Soviet heroine "Night Witch" Nadezhda Popova dies aged 91.

[mary meagher]

"In old plywood biplanes and only ever at night, she flew 852 missions....the only one to win three Orders of the Patriotic War for bravery. In late 1941 Stalin signed an order to establish three all-women air force units to be grouped into separate fighter, dive-bomber and night-bomber regiments. Over the next four years these regiments flew more than 30,000 combat sorties. Popova, then 19, was one of the first to join the 588th Night Bomber Regiment."

from the Times yesterday, quoting the Daily Telegraph.

Can anyone post a picture of Nadezhda?

[Chugalug2]

Here is the lady's Wikki entry, including her picture. Respect!
Nadezhda Popova - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Should work now. Sorry!

[Dysonsphere]

that link does not work

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

RIP

Duncs

[The Old Fat One]

Bloody Hell! That is one amazing story & life. Makes you wonder though...how come we didn't get female pilots in the RAF until the nineties???????

[Tankertrashnav]

Pretty much for the same reasons that we are holding the British Open at a club which amazingly in 2013 still doesnt permit women members!

You would have thought that seeing what women could do in the ATA during WW2 those at the top would have realised what a valuable resource they were wasting by denying women the right to fly in the RAF, but it was straight back to the typing pool or the kitchen sink for women as soon as the war was over.

As PPRuNe's resident medal nut, I have to say that's one hell of a group of medals she had there, a bit like DSO*, DFC**. The difference is that in this country medals count for nothing in civvie street, whereas in the USSR with those awards she would have had preferential treatment in many areas of her life, from a free holiday dacha, right down to being able to walk to the front of the queue, literally, in all sort of situations.

[54Phan]

Yes, she was quite a hero. I salute her.

[tartare]

Video clip of night witches here.

[teeteringhead]

Loved the bit in (I think) the Telegraph obit which says something like:

amazingly she flew her sorties with the help of only a map and stopwatch

Come to think of it - so did I!

[sled dog]

Thread drift...Tanker, it is THE Open ( unless you come from across the pond...)

[Tankertrashnav]

Fair point, sled dog, but dont forget, a lot of our contributors do come from "over there" - you know, the ones that talk about London, England etc

[Fareastdriver]

I was told, some years ago, that the Germans, who kept meticulous records during the war had no evidence of female pilots, alive or dead, in the Soviet Air Force.

[GreenKnight121]

Fed... there was no Holocaust either... or so I've been told.

And Americans never set foot on the moon.

People tell us lots of things that aren't true... and its not always the government doing the telling.

[dubbleyew eight]

I was told, some years ago, that the Germans, who kept meticulous records during the war had no evidence of female pilots, alive or dead, in the Soviet Air Force.

of course they wouldn't. they only kept records of things they knew about.
...and they didnt know about much occurring beyond the russian lines.

[India Four Two]

you know, the ones that talk about London, England

TTN,
I take your point, but to be fair, it's an important distinction if you are buying a ticket in Canada and you don't want to end up at YXU - London, Ontario

On the other hand, I met an American once who asked a Welshman what part of England he was from. He didn't make that mistake again!

[Two's in]

On the other hand, I met an American once who asked a Welshman what part of England he was from. He didn't make that mistake again!

You mean the mistake of talking to a Welshman?

[roulishollandais]

588. Bombing Regiment (later 46. Guard Night Bombing Regiment), 586. Fighter

Originally Posted by The Old Fat One

Bloody Hell! That is one amazing story & life. Makes you wonder though...how come we didn't get female pilots in the RAF until the nineties??????

UK were the first during WWII :1. Sept 1939 Pauline Gower created the women section in the Air Transport Auxiliry (ATA) :1000 pilots, 100 were wome. These women flew Tiger Moth, Spitfire, Mosquito, B17 Flying Fortress, Halifax, Lancaster,aso.
They were flying for the RAF, the Navy, the Coast Guards.

Helen Sharman opened again the doors flying in Soyouz TM-12 in may 21. 1991, first european female astronaut, 5 years before the french C.Haigneré, 3 years before the japonese Chiaki Mukai.

But the Russian female pilots bombing in the night in Stalingrad battle àgainst nazism is the most famous story.

I had opportunity to meet Kaptain Nadezha POPOVA in Paris,France in the mid 90's with the breast covered with Medals, and so much simplicity. With her was Mr AFANASSIEV... as a modest translator.

I shall not forget such a precious evening celebrating Women pilots.
Thank you Mrs Popova.

roulishollandais APF(AFFP)

«We were looking at these girls like they are queens. And what girls they were! Oh my God! » (Sergey Evdokimov, Fighter-Pilot WWII)

[BEagle]

I was told, some years ago, that the Germans, who kept meticulous records during the war had no evidence of female pilots, alive or dead, in the Soviet Air Force.

I doubt whether even the most negative efforts of Nazi propaganda could hide the fact that Russian women pilots flew some 30000 combat sorties; at least 30 were awarded the title 'Hero of the Soviet Union' and 2 were known to have achieved fighter ace status.

[roulishollandais]

Nadezhda Popova is not on that picture. From left to right :
Valeria Khomiakova, Katya Budaniva (†18 jul 1943), Marina Raskova († 4 jan 1943), ? ,? , ,Galina Boudina.
Popova is the 5./9 from left on this photo, not the 4. :
WW II ACE STORIES
The names given on that link are different from B. Marck :
Picture 1945 From left to right :
?, Rufa Gasheva, Natalya Meklin, Marina Chechneva, Nadezhda Popova, Sima Àmosova, Dina Nikulina, Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, Mariya Smirnova,(cut on the right border: Yegeniya Zhigulenko) - (ref Bernard Marck page 174 "Elles ont conquis le ciel, 100 femmes qui ont fait l'histoire de l'aviation et de l'espace" Ed. ARTHAUD France 2009 ISBN 978-2-7003-0121-2 . Bernard MARCK is a specialist of Women pilots history and was former Chief-redactor of "Aeroport de Pais Magazine ),
Germen gave them their fake name Night witches.
They have been fighting against JG-54 with Erich Hartman too

[ARRAKIS]

Helen Sharman opened again the doors flying in Soyouz TM-12 in may 21. 1991, first european female astronaut, 5 years before the french C.Haigneré, 3 years before the japonese Chiaki Mukai.

Sorry, but this lady made it almost 30 years earlier.
Valentina Tereshkova - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arrakis