The Night Witches (aka, tales of kicking Nazi ass)...

C

Cypress

Well-known member
Yevdokia Bershanskaya

Yevdokia Davidovna Bershanskaya (February 6, 1913 – September 16, 1982 ) was a Soviet pilot in World War II and second in command of the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment.

When World War II broke out, there were numerous women who had training as pilots and many immediately volunteered. While there were no formal restrictions on women serving in combat roles, their applications tended to be blocked, run into red tape, etc. for as long as possible in order to discourage the applicants. Famed Soviet female aviator Marina Raskova is credited with using her personal connections with Joseph Stalin to convince the military to form three combat regiments of women. Following a speech by Raskova on 8 September 1941 calling for women pilots to be allowed to fight, Stalin on 8 October 1941 ordered the formation of the all-female 221st Aviation Corps. Not only would the women be pilots, but also support staff and engineers.

In 1941 as an experienced pilot, Yevdokia Bershanskaya became the leader of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, an all women's regiment that flew Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes. In 1943, the regiment was renamed the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. Later she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The women pilots were so fierce and accurate that the German soldiers began calling them Night Witches. They were called this because often during missions they would cut the engine of their planes and glide over their targets before dropping their bombs and turning the engine back on.

Until its dissolution in October 1945, the regiment remained totally female. Collectively they flew 24,000 sorties, and dropped 23,000 tons of bombs.

There were 23 pilots of the regiment who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, two awarded Hero of Russia, and one was awarded the title Hero of Kazakhstan.

After the war, Yevdokia married Andrey Molotov. They had three daughters. In 1982 she died of a heart attack and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevdokia_Bershanskaya

The Night Witches - Yevdokia Bershanskaya on left
220px-BershanskayaED.png
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not using all your talent is really pretty stupid huh.


that is what racism did do

totally wasted Brillent talented people and their abilities.



limiting your own chances for success.



How many brillent talented minds has mankind already wasted?


Time to stop this stupid
 
Covfefe said:
You know I love these kind of stories! Badass women
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@ Covfefe and Evince.

I like everything about this story, the backdrop, the texture, the context, the heroism.

The Soviet communist party was, in theory, supposed to be against sexism, anti-Semitism, and supposedly was going to enforce gender equality. But, obviously, in reality these women had to jump a lot of hurdles to serve, even though they were volunteering.

I am pretty sure Stalin and the Soviet authorities relented and allowed women to serve, not out of their fair-mindedness, but because the country was a great risk of being completely overrun by the Nazi hordes, and the Soviets belatedly realized they needed every able-bodied citizen to join the resistance.

Even when these women were allowed to serve, they were given the oldest, crappiest, and most outdated airplanes to carry out their missions. It really is a testament to their commitment and skill that so many of them became highly decorated combat veterans.

It is really quote a contrast to those rightwing dudes who stood on the sidelines cheerleading for the Iraq War disaster, but would never have dreamed of serving themselves in a war they so keenly wanted!
 
Those planes were so "crappy" that they saw continued service in Korea. In other words, they weren't all that crappy. And the comments about women in the Russian military are also stereotypes. Some of Russia's best, most decorated snipers were women.

I have seen a restored Polikarpov Po-2 biplane at Paul Allen's Flying Heritage and Armored Combat Vehicle Collection at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Washington. There is nothing flimsy about it.
 
Controlled Opposition said:
Those planes were so "crappy" that they saw continued service in Korea. In other words, they weren't all that crappy.

And the comments about women in the Russian military are also stereotypes. Some of Russia's best, most decorated snipers were women.

I have seen a restored Polikarpov Po-2 biplane at Paul Allen's Flying Heritage and Armored Combat Vehicle Collection at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Washington. There is nothing flimsy about it.
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Holy smoke, I post something about soviet pilots and their Polikarpov bi-planes, and "suddenly" a new poster shows up who is not only an expert in Polikarpov bi-planes, but has seen them first hand. Will wonders never cease!

Regarding Soviet female snipers, I am going to take it as a personal compliment to basically be plagiarized, copied, etc.
https://www.justplainpolitics.com/s...-ode-to-kicking-Nazi-ss&p=2072597#post2072597
 
Keep ignoring the fact that Stalin and Hitler teamed up to invade and occupy Poland, whose territory they divvied between them.

Soviets are not heroes. They served a monstrous dictator who was in league with another monstrous dictator until one betrayed the other.
 
The full article is totally worth a read, for anyone interest in intrepid aviators of World War 2

The Night Witches....

The women faced significant obstacles even before they began engaging in combat—namely, with the equipment. They had to fly Polikarpov Po-2 aircraft—two-seated, open-cockpit biplanes that were obsolete even by the standards of the day. Made of plywood frames with canvas stretched over them, the craft were light, slow, and provided absolutely no armor. The benefit of the planes was that they had a slower stall speed than the standard German fighters, making them hard to target, and they could take off and land just about anywhere. However, this came as literal cold comfort to the aviators who had to fly the ships through walls of enemy fire in the dead of night, with the freezing wind whipping around and through the exposed cockpits, often giving the pilots frostbite.

https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/06/night-witches-wwii-female-pilots
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Cypress said:
Holy smoke, I post something about soviet pilots and their Polikarpov bi-planes, and "suddenly" a new poster shows up who is not only an expert in Polikarpov bi-planes, but has seen them first hand. Will wonders never cease!

Regarding Soviet female snipers, I am going to take it as a personal compliment to basically be plagiarized, copied, etc.
https://www.justplainpolitics.com/s...-ode-to-kicking-Nazi-ss&p=2072597#post2072597
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Take it or leave it. You can use your favorite search engine. Quite an ego you have. I'd never heard of you either.
 
Controlled Opposition said:
Take it or leave it. You can use your favorite search engine. Quite an ego you have. I'd never heard of you either.
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Just stop with the bullshit, man. I ain't buying it.
I am so sure an "expert" on the Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes just happened to show up on this thread. What an extraordinary coincidence!
And I am so sure you were aware of soviet female snipers independently of the thread I made about it three days after you joined.

I am flattered though that you pay so much attention to what I write, and find it so intruiguing and compelling that you went off to do google research on Po-2 biplanes. I have never even noticed you!
 
Cypress said:
@ Covfefe and Evince.

I like everything about this story, the backdrop, the texture, the context, the heroism.

The Soviet communist party was, in theory, supposed to be against sexism, anti-Semitism, and supposedly was going to enforce gender equality. But, obviously, in reality these women had to jump a lot of hurdles to serve, even though they were volunteering.

I am pretty sure Stalin and the Soviet authorities relented and allowed women to serve, not out of their fair-mindedness, but because the country was a great risk of being completely overrun by the Nazi hordes, and the Soviets belatedly realized they needed every able-bodied citizen to join the resistance.

Even when these women were allowed to serve, they were given the oldest, crappiest, and most outdated airplanes to carry out their missions. It really is a testament to their commitment and skill that so many of them became highly decorated combat veterans.

It is really quote a contrast to those rightwing dudes who stood on the sidelines cheerleading for the Iraq War disaster, but would never have dreamed of serving themselves in a war they so keenly wanted!
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So when did you serve, other than waiting tables when you were a student?
 
God bless America said:
Keep ignoring the fact that Stalin and Hitler teamed up to invade and occupy Poland, whose territory they divvied between them.

Soviets are not heroes. They served a monstrous dictator who was in league with another monstrous dictator until one betrayed the other.
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The 140 German divisions fighting Russia were diverted away from the Western Front. Operation Overlord would have been impossible if the Soviets had been defeated.
 
Shape Shifter said:
The 140 German divisions fighting Russia were diverted away from the Western Front. Operation Overlord would have been impossible if the Soviets had been defeated.
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That was after the Nazis turned on their erstwhile Allies in 1941, long after the mutual rape of Poland by the Soviets and Hitler. No sense pretending there's anything noble about resisting a treacherous invader, which Stalin's hapless minions were forced to do, sometimes at gunpoint.

Fun fact: Many Russians were shot by their own Commissars during the war.

There is nothing brave or gallant about the monstrous Soviet regime, and celebrating it is disgusting.

I find Cypress' laudatory comments about women pilots hypocritical, given what I've heard about his personal conduct toward females.
 
God bless America said:
That was after the Nazis turned on their erstwhile Allies in 1941, long after the mutual rape of Poland by the Soviets and Hitler. No sense pretending there's anything noble about resisting a treacherous invader, which Stalin's hapless minions were forced to do, sometimes at gunpoint.

Fun fact: Many Russians were shot by their own Commissars during the war.

There is nothing brave or gallant about the monstrous Soviet regime, and celebrating it is disgusting.
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sure putin ass licker
 
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