Europe, Julia Childe was OSS, Josephine Baker aided the French resistance and allies, there's several about women in WWI & II, but why stop there? There's Tamoe Gozen 11th century ona bushida (think samurai), Lozen a chiricahua Apache who was one of geronimo's most trusted advisors there are pictures of her, a lot of female pirate captains - ok maybe not good role models for girls - and any number of female rulers in history; Boudicca leaps to mind, I mean if you piss off Roman Empire enough to want your head... Let me put it like this I would rather my thirteen-year-old daughter do a report Grace O'Malley for women's history than Taylor not so Swift
Comntrary to ms Erhart colonel Roskova and female fighter aces of the Soviet Union were not for advertisment of `female power` as women in the West. THey were true heroes , defending their Motherland at all costs. They deserve to be praised and remembered forever.Brave, deadly , and fast they were horror to German soldiers. Never compare them to ms Erhart.It would be really underestimation and insult to them.Because they were never paid for their duty to Rodina nor thought they were special. They simply were soldiers.
What a strange and spiteful thing to write. These women deserved peace, not to be thrown in to that hell by USSR government, who helped start the war in the first place.
The band Sabaton wrote a song about them called “Night Witches” from the Heroes album, that is how I learned about them. If you love history about war, please check out SABATON, all of their music is about war history.
All new to me. Thanks for digging up this history. Heroines all - brave and stoically carrying on, amidst the ridicule of their male counterparts and the thousands of hours of dangerous combat missions. Thanks for shedding light on these brave aviators.
My father flew 56 missions in a B-26 in WW2 as a waist gunner. He had three kills, multiple Purple Hearts, survived multiple crashes, etc. He was a genuine badass. Some of these women flew over 500 missions… There was a TV series that lasted one season about this squadron. Not great as expected… Nacht Hexan… what a name for a female band…
Yes.. There are many WW2 movies that are done by Russia about their struggles and efforts to save their country. And they are actually quite good. Most people think it was America that won the war and did all the fighting against the Nzi's. Russia bore the brunt of their wrath!
Absolutely outstanding video, although I knew about these women, this is the type of documentaries that I love to see! The things about the war that are all but forgotten. Thank you!
The very first time I have heard of these brave women. Thank you for showing that their love of the Mother Land only encourages the best of whom they were " to be all courageous that was needed to win!"
Hi from NZ. I had heard and studied a little about the Night Witches. But, I learned a lot more about them from your very informative video. Thank you for putting in all the effort. I think the words of Sir Winston Churchill could be applied here..."Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." They know who they are and what they accomplished! My own Grandfather was in a little known elite force called the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) that operated upto 1000 miles behind enemy lines in Libia giving the Germans hell, gathering intel, blowing up planes and ammo dumps and whatever else they could do to mess up the Germans plans. They are largely forgotten now, yet their effort was vital to winning the desert war!
