"They never used radios, so radio locators couldn't pick them up either. They were basically ghosts."
~ Steve Prowse, author of the screenplay The Night Witches
The Night Witches risked their lives on every mission and broke resource barriers. Of the three regiments, the 588th had the poorest equipment, or none at all, jeopardizing their safety. They flew Polikarpov Po-2 planes, a simple, two-seater canvas and plywood biplane that was leftover from World War I. There was no protective metal and the open cockpits exposed the women to harsh weather elements. Nadia Popova, a famous Night Witch said, “When the wind was strong, it would toss the plane. In winter, when you’d look out to see your target better, you got frostbite. Our feet froze in our boots, but we carried on flying.” Due to their plywood construction, the planes could “burn like a box of matches” if hit.
"It was like a coffin with wings."
~ Steve Prowse
Furthermore, there were no radios, radar, guns, or parachutes. Originally known as “crop-duster” planes, they were the slowest aircraft the Soviets had, with top speeds of 94 mph. With no radar, the women depended on their eyesight and exhaust flames to see and maps and compasses for navigation. Finally, the uniforms issued to the women showed a lack of respect towards them. No matter their size, every woman was given a size 42 men’s boot, a men’s uniform, and even men’s underwear. "They had to tear up their bedding and stuff them in their boots to get them to fit."
americanconservativeinlondon.blogspot.com/2012/06/night-witches-nachthexen-of-world-war.html.
americanconservativeinlondon.blogspot.com/2012/06/night-witches-nachthexen-of-world-war.html.
“I literally had holes in my flying kit where shrapnel had torn it. Several girls were wounded by groundfire, and the fuselage and wing surfaces of almost every aircraft were ripped and torn with bullet holes. The Po-2 may have been the slowest aircraft in the Air Force, but it took some incredible punishment and just kept flying. No wonder we all loved it so much.”
~ Nadia Popova
www.disclosure.pw/2019/04/01/the-amazing-tale-of-the-night-witches-of-wwii/.
Despite poor equipment, resources, and technology, the Night Witches broke barriers by successfully completing missions and bombing the resourceful Germans. For example, successful bombing took place on October 25, 1942. The Night Witches bombed a German airfield and fuel station that destroyed several German aircraft. “This loss forced the Germans to retreat from the area, allowing the Soviets to gain important ground near Russia’s Taman Peninsula. This was part of a conflict called the Battle of the Caucasus.”
588th Night Bomber Regiment
Tactics