Night Witches: a Novel of World War II

Women played an active role on every front of World War II.  They worked as nurses and transport pilots, intelligence officers and journalists, saboteurs and equipment operators. And though many of these jobs were dangerous ones where women found themselves in the line of fire, it was not common for the countries involved to deliberately employ females in direct combat roles.  With one exception - the Soviet Union, where women served with particular distinction as antiaircraft gunners, snipers, and bomber pilots.

 

In this story, teenaged Valya flees besieged Stalingrad and becomes a pilot in the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment, whose job is to disrupt German supply lines by making bombing runs in their almost ridiculously flimsy and underpowered aircraft.  Yet the skills of the pilots and navigators make the 588th a highly effective fighting force.

 

This isn’t a long book, but it delivers exciting aeronautic action – the passages about flying blind at night with only a couple of basic instruments are like taking an imaginary ride on a super scary roller coaster.

 

 

If you’ve enjoyed such Eastern Front books as Salt to the Sea, Anna and the Sparrow Man, or Finding Zasha, this would be a good next choice.