The 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the USSR

The top speed of the Polikarpov Po-2 was more or less the same as the stall speed of the BF 109 and the FW 190, meaning that even if they could detect the planes, the Germans had one hell of a hard time adjusting to the speed difference in order to shoot them down and they were so maneuverable that they could zig zag from side to side or up or down and completely mess up incoming German planes or even ground fire. From what I can see, 231 women served in the regiment during the war and 32 died for from various causes – including diseases. That’s a pretty good survival rate for people flying in combat into in what was essentially a WW1 biplane. This is much better than the pilot attrition rate that the Luftwaffe suffered on the Eastern Front.

From the depths of hell in silence cast their spells explosive violence

It was said that when the planes glided closer to the enemy, they made a sound resembling the witches broomstick. This is why they were famously called as Nachthexen or night witches by the German soldiers.

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