In 1995 I was a Canadian working in Moscow. On May 9th I headed to the city center, with the rest of the city. The 50th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory was in full swing. I was lucky enough to happen upon a group of Night Witches, still beautiful and very proud in their 70's. My (now) wife was ecstatic to meet them, heroes who she grew up knowing of. When I told these heroes my father was also pilot in the war of an RCAF Spitfire, they spontaneously hugged me as if they knew and flew with my father. Awesome memory...
David Cole ... So true so many different facets of this war I never heard of before and didn't have a clue that existed. Coming into the story from knowing how great our factories were at being able to produce good quality war material and products at a speedy pace, unbelievable. Not to take away from this wonderful story here. But to come to realize how much of that war I had no idea of what's going on.
There is a book titled "The Unwomanly Face of War" written by Svetlana Alexievich. It is a compilation of interviews with Soviet Female Veterans of the second world War. Fascinating listen(its on audible). Pilots, tank crews, infantry, snipers, guerilla fighters, nurses, doctors.....the list goes on. Got a bit choked up, so young and brave.
Their was a elderly lady that lived in the neighborhood I grew up in. My mother told me she was raped by many German soldiers when she was a young girl in France. I also worked for a gentleman who had his concentration camp number tattooed on his forearm. I just find this so amazing but at the same time appalling. These men and women fought for our freedom and I’m am thankful every day to be free.
I've read many stories of impressive female snipers in the red army, but this is the first I'm hearing of their female pilots and tanks crews. I'll definitely have to check that book out. The strength, courage, and selflessness required to do those kinds of jobs in the midst of the most brutal war in modern human history is absolutely incredible. It's a shame that we don't see big-budget blockbusters on this topic instead of the usual female heroes from comic books.
Those girls were amazing and they have my undying love and respect. When I first heard about them I was awestruck , and even now I like to watch everything about them. Back then people did amazing things in perilous times.
14:21 Note - some girls wear skirts. This is also for a reason. In those days, in the Red Army, girls were often punished for misdemeanors by flogging with salted rods on the ass and thighs. And after the spanking, it was easier for the girls to walk in a skirt. In addition, girls sometimes needed to relieve the accumulated sexual tension. Therefore, the girls could also be whipped on the ass and thighs to reduce tension.
@@BUSTER.BRATAMUS That's true...however...at that time in human history it was TREMENDOUSLY important that Hitler's Nazis , and Imperial Japan , and Mussolini 's Fascists were defeated as the main threats to world peace . Say what you want about Stalin; , what the German dictatorship had in store for the Slavic Eastern' inferior' peoples was.....extinction.
@@BUSTER.BRATAMUS the key is that those millions would *actually live* under Stalin, as opposed to die under a victorious Nazi regime - on top of those already killed under Stalin.
@@deforged My Estonian granduncles died in a gulag thanks to the soviets invading Estonia and deporting people by cattle cars. Soviets killed way more people than Nazis ever did yet are celebrated in the west.
Although I've studied WWII history and had heard of the famous "Night Witches", I had never heard their story and assumed that they flew YAK fighters. Flying WWI type bi-planes took extreme courage, given the types of advanced aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Excellent presentation. Thanks....
Yak-1 fighters were used in another, 586th female regiment. Also there was 587th reg. of dive bombers on Pe-2. And “night witches” Po-2 588th was third female regiment in Red army
My wife, a Girl Guide leader here in Australia had only told me of these amazing women the other day. The story she has is that the planes were loud and unreliable so they would have to turn the engines off, glide in for the attack, then climb out on the wing and restart them and fly back to base. Eva way, amazing women and an amazing story. Thank you for sharing.
The Po-2 isn't especially noisy (you can check the engine sound here: ruclips.net/video/blnn0ZyqGQ4/видео.html), at least not compared to a Thunderbolt or a Mustang - those planes _roar_ whereas the Po-2 goes "put-put-put-put". I've seen and heard a Mustang, a Spit, and a 109 fly over low in formation, and the only one I could hear was the Mustang, the engine sound of the two others simply drowned. The reason the Night Witches idled their engines on approach was not to give the Germans time to get in cover or man their AA guns, which just adds to the devastating psychological effect of only realizing they were under attack when the high explosives started raining from the night sky. Badass chicks the lot of them.
@@mace8873 Thanks for replying. It’s a beautiful and simple plane. Even though the exhaust pipes and he seem to be a foot long straight out of the engine, it is fairly quiet. I would imagine to start it you would have to be standing in front of the plane and turn the propeller?
I have never seen evidence that they climbed on the wing to restart the engine. I know this story is making the rounds, but look at a picture of the plane and imagine doing that from the rear. Look how far back the wing is. You would have to leave the wing entirely, somehow hang on with one hand, stick your other hand through the cylinders and try to turn the prop. With one hand. From the rear. Near the center of the hub. Which would be difficult to turn even at the prop tip, standing on solid ground from the front. This is completely disregarind that the airstream would turn the prop anyway which would make the whole thing futile. This is just not possible. There are accounts of them going on the wings to release stuck bomblocks. But starting the engine? There is no way to do that from the rear.
That sounds incredible, physically impossible, but what a story. I'm not doubting she said it and perhaps believes it. When I was in the navy I heard all kinds of things teams like mine could do, fewer were true than not, on the other hand we didn't say we couldn't.
What wonderfully brave women! I had never heard of them until this video but applaud their bravery and patriotism. It must be remembered that at this time these women were our allies, we should have known more about them. What an inspiration to all women.
I was part of a group of women studying at Ruskin College, Oxford UK, the studies were titled: Women's Studies - but we were never taught about the bravery and heroism of the Russian Night Witches. Heroes every one!
I'd like to add my own thanks and respect to these heroic ladies who so valiantly fought and died for their country. They are an inspiration for every woman in every country in the world. Anyone who doubts that women can fight needs to know about story of the Night Witches of the USSR.
Women shouldn't fight unless absolutely necessary. Having said that, they should also learn war techniques in case they need to defend themselves. What people need to realize is if not for the men, the women could not bring victory. Nevertheless, the Soviet army lost far more casualties than they should have. I'm not against women being in the army, don't get me wrong. In fact, it's quite important. And yes, sometimes they have to fight for example when they are getting attacked by the enemy. Of course women soldiers can kill men solddiers there's no doubt about that. But the risks are too high. 1. Women are physically weaker than men, therefore their endurance is not as strong. This also means their emotional nature is weaker in many aspects, and also they don't have the right physical makeup for fighting. 2. If women soldiers are caught, the potential for them to be raped is very high, which is very Demoralising for the men. 3. If they are mixed, it can lead to a lot of affairs as did happen. A lot of the Soviet commanders had wives and Mystresses, those mystresses got abandened after the war mostly. 4. As happens in the American army, women could be sexually assaulted by their own officers, which is why women and men need to be segregated. . Bottom line, there deffenitly should be a place for women in the army. But eeach gender is different. It is the job of men to rule the country, to lead the nation to glory and victory. And it is the job of women to have kids and nurcher the upcoming generations. I'm not saying it's wrong for a woman to work or earn a living by any means, or be the head of a business. All I'm saying is, some things should be left specifically to men.
What an awesome group of women who came to the aid of their country during these trying times. I salute their courage, honor and loyalty to their fellow flyers, country and the Allied fight against the terror that was the fascist Axis powers. Respect to them all from the USA!!
The reason Russia is undefeatable since Peter the Great. Their comes the Mongols, Huns, the Seljuk Turks, then Ottoman Empire, came next French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte with 600,000 men Grand Army from 20 nations that captured Moscow in 1812 and followed by Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler 3. 8million men Operation Barbarossa' supported by four thousand tanks and thousands aircraft that swarmed east. These invading armies in millions combined were defeated one after another by the Russians. No army in history that remain combat ready, it's history glorious and fighting spirit intact. The Russian Army cannot be defeated by the US-led West.
@@DrCruel On ratio of payload on take off and payload delivered on target it is the case. If you want to engage in rhetoric please go ahead and humor me.
@@downundertruckie7953 Name me a battle that the Night Witches were instrumental in winning. Name me an operation where the crucial factor was dropping grenades out of biplanes at night. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't blame me.
Learning about the Night Witches at 18, 19, significantly changed the very American story in my head about what happened in WW2. There are so many specific and important stories beyond the “nazis, pearl harbour, also Americans showed up and saved everyone” ones that are told over and over again in the US. An over- and often dishonest-simplification. There’s a photo of a Night Witch repairing one of her plane’s wings while it’s flying, taken by her co-pilot standing even further out on the wing. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
Yep, it's definitely a dishonest over-simplification. Really more like just straight up dishonesty, heh. The USSR did the vast majority of the fighting, and they deserve the vast majority of the credit (if we wanna assign some rough number, probably like 80%+ of the credit). They also likely suffered the most losses and most destruction (given the fascists invaded them, of course), and the N@zis committed countless terrible atrocities against their people. We must always remember the ~27 million Soviet people who lost their lives in the fight against fascism.
Actually, their entire bodies were brave, not just their donkeys. The writer who adds burros to his sentences didn't need to spend extra typing time, even if he is too embarrassed to just say brave.
Great video! The Night Witches, & other Russian female snipers & combatants of WWII, were amazing. It makes me wonder what could've been, had women from allied countries been placed in combat, Navy & Air Force roles. Females were pivotal in intelligence. Never underestimate the fighting spirit & strength of a woman!! Regards from the USA! 🦸🏻♀️🇺🇲💕🙏🏻
There is a recent book “Call Sign White Lilly” which tells the tale of one of the most highly decorated of these women pilots. Fascinating and inspiring.
On October 8th 1941, the 588th regiment was formed. An airforce regiment formed of Russian female volunteers, the Night Witches. October 8th is my birthday, and I am honoured to have been born on the anniversary of this legendary team of brave warriors.
WOW NEVER HEARD OF THESE BRAVE WOMEN UNTILL NOW!! HEARD OF AMELIA...BUT NOT THE OTHERS .THANK YOU FOR THIS VERY INTERESTING PART OF HISTORY. BLESS THESE WOMEN.🙂👍❤🙏
One of the most amazing stories I have ever heard. When people think of dying they think so negative but I think of meeting people like these woman and listening to there stories.
I love that song, of course I'm a (American) military brat of more generation than I can imagine, a history geek, part of the age of heavy metal, and more than a little obsessive - compulsive about details. From the depths of hell in silence cast explosive spells in violence Russian night time flight perfected flawless vision undetected . I'd go on but voice to text is making me do it one word at a time.
@@nicktan4530 true, Sophie Scholl was executed at 14 for trying to stop the nazis, and i am sure many others worked against them as well, but for determination, courage, skill and effectiveness the Night Witches rank right up there with any combat unit in WWII.
That's because the west had more $$$ than eastern euro. Also the west still somewhat looked down upon women. Eastern euro used women into the army out of necessity.
Какие же вы пустые... Для вас это очередной голливудский блогбастер. Советский союз потерял 26000000 человек. Не было семей в которых, хоть кто то не погиб в этой войне.
This was so interesting and very informative. I've never seen a video as detailed as this one about the Night Witches. Glad I'm subscribed, just LOVE 💗 learning new things and this channel never disappoints me 😊
My Grandfather was the 8th youngest son in the family, all 7 of his brothers died in Stalingrad, his father almost died of wounds during Königsberg offensive. My grandmother survived Soviet purges (her family was killed, survivors deported), worked in the ammunition factory during the war(she wasn't even an adult), survived german bombing god knows how many times. Those times were brutal from all perspectives imaginable, and i don't even know how they met!
These women were absolutedly brilliant they should never, ever be forgotten for their amazing bravery, valour and fighting spirit, what they achieved as individuals and a squadron was incredible they are so unique Russia should be so proud of them their should be a massive and wonderful monument in Moscow to bravery to their mother country so the young people of today can appreciate how great they were they deserve every honour this programme moved me so much and I am English born and bred THANK YOU SO MUCH THE NIGHT WITCHES.
I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I was unfamiliar with the story of the Night Witches. Thank you for telling their story! It was incredibly informative! Well done!
I recently read an historical novel about the Nachthexen (Night Witches): The Huntress, by Kate Quinn, and I enjoyed learning more about these dedicated and courageous women from this excellent video. If you enjoyed this video, I highly recommend the book.
What an incredible page of history these extra ordinary women wrote . Tinged with sadness in that they did not receive their full recognition . The constant fear and adrenaline burns at your spirit and leaves you shaking and fragile
The more i think i know about military history, the more i realise how very little i actually do know. What an absolutely bloody amazing story. Just like Maggie Thatcher being called the "iron Lady" to belittle her, the name emboldened her and she embraced it. Rest in peace heroes, you have won a place in my heart right next to the glorious Anzacs that gave birth to my beautiful country Australia. Every single part of this story says Hero!
What an incredible part of history. Every detail about these strong marvellous women has been so well put forward, making the reader an intimate part of the experience. Sad to hear, however, of the final treatment meted out to them. in Truth they ought to have been at the head of the celebrations post war.
Great war adventure story! My greatest respect to these young, brave and skilful women that foght for their country. And thank you WarsofThe World for relating it in this video. Well done!
i love your stories and i love the fact that that images you show to tell the story are actually showing what your talking about and not just random pictures that have nothing at all to do with anything , like on a lot of other story channels where the pictures are so vague as to why bother showing em at all
WOW!! THE "NIGHT WITCHES" were something else. I know Stalin was no sweetheart or well liked person but i would give him props on letting ladies in the military. As a USAF (mechanic) these ladies laid down some serious history for other ladies who wished to fly in the military. R.I.P. NIGHT WICHES!
All new to me. Thanks for digging up this history. Heroines all - brave and stoically carrying on, amidst the ridicule of their male counterparts and the thousands of hours of dangerous combat missions. Thanks for shedding light on these brave aviators.
Absolutely outstanding video, although I knew about these women, this is the type of documentaries that I love to see! The things about the war that are all but forgotten. Thank you!
The band Sabaton wrote a song about them called “Night Witches” from the Heroes album, that is how I learned about them. If you love history about war, please check out SABATON, all of their music is about war history.
Wow, this is so fascinating! Today’s generation of girls need to learn from these hero’s rather then looking up to pop singers who contribute nothing to society, it’s always an eye opening experience, listening on how women were treated from history, what they had to endure and how this holds up in today’s day and age. This video subject is very intriguing and I would love to read more on these type of storylines. Anyone got any suggestions on any books on lesser known real life World War II experiences?
Try this one, there were some 2500 Soviet female snipers who fought on the front; estimates as high as 11,000 Wehrmacht infantry fell to their cunning and marksmenship Lyudmila Pavlichenko - the extraordinary sniper / Red Army female sniper (Biographics) ruclips.net/video/DjHkik2cYMQ/видео.html
WWII? Not as much, most come from Europe, Julia Childe was OSS, Josephine Baker aided the French resistance and allies, there's several about women in WWI & II, but why stop there? There's Tamoe Gozen 11th century ona bushida (think samurai), Lozen a chiricahua Apache who was one of geronimo's most trusted advisors there are pictures of her, a lot of female pirate captains - ok maybe not good role models for girls - and any number of female rulers in history; Boudicca leaps to mind, I mean if you piss off Roman Empire enough to want your head... Let me put it like this I would rather my thirteen-year-old daughter do a report Grace O'Malley for women's history than Taylor not so Swift
Yes.. There are many WW2 movies that are done by Russia about their struggles and efforts to save their country. And they are actually quite good. Most people think it was America that won the war and did all the fighting against the Nzi's. Russia bore the brunt of their wrath!
These incredible women not only have to fight the foreign enemy, but the enemy within as well, in order to survive these amazing women had to have the double amount of courage and stamina of their male counterparts, they deserve a much bigger recognition and homage for their incredible valour. Seen this made me quite emotional.
Comntrary to ms Erhart colonel Roskova and female fighter aces of the Soviet Union were not for advertisment of `female power` as women in the West. THey were true heroes , defending their Motherland at all costs. They deserve to be praised and remembered forever.Brave, deadly , and fast they were horror to German soldiers. Never compare them to ms Erhart.It would be really underestimation and insult to them.Because they were never paid for their duty to Rodina nor thought they were special. They simply were soldiers.
What a strange and spiteful thing to write. These women deserved peace, not to be thrown in to that hell by USSR government, who helped start the war in the first place.
The very first time I have heard of these brave women. Thank you for showing that their love of the Mother Land only encourages the best of whom they were " to be all courageous that was needed to win!"
This was quite an interesting part of WW II. They flew at night in old airplanes, that were barely held together with wire. The Night Witches were deadly.
These women were some of the bravest women in the war , young ladies in a time growing up in a war doing something that was never done that way before and doing so much so brave , ❤️❤️❤️
Not women. But bravest soldiers, period. They were basically sent on a suicide mission, and ended up being some of their best soldiers, fighting against both their side and the opposition. Their male soldiers at least were supported and given functional machinery.
14:21 Note - some girls wear skirts. This is also for a reason. In those days, in the Red Army, girls were often punished for misdemeanors by flogging with salted rods on the ass and thighs. And after the spanking, it was easier for the girls to walk in a skirt. In addition, girls sometimes needed to relieve the accumulated sexual tension. Therefore, the girls could also be whipped on the ass and thighs to reduce tension.
When I was stationed in W. Germany in the 80s, one of my favorite things to do off duty was talk to Eastern Front veterans. Bring up the name Night Witches, and even the toughest of them would get a look of sheer, stark terror on his face. Some had seen their work first hand; others only heard stories. All were scared of them. Those ladies were no joke and have always had my respect. Credit given where credit is due.
I have followed the Night Witches Story in books and shows for years. There are some very good Russian TV series about them with Sub-Titles here on the Tube!
I've been watching the Russian series. It is exciting, well acted, and devoid of Soviet propaganda. I believe that it was made after the fall of the USSR but with some of the pilots still around to tell the tale. By all means watch it. The series is called Night Swallows but I found it here under Night Witches.
Good video - Had to roll my eyes a bit at 21:52 when they seemed to suggest that the Germans used Me 262 jets to intercept a 90 mph Polikarpov Po-2 biplane.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
In 1995 I was a Canadian working in Moscow. On May 9th I headed to the city center, with the rest of the city. The 50th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory was in full swing. I was lucky enough to happen upon a group of Night Witches, still beautiful and very proud in their 70's. My (now) wife was ecstatic to meet them, heroes who she grew up knowing of. When I told these heroes my father was also pilot in the war of an RCAF Spitfire, they spontaneously hugged me as if they knew and flew with my father. Awesome memory...
That's a wonderful story mate,these brave women have to be recognised and respected.
Awesome story. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing!
Maybe u can share pictures with them
Omg, what a honor to have met any of these incredibly brave and beautiful ladies. 👍👍
One could spend a lifetime studying world war 2 and still not learn it all. This is an incredible story and these women are indeed heroes.
Heroines.
David Cole ... So true so many different facets of this war I never heard of before and didn't have a clue that existed.
Coming into the story from knowing how great our factories were at being able to produce good quality war material and products at a speedy pace, unbelievable.
Not to take away from this wonderful story here.
But to come to realize how much of that war I had no idea of what's going on.
True. I've never understood the need for war fiction as there are far more amazing real stories to be told.
You know it. How about the African American artillery units / battle/bulge? Or a bear that carried munitions for a polish unit in italy?
@@johnjohnon8767 The bear story is something new 😳
The courage and sacrifice of these women should never be forgotten. They were one tough bunch of pilots.
There is a book titled "The Unwomanly Face of War" written by Svetlana Alexievich. It is a compilation of interviews with Soviet Female Veterans of the second world War. Fascinating listen(its on audible). Pilots, tank crews, infantry, snipers, guerilla fighters, nurses, doctors.....the list goes on. Got a bit choked up, so young and brave.
I've read it and can say, it is fascinating!
Well said. It's the best book I've ever read
Their was a elderly lady that lived in the neighborhood I grew up in. My mother told me she was raped by many German soldiers when she was a young girl in France. I also worked for a gentleman who had his concentration camp number tattooed on his forearm. I just find this so amazing but at the same time appalling. These men and women fought for our freedom and I’m am thankful every day to be free.
I've read many stories of impressive female snipers in the red army, but this is the first I'm hearing of their female pilots and tanks crews. I'll definitely have to check that book out. The strength, courage, and selflessness required to do those kinds of jobs in the midst of the most brutal war in modern human history is absolutely incredible. It's a shame that we don't see big-budget blockbusters on this topic instead of the usual female heroes from comic books.
I would love to read it one day.
Those girls were amazing and they have my undying love and respect.
When I first heard about them I was awestruck , and even now I like to watch everything about them. Back then people did amazing things in perilous times.
14:21 Note - some girls wear skirts. This is also for a reason. In those days, in the Red Army, girls were often punished for misdemeanors by flogging with salted rods on the ass and thighs. And after the spanking, it was easier for the girls to walk in a skirt. In addition, girls sometimes needed to relieve the accumulated sexual tension. Therefore, the girls could also be whipped on the ass and thighs to reduce tension.
The story of the two pilots discovering the Tiger tanks in the woods and escaping undetected and flying off to tell about it, just wow.
My respect and gratitude to these women. Thank you for sharing their accomplishments and sacrifices .
LOL so they and millions more could live under Stalins boot for decades.
@@BUSTER.BRATAMUS That's true...however...at that time in human history it was TREMENDOUSLY important that Hitler's Nazis , and Imperial Japan , and Mussolini 's Fascists were defeated as the main threats to world peace . Say what you want about Stalin; , what the German dictatorship had in store for the Slavic Eastern' inferior' peoples was.....extinction.
@@BUSTER.BRATAMUS the key is that those millions would *actually live* under Stalin, as opposed to die under a victorious Nazi regime - on top of those already killed under Stalin.
@@deforged your ignorance is stunning,, Stalin and the blood thirsty Commies, killed as many if not more than Hitler..
@@deforged My Estonian granduncles died in a gulag thanks to the soviets invading Estonia and deporting people by cattle cars. Soviets killed way more people than Nazis ever did yet are celebrated in the west.
These Pilots deserve to be remembered.
Although I've studied WWII history and had heard of the famous "Night Witches", I had never heard their story and assumed that they flew YAK fighters. Flying WWI type bi-planes took extreme courage, given the types of advanced aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Excellent presentation. Thanks....
Yak-1 fighters were used in another, 586th female regiment. Also there was 587th reg. of dive bombers on Pe-2. And “night witches” Po-2 588th was third female regiment in Red army
My wife, a Girl Guide leader here in Australia had only told me of these amazing women the other day. The story she has is that the planes were loud and unreliable so they would have to turn the engines off, glide in for the attack, then climb out on the wing and restart them and fly back to base.
Eva way, amazing women and an amazing story. Thank you for sharing.
The Po-2 isn't especially noisy (you can check the engine sound here: ruclips.net/video/blnn0ZyqGQ4/видео.html), at least not compared to a Thunderbolt or a Mustang - those planes _roar_ whereas the Po-2 goes "put-put-put-put". I've seen and heard a Mustang, a Spit, and a 109 fly over low in formation, and the only one I could hear was the Mustang, the engine sound of the two others simply drowned. The reason the Night Witches idled their engines on approach was not to give the Germans time to get in cover or man their AA guns, which just adds to the devastating psychological effect of only realizing they were under attack when the high explosives started raining from the night sky. Badass chicks the lot of them.
@@mace8873 Thanks for replying. It’s a beautiful and simple plane. Even though the exhaust pipes and he seem to be a foot long straight out of the engine, it is fairly quiet. I would imagine to start it you would have to be standing in front of the plane and turn the propeller?
@@lukeshirley8496 As far as I'm aware, yes.
I have never seen evidence that they climbed on the wing to restart the engine. I know this story is making the rounds, but look at a picture of the plane and imagine doing that from the rear. Look how far back the wing is. You would have to leave the wing entirely, somehow hang on with one hand, stick your other hand through the cylinders and try to turn the prop. With one hand. From the rear. Near the center of the hub. Which would be difficult to turn even at the prop tip, standing on solid ground from the front. This is completely disregarind that the airstream would turn the prop anyway which would make the whole thing futile. This is just not possible. There are accounts of them going on the wings to release stuck bomblocks. But starting the engine? There is no way to do that from the rear.
That sounds incredible, physically impossible, but what a story. I'm not doubting she said it and perhaps believes it. When I was in the navy I heard all kinds of things teams like mine could do, fewer were true than not, on the other hand we didn't say we couldn't.
I hope that these brave women are never forgotten for what they achieved.
*But DO YOU BeLieve in GOD!!!!???*
First I heard of the story but I hope these women are not forgotten .
@@activatefiasco5843 Get out of here
@@DutchmanAmsterdam*
@@DutchmanAmsterdam*
What wonderfully brave women! I had never heard of them until this video but applaud their bravery and patriotism. It must be remembered that at this time these women were our allies, we should have known more about them. What an inspiration to all women.
I was part of a group of women studying at Ruskin College, Oxford UK, the studies were titled: Women's Studies - but we were never taught about the bravery and heroism of the Russian Night Witches. Heroes every one!
I'd like to add my own thanks and respect to these heroic ladies who so valiantly fought and died for their country. They are an inspiration for every woman in every country in the world. Anyone who doubts that women can fight needs to know about story of the Night Witches of the USSR.
Women shouldn't fight unless absolutely necessary. Having said that, they should also learn war techniques in case they need to defend themselves.
What people need to realize is if not for the men, the women could not bring victory. Nevertheless, the Soviet army lost far more casualties than they should have.
I'm not against women being in the army, don't get me wrong. In fact, it's quite important. And yes, sometimes they have to fight for example when they are getting attacked by the enemy. Of course women soldiers can kill men solddiers there's no doubt about that. But the risks are too high.
1. Women are physically weaker than men, therefore their endurance is not as strong. This also means their emotional nature is weaker in many aspects, and also they don't have the right physical makeup for fighting.
2. If women soldiers are caught, the potential for them to be raped is very high, which is very Demoralising for the men.
3. If they are mixed, it can lead to a lot of affairs as did happen. A lot of the Soviet commanders had wives and Mystresses, those mystresses got abandened after the war mostly.
4. As happens in the American army, women could be sexually assaulted by their own officers, which is why women and men need to be segregated. .
Bottom line, there deffenitly should be a place for women in the army. But eeach gender is different.
It is the job of men to rule the country, to lead the nation to glory and victory. And it is the job of women to have kids and nurcher the upcoming generations. I'm not saying it's wrong for a woman to work or earn a living by any means, or be the head of a business. All I'm saying is, some things should be left specifically to men.
The USSR was evil, no one should admire or look up to it.
What an awesome group of women who came to the aid of their country during these trying times. I salute their courage, honor and loyalty to their fellow flyers, country and the Allied fight against the terror that was the fascist Axis powers. Respect to them all from the USA!!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 🇺🇲
Thank you very much!
Russian women are beautiful, smart and strong. I know. I've been married to one of them for over 20 years..
Italy was fascist, please get it right.
❤❤❤From Far-East of Russia!
A worthy channel...
A worthy topic...
Thank you.
I'd honestly never heard about these brave women before today. Thanks for posting!
I really recommend the wonderful historic novel “The Huntress” by Kate Quinn, a real good thriller of a tale.
me to its amazing
What a fantastic story. Russia should be proud of its female pilot hero's.
We are.
What s famous story of Russian brave woman , and should never be forgotten ever ,a very impressive group of folks , the Russian people , bless them !
Not only females, but every unnamed and named soviet hero who gave their lifes to Lebensraum never happens
The reason Russia is undefeatable since Peter the Great. Their comes the Mongols, Huns, the Seljuk Turks, then Ottoman Empire, came next French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte with 600,000 men Grand Army from 20 nations that captured Moscow in 1812 and followed by Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler 3. 8million men Operation Barbarossa' supported by four thousand tanks and thousands aircraft that swarmed east. These invading armies in millions combined were defeated one after another by the Russians. No army in history that remain combat ready, it's history glorious and fighting spirit intact. The Russian Army cannot be defeated by the US-led West.
@lMrRedl The video is about female pilot fighters, not a documentary of the whole Soviet army.
15% loss rate is not a bad record at all. When given their effectiveness and the equipment they had, a 15% loss is actually pretty spectacular.
Compared to the battle of Stalingrad that’s nothing.
Most effective night bomber squadron of ww2.
The Night Witches were not really effective at all, but they were useful for propaganda purposes.
@@DrCruel On ratio of payload on take off and payload delivered on target it is the case. If you want to engage in rhetoric please go ahead and humor me.
@@downundertruckie7953 Name me a battle that the Night Witches were instrumental in winning. Name me an operation where the crucial factor was dropping grenades out of biplanes at night.
If you don't know what you're talking about, don't blame me.
Learning about the Night Witches at 18, 19, significantly changed the very American story in my head about what happened in WW2. There are so many specific and important stories beyond the “nazis, pearl harbour, also Americans showed up and saved everyone” ones that are told over and over again in the US. An over- and often dishonest-simplification.
There’s a photo of a Night Witch repairing one of her plane’s wings while it’s flying, taken by her co-pilot standing even further out on the wing. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
Yep, it's definitely a dishonest over-simplification. Really more like just straight up dishonesty, heh. The USSR did the vast majority of the fighting, and they deserve the vast majority of the credit (if we wanna assign some rough number, probably like 80%+ of the credit). They also likely suffered the most losses and most destruction (given the fascists invaded them, of course), and the N@zis committed countless terrible atrocities against their people.
We must always remember the ~27 million Soviet people who lost their lives in the fight against fascism.
This is an interesting bit of history. These women were some brave heroes! Hats off to the “Night Witches!”
@Andrew Phillips It is grammatically appropriate to use either “hero” or “heroine” in reference to a female.
Actually, their entire bodies were brave, not just their donkeys.
The writer who adds burros to his sentences didn't need to spend extra typing time, even if he is too embarrassed to just say brave.
@@briseboy
There George, I edited the ass out just for you.
Great video! The Night Witches, & other Russian female snipers & combatants of WWII, were amazing. It makes me wonder what could've been, had women from allied countries been placed in combat, Navy & Air Force roles. Females were pivotal in intelligence. Never underestimate the fighting spirit & strength of a woman!! Regards from the USA! 🦸🏻♀️🇺🇲💕🙏🏻
Extraordinarily brave and heroic women. Incredible story.
Thank you.
I've been waiting to order this book 📚 now I really can't. I'm excited to read their stories
There is a recent book “Call Sign White Lilly” which tells the tale of one of the most highly decorated of these women pilots. Fascinating and inspiring.
When your ENEMY gives you a name like that, you know they fear you…Die Nachthexe. Excellent presentation.
On October 8th 1941, the 588th regiment was formed. An airforce regiment formed of Russian female volunteers, the Night Witches. October 8th is my birthday, and I am honoured to have been born on the anniversary of this legendary team of brave warriors.
WOW NEVER HEARD OF THESE BRAVE WOMEN UNTILL NOW!! HEARD OF AMELIA...BUT NOT THE OTHERS .THANK YOU FOR THIS VERY INTERESTING PART OF HISTORY. BLESS THESE WOMEN.🙂👍❤🙏
One of the most amazing stories I have ever heard. When people think of dying they think so negative but I think of meeting people like these woman and listening to there stories.
I can almost feel the Sabaton song of *"Night Witches"* pumping spirits into everyone's veins especially mine.
that was first thing to my mind
I love that song, of course I'm a (American) military brat of more generation than I can imagine, a history geek, part of the age of heavy metal, and more than a little obsessive - compulsive about details. From the depths of hell in silence cast explosive spells in violence Russian night time flight perfected flawless vision undetected . I'd go on but voice to text is making me do it one word at a time.
From the depths of hell in silence.
cast their spells, explosive violence. Russian night time, flight perfected. Flawless vision, undetected
@@jurrehuizinga7136music is 🇷🇺life. We don’t listen to music, we hear and feel it. Now go turn it up again
I listened to the song, just before I saw this story. 💙🔥
Those brave women deserve recognition!! ❤️
What about german women ?
@@nicktan4530 true, Sophie Scholl was executed at 14 for trying to stop the nazis, and i am sure many others worked against them as well, but for determination, courage, skill and effectiveness the Night Witches rank right up there with any combat unit in WWII.
I don't believe the western allies had such an equivalent. A remarkable and uplifting story of determination and bravery.
That's because the west had more $$$ than eastern euro. Also the west still somewhat looked down upon women. Eastern euro used women into the army out of necessity.
@@brianticas9572 And let's not pretend Russia didn't mow down cities with rape and extermination camps.
They may not have been "combat" pilots, but the US had women test & transport pilots. They delivered aircraft to Asia over the Aleutians.
This is because Russia went through hell. It was the Russians who drove the Nazis away from Moscow and not from New York 😅
Какие же вы пустые... Для вас это очередной голливудский блогбастер. Советский союз потерял 26000000 человек. Не было семей в которых, хоть кто то не погиб в этой войне.
This was so interesting and very informative. I've never seen a video as detailed as this one about the Night Witches. Glad I'm subscribed, just LOVE 💗 learning new things and this channel never disappoints me 😊
God bless those women who risked their own lives in danger for the mother land. Frankie t, Bronx County.
Correct this is a detailed video about the night witches. And the detailed song about them is from Sabaton! Sabaton rules! 🤟🤟🤟
A wonderfully moving story and beautiful narration. Absolutely brilliantly well done!
You guys are great! Always learning something new and interesting!
One small correction, these aren’t women, these are 20 year old girls. RIP and eternal glory to all of them
😂😂 You are a woman at 20 not a girl,
My Grandfather was the 8th youngest son in the family, all 7 of his brothers died in Stalingrad, his father almost died of wounds during Königsberg offensive. My grandmother survived Soviet purges (her family was killed, survivors deported), worked in the ammunition factory during the war(she wasn't even an adult), survived german bombing god knows how many times. Those times were brutal from all perspectives imaginable, and i don't even know how they met!
I don't feel sorry for you.
These women were absolutedly brilliant they should never, ever be forgotten for their amazing bravery, valour and fighting spirit, what they achieved as individuals and a squadron was incredible they are so unique Russia should be so proud of them their should be a massive and wonderful monument in Moscow to bravery to their mother country so the young people of today can appreciate how great they were they deserve every honour this programme moved me so much and I am English born and bred THANK YOU SO MUCH THE NIGHT WITCHES.
I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I was unfamiliar with the story of the Night Witches. Thank you for telling their story! It was incredibly informative! Well done!
I recently read an historical novel about the Nachthexen (Night Witches): The Huntress, by Kate Quinn, and I enjoyed learning more about these dedicated and courageous women from this excellent video. If you enjoyed this video, I highly recommend the book.
I have the same book translated in finnish as a "Yön noidat"
Lydia litvyak the white lily of Stalingrad
@@ronaldrabanes2452Hi, can I ask , what year was that book written ? Please , thank you
@@Jas111ld 2019.
@@mace8873 thank you
Never heard of these amazing women until now what bravery and patriotism ,worthy of world wide recognition .incredible
These ladies were incredible! Thank you for your service
First history is good it needs to be remembered
Well done and thank you 💃🛩️💃🛩️💃🛩️💃
What an incredible page of history these extra ordinary women wrote .
Tinged with sadness in that they did not receive their full recognition .
The constant fear and adrenaline burns at your spirit and leaves you shaking and fragile
Well, that's not melodramatic. They did their job.
Same thing happened to the WASPs of the USA. Just glad they all got recognized in the end
бывшим советским солдатам, они так многим пожертвовали. Любовь из Канады.
Now Russia is shit
Спасибо Вам
Спасибо 🤝
The more i think i know about military history, the more i realise how very little i actually do know.
What an absolutely bloody amazing story.
Just like Maggie Thatcher being called the "iron Lady" to belittle her, the name emboldened her and she embraced it.
Rest in peace heroes, you have won a place in my heart right next to the glorious Anzacs that gave birth to my beautiful country Australia.
Every single part of this story says Hero!
The difference is Thatcher fought for evil and oppression while these fought for liberation and justice…
What an incredible part of history. Every detail about these strong marvellous women has been so well put forward, making the reader an intimate part of the experience. Sad to hear, however, of the final treatment meted out to them. in Truth they ought to have been at the head of the celebrations post war.
Respect. Glad to see they're getting the recognition they deserve.
Fascinating story! Nice piece. These women were incredibly heroic, intelligent and resourceful. Truly inspirational.
Thank you for telling these stories, I never heard of this till now.
I must echo Dennis's comment. Fantastic Documentary. The photographs used are amazing. Thanks
Definitely one of my favorite stories. One of my students wrote an awesome comic book as part of her project in my class.
Wow! Just before I’d scrolled to your comment I was thinking this would make a great War Stories comic.
Great war adventure story! My greatest respect to these young, brave and skilful women that foght for their country. And thank you WarsofThe World for relating it in this video. Well done!
Such an extraordinary group of women. God bless them and their courage. They were true heros.
Extraordinary ! What resolve and tenacity. Thank you
Thank you for such an informative video. Indeed the Night Witches need to be remembered - for their bravery, courage and heroism.
Excellent,informative exciting,what a brave bunch of women.
Never heard this story.
Well worth a watch.
Thank you!
I have never heard of the “ Night Witches. Their story is amazing.
i love your stories and i love the fact that that images you show to tell the story are actually showing what your talking about and not just random pictures that have nothing at all to do with anything , like on a lot of other story channels where the pictures are so vague as to why bother showing em at all
What a fabulous story and a great presentation as well. Thank you.
What an absolute fantastic video. I knew nothing about them until now. God bless them and may we never forget them. Awesome ladies.
recommend the wonderful historic fiction book “The Huntress” by Kate Quinn, I could not put it down. It was about these women, what a tale.
WOW!! THE "NIGHT WITCHES" were something else. I know Stalin was no sweetheart or well liked person but i would give him props on letting ladies in the military. As a USAF (mechanic) these ladies laid down some serious history for other ladies who wished to fly in the military.
R.I.P. NIGHT WICHES!
All new to me. Thanks for digging up this history. Heroines all - brave and stoically carrying on, amidst the ridicule of their male counterparts and the thousands of hours of dangerous combat missions. Thanks for shedding light on these brave aviators.
And then their contribution ignored after the war was won.
Outstanding review of this unit and several key members.! Bravo.
Absolutely outstanding video, although I knew about these women, this is the type of documentaries that I love to see! The things about the war that are all but forgotten. Thank you!
The band Sabaton wrote a song about them called “Night Witches” from the Heroes album, that is how I learned about them. If you love history about war, please check out SABATON, all of their music is about war history.
www.sabaton.net/
And their drummer married to Floor Jansen of Nightwish! Lucky guy...
SABATON
The Sabaton song is awesome. I'm reading a book called "Daughters of the Night Sky" about the Night Witches.
Thats the song that git me hooked on sabaton
Such courage snd sense of duty to country. Amazing story
Amazing Story of Hero..... I just stand steel from the begining till the end of story...
Salut for them ... Greetings from East Indonesia...
Thank you, I love the Night Witches! Shared.
Flying at night in those planes without today’s proper instruments terrifies me.
Never too old to learn and thanks to this wonderful documentary I have learned of these remarkable and exceptional women.
What an inspiring documentary! I had never heard of them before. Thank you.
AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY👍❤❤👍
Remarkable story.Thank you for Sharing.
Wow what a taught full documentary , really fascinating true story !!
Wow, this is so fascinating!
Today’s generation of girls need to learn from these hero’s rather then looking up to pop singers who contribute nothing to society, it’s always an eye opening experience, listening on how women were treated from history, what they had to endure and how this holds up in today’s day and age.
This video subject is very intriguing and I would love to read more on these type of storylines.
Anyone got any suggestions on any books on lesser known real life World War II experiences?
Try this one, there were some 2500 Soviet female snipers who fought on the front; estimates as high as 11,000 Wehrmacht infantry fell to their cunning and marksmenship
Lyudmila Pavlichenko - the extraordinary sniper / Red Army female sniper (Biographics)
ruclips.net/video/DjHkik2cYMQ/видео.html
Agree 100%!
Amen 🙏
That was a great generation of our grandparents
WWII? Not as much, most come from Europe, Julia Childe was OSS, Josephine Baker aided the French resistance and allies, there's several about women in WWI & II, but why stop there? There's Tamoe Gozen 11th century ona bushida (think samurai), Lozen a chiricahua Apache who was one of geronimo's most trusted advisors there are pictures of her, a lot of female pirate captains - ok maybe not good role models for girls - and any number of female rulers in history; Boudicca leaps to mind, I mean if you piss off Roman Empire enough to want your head... Let me put it like this I would rather my thirteen-year-old daughter do a report Grace O'Malley for women's history than Taylor not so Swift
Thank you for the wonderful documentary. Even though I studied about them a while ago,it’s still greatly appreciated.
"Incredible Heroism of these great women, shall never be forgotten!"
@untilyougethit Simp? What is that?
Well? What's a simp? Oh. A sympathizer? Lol. Hmm. This was how long ago? Get a life. This isn't about symp. It's history. Idiot.
@untilyougethit and? Are you in England?
Don't forget.. They saved your English ass. As we did. Usa here.
@untilyougethit waiting for an answer. Anything you have to say?
The USSR has the best ww2 stories.. And the most courageous People in WW2.. Salute to those Woman of the Night Witches!
It’s communist propaganda. Anyone who believes the bogus stories is an idiot.
@@barrymccokiner7559 No today's MSM is propaganda....this is history....
Get off the leg already…………
Yes.. There are many WW2 movies that are done by Russia about their struggles and efforts to save their country. And they are actually quite good. Most people think it was America that won the war and did all the fighting against the Nzi's. Russia bore the brunt of their wrath!
@@barrymccokiner7559
Go watch cnn
Truly amazing and inspiring, I’ve always had deep respect and admiration for women who refuse to believe they are less than men
Very interesting document. Thank You very much. 👍🌞
Undetected, unexpected
Wings of glory
Tell their story
Aviation, deviation
Undetected
Stealth perfected
“From the depths of Hell in silence”
@@mozambiquehere5903 Cast their spells, explosive violence
@@ryantannar5301 *Russian night time, flight perfected*
Night bomber regiment...
@@MrKawika64 588th
These incredible women not only have to fight the foreign enemy, but the enemy within as well, in order to survive these amazing women had to have the double amount of courage and stamina of their male counterparts, they deserve a much bigger recognition and homage for their incredible valour. Seen this made me quite emotional.
Comntrary to ms Erhart colonel Roskova and female fighter aces of the Soviet Union were not for advertisment of `female power` as women in the West. THey were true heroes , defending their Motherland at all costs. They deserve to be praised and remembered forever.Brave, deadly , and fast they were horror to German soldiers. Never compare them to ms Erhart.It would be really underestimation and insult to them.Because they were never paid for their duty to Rodina nor thought they were special. They simply were soldiers.
Spot on with that.
What a strange and spiteful thing to write. These women deserved peace, not to be thrown in to that hell by USSR government, who helped start the war in the first place.
The very first time I have heard of these brave women. Thank you for showing that their love of the Mother Land only encourages the best of whom they were " to be all courageous that was needed to win!"
This was quite an interesting part of WW II. They flew at night in old airplanes, that were barely held together with wire. The Night Witches were deadly.
Very interesting indeed! 👏
When life had true purpose
A great historic movie is “The Huntress” by Kate Quinn, a wonderful story basest s women A really good thriller of a tale.
Courageous fine young Ladies, God Bless them all
It was great to learn of the heroism and dedication of the Soviet women during WW2
These women were some of the bravest women in the war , young ladies in a time growing up in a war doing something that was never done that way before and doing so much so brave , ❤️❤️❤️
Not women. But bravest soldiers, period. They were basically sent on a suicide mission, and ended up being some of their best soldiers, fighting against both their side and the opposition. Their male soldiers at least were supported and given functional machinery.
14:21 Note - some girls wear skirts. This is also for a reason. In those days, in the Red Army, girls were often punished for misdemeanors by flogging with salted rods on the ass and thighs. And after the spanking, it was easier for the girls to walk in a skirt. In addition, girls sometimes needed to relieve the accumulated sexual tension. Therefore, the girls could also be whipped on the ass and thighs to reduce tension.
Fascinating. Marvelous documentary on a subject I knew nothing about. Thank you!
Whaaaat? 1008 missions in a bi-plane in WW2? Amazing.
It's literally a mission every day for damn near 3 years. I can't even fathom that!
@@PaulRudd1941every NIGHT
What a great video!! Thank you!!
In war there are no men and women, there are Soldiers and Warriors.
Very well presented ! thank you very much. what tenacity those woman showed .
When I was stationed in W. Germany in the 80s, one of my favorite things to do off duty was talk to Eastern Front veterans. Bring up the name Night Witches, and even the toughest of them would get a look of sheer, stark terror on his face. Some had seen their work first hand; others only heard stories. All were scared of them. Those ladies were no joke and have always had my respect. Credit given where credit is due.
You put beautiful pictures, well done
Bravo
I have followed the Night Witches Story in books and shows for years. There are some very good Russian TV series about them with Sub-Titles here on the Tube!
I've been watching the Russian series. It is exciting, well acted, and devoid of Soviet propaganda.
I believe that it was made after the fall of the USSR but with some of the pilots still around to tell the tale. By all means watch it.
The series is called Night Swallows but I found it here under Night Witches.
Well done, thanks for sharing this piece of history with us! Very informative.
Good video -
Had to roll my eyes a bit at 21:52 when they seemed to suggest that the Germans used Me 262 jets to intercept a 90 mph Polikarpov Po-2 biplane.
Very informative and inspiring. The hero with a thousand faces are among us always - thanks to stories like this they can be recognized.
Well done vid on this subject. I've seen many vids about the "night witches" and you have very good details and pictures. Very enjoyable to watch!
Well done. Thanks for doing it.