There were three separate units of women in the Soviet Air Force. One was staffed by women pilots, a second was of navigators and a third of ground personnel.
The 588th Bomber Squadron was staffed entirely by women and led by the intrepid Maria Roskova.. They flew older wooden planes which necessarily were slower than other aircraft. As a consequence, they flew only at night to avoid easy detection. This also contributed to their fame.
The pilots would often cut their motors so the Germans wouldn't hear them. Then, after a quick dive, they would release their bombs. Once dropped, they would reengage their engines and leave the area.
Sometimes the bombs would jam and one of the two women crew members would have to climb out on the wing and hand-release them.
One in every ten of these bomber crews received the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.
The Germans were so vexed by them that they nicknamed the Soviet Union Nachthexen (Night Witches).
The crews flew more than 30,000 missions, each member averaging more than 250 apiece. Some nights they flew more than one mission.
Stuff I Definitely Didn't Know. --GreGen
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