S1E8: In the Skies of War - Soviet Night Witches (aka Fascists, and How To Bomb Them)

This week on Women of War we take to the skies on a witch's broomstick - or the Polikarpov Po-2 biplane if you want official military terminology. Join Hannah and Nicola as they discuss the first women to engage in aerial combat in WWII, the Soviet Night Witches, and how these women came to bomb the Nazis when women had been bared from active combat roles.

 

This episode contains references to wartime atrocities, aerial disasters and the conditions facing German and Russian soldiers on the Eastern Front during World War II, which were not very good. It also contains some bad language and will not be suitable for all listeners.

 

Women of War is recorded on Wurundjeri Land. We pay our respect to Elders past and present, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners. Sovereignty was never ceded.

 

All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in this podcast however with the nature of historical research, there may be mistakes or inconsistencies. 

 

For more information on the podcast, go to womenofwarpod.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @womenofwarpod for updates, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes shenanigans. 

 

Sound Effects via ZapSplat.com.

 

The Internationale in the Russian language. Choir and orchestra of Bolshoi Theatre, conducted by G. Rozhdestvensky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Intro and Outro Music: Frosty Forest by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com