Barriers

The Night Witches were an important Soviet asset in defeating the Germans. They battled skepticism and sexual harassment but were considered heroes and role models because of their bravery and success. These women broke the stereotype that women were too weak physically and emotionally. Marina Raskova’s fame and influence were critical in breaking political and gender barriers. Without her perseverance with Stalin, “it is doubtful that there would have been any women air regiments in the Soviet Union during World War II.” The Night Witches "during the war inspired American and British women to create similar units (WASPs - Women Air Force Service Pilots - in America and ATA - Air Transport Auxiliary - British). The WASP and ATA members were not authorized by their governments to fly combat missions. The women were only allowed to ferry planes for the military within their respective countries."

"We wanted to be equal - we didn't want the men saying, 'Oh, those women!' about us. And we tried harder than the men. Apart from everything else, we had to prove that we were as good as them. For a long time, we had to put up with a very patronizing, superior attitude."
~ Maria Kaliberda

Despite the Night Witches lack of resources and technology, they broke barriers by implementing creative and destructive tactics to ambush the Germans and improve their own survivability. Raskova appointed Lieutenant Colonel Yevdokiia Bershanskaya Commander of the 588th Regiment. This Commander began an innovative training program that would supply continual replacements for her flying personnel when needed. Her idea was unorthodox at the time. "However it enabled the unit to never be taken out of action on the front lines due to illness or accidents. Once this program began it resulted in a continuously successful operational unit for over three years. No other regiment including male units could claim the same success nor did any utilize this training technique." Another technique the Commander utilized was servicing and rearming the planes as a group instead of individually. This saved time and helped reduce fatigue and injury. Finally, the Night Witches created a legacy and were role models for other countries. In June, 1950 when the Korean War began, the Soviets gave significant military aid to North Korea. This included dozens of Night Bombers and the North Koreans adopted the same strategy the Night Witches used making it difficult for the UN air forces to detect aircraft on advanced radar.