Stories
Forgotten women: the night witches
Forgotten women: the night witches
casting out gender stereotypes
By Kerry Fry
Writer, Executive Coach and Mentor
Ideas about women’s capability to do ‘men’s work’ have, thankfully, made huge strides in the last 100 years. Although there is still a long way to go in dismantling the sort of gender stereotypes that show up when you Google ‘secretary’ or ‘builder’, women have established themselves over the last century as a talented, capable, and necessary part of the workforce.
There have been many defining moments that have raised the profile of women in the workplace, however none so powerful as women stepping up to the plate during WWI and WWII. When I think of women’s wartime contributions, what springs to mind is often women working in the munition’s factories, on code breaking teams, or repairing military vehicles.
Something that didn’t cross my mind was women in battle. I thought of that as a far more recent thing. So, when I read an articleabout a team of Soviet women in WWII, I wanted to share their tale of overcoming gender stereotypes in the workplace.[1]
On the 28thof June 1942, a Soviet flying squadron took aim at the invading Nazi forces’ headquarters. They were successful. This squadron was terrifying – their planes didn’t show up on radar and couldn’t be located via radio. In fact, they were feared so greatly by the Nazi’s that any airman who downed one was automatically awarded the prestigious Iron Cross medal.[2]Nazi forces had no warning the bombers were coming. Only a swooshing noise, like that of a sweeping broom, gave their presence away. Terrified German troops nicknamed them the Nachthexen, or ‘Night Witches’.
Witches, the pilots of these bombers were not. But they were like nothing seen before. And they were brave.
Previously barred from combat, the encroaching Nazi enemy had given the Soviets good reason to rethink their policy on female soldiers during World War II. Created by Marina Raskova, this all-female flying squadron – many of whom were in their late-teens and early twenties – braved enemy bullets, frostbite, and battled sexism within their own ranks to become a crucial Soviet asset in winning the war. Involved in around 30,000 missions, they dropped 23,000 tonnes of bombs on Nazi targets. Their plywood biplanes required flight at low altitudes, making them far slower than German aircraft and easy to spot. The pilots therefore could only fly at night and relied upon their incredible navigation prowess to guide them. Even with the apparent handicap of slow, fragile planes, their lack of speed meant that they could actually out-manoeuvre enemy aircraft. On reaching their target site, the pilots would cut the engines and glide the rest of the way to the bomb release point creating the swooshing noise feared so much by German troops. And so, the Night Witches earned their name.
Despite their success, the ‘Witches’ were not welcomed into the military with open arms. Their male counterparts saw them as inferior and treated them with a lack of respect. They were supplied with hand-me-down uniforms from male soldiers and only rudimentary tools like rulers, torches and pencils, whilst the men had radar, guns and radios. One Soviet General even complained he’d been sent a ‘bunch of girlies’when he’d asked for soldiers.[3]Raskova prepared her women for such attitudes and had them follow12 commandments – the first being ‘be proud you are a woman’.[4]
The Soviet Union was the first nation to officially allow women in combat and the 588thNight Bomber Regiment (as they were officially known) becamethe most highly decorated unit in the Soviet Air Force during the war. Six months after the war ended, the regiment was disbanded. In the victory-day parade that followed in Moscow, it was decided that the Witches should not take part — all because their planes were too slow.
The inequality, sexism, and biases that the Night Witches experienced are still challenges women face in the workplace today. Although we still have much to do in this space for ours and future generations, I’m grateful for the start women like the Nachthexen gave us.
[1]History.com article ‘Meet the Night Witches, the Daring Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night’ by Brynn Holland, 2017
[2]The New York Times article ‘Nadezhda Popova, WWII ‘Night Witch’, dies at 91’ by Douglas Martin, 2013
[3]https://historycollection.com/night-witches-women-russian-bomb-squad-terrorized-nazis-ww2/2/
[4]History.com article ‘Meet the Night Witches, the Daring Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night’ by Brynn Holland, 2017
Kerry is a writer with a passion for empowering women to succeed. Her degree in Ancient History & Archaeology provides a historical lens for her work which focuses on bringing attention to feminist issues, inequalities and celebrating female success – past and present. As a Birmingham-based professional Coach and communication expert, Kerry’s mission is to help women define success for themselves and equip them to go get it. You can find her on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/
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