So those who have read some of my previous posts will see I have an interest in history and flying. So combining the two was quit easy with war planes in WW1 and 2. It fascinates me to read about the courageous pilots of both wars stuck in their little planes shooting lead and dropping bombs on each other. That is why I love this story.
Background
With the beginning of WW2, single winged monoplanes mostly replaced the biplanes of the former war except for those lagging behind in industry and innovation. The planes were much faster and could fly very high. This necessitated having a canopy to enclose the pilot. Parachutes were allowed unlike the first world war pilots and there was more of a chance pilots could return and fight on after being shot down.
The biplane did, however, continue to serve in limited numbers and lesser roles in some nations. Some were used on observing and training duties. The Russians still had some at the beginning of hostilities but were in the process of replacing them. When the Germans attacked the Soviet Union on Sunday, 22 June 1941, the situation quickly became desperate. The Germans destroyed the bulk of the Russian air-force on the ground and the remaining force was no match for the Luftwaffe. The war progressed with the Germans pushing the Russians further and further back. The Soviets transferred most of their factories out of reach of the Germans and started to produce new and better replacement planes for those that were lost.
The Witches
The Russia armed forces were known to use women in their army and in support roles much more than other nations at the time. The war was becoming a desperate struggle for survival and more and more women became active participants. This led to the creation of a small female unit of volunteers in the air-force. Most of these girls were 18 to 20 years old and did not receive much training beyond flying, navigating and dropping bombs. They were provided with biplanes that were introduced in 1928 and the planes were previously used as trainers and for crop-dusting. The missions were harassment bombing of targets of opportunity. To aid in their survival and for the element of surprise, they flew at night. The planes were relatively silent and when a target was found, they killed the engine and swooped down silently and low on the unsuspecting Germans. The Germans called them the night witches due to their silent whistling sound as they flew by at low altitude. The women didn't have parachutes due to the relatively low altitude flight.
The German fighters also had trouble shooting them down as they were extremely slow and the German planes came close to stalling at such a speed. Most of the Russian causalities came from ground fire, break downs and flight error, not from the German fighters. The biplane was also extremely maneuverable and the women used it to their advantage.
Flying in the pitch black of night at low altitude, looking for glimmers of light to signal a potential target, perhaps a German soldier smoking, must have been a harrowing experience for these brave girls. Dropping their bombs and then escaping the ground fire and finding their way home navigating without the help of modern equipment is just an amazing accomplishment. Although they were acknowledged by some in the Russian command for what they did, many of the Russian men still looked down on them and discounted their contribution to the war. Many of these women lost their lives and they will be remembered for their bravery during one of the most brutal wars in history.
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Stock images are from pixabay.com
Artwork claimed by me is my own