Night Witches: These Female Pilots Struck Fear Into Nazi Germany
Not only were the Nazis thrown off by the near-nightly attacks, but they were also particularly incensed when they learned that an all-woman regiment was responsible.
With what is arguably one of the most badass names in military history, the story of the female aviators nicknamed Nachthexen, or “Night Witches” by German soldiers, tends to fly under a lot of people’s radar (bad pun intended). Flying no-frills wooden planes with ill-fitting uniforms and no parachutes, these Soviet pilots not only faced off against Nazis, but also judgment, doubt, and mistreatment by many of their male counterparts.
Why the most renowned Soviet female pilot never became a general (PHOTOS) Valentina Grizodubova was the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. She set six world records and commanded a long-range aviation regiment. And yet, a conflict at one point in her life threatened with a military tribunal.
Valentina Stepanovna Grizodubova s life was inextricably linked to aviation since her early childhood. Her father, Stepan Grizodubov, was one of the pioneers of the Russian aircraft industry. In 1912, when she was just two years old, he took her on her first flight. “From early childhood, she had a resolute and persistent character. For a girl, it was simply heroic,” the father later said.