1 00:00:00,070 --> 00:00:04,269 Speaker 1: Fellow ridiculous historians, we are returning with this week's classic 2 00:00:04,450 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: episode as we are moving to the best time of 3 00:00:08,789 --> 00:00:13,660 Speaker 1: the calendar year. We wanted to talk about witches. 4 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:15,780 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, a little early. 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 3: But not so early that it's egregious. I'm okay with 6 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,939 Speaker 3: the Halloween decorations and candies rolling out a month ahead. 7 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:28,020 Speaker 3: But this is a fun episode that was released originally 8 00:00:28,180 --> 00:00:32,050 Speaker 3: in July of 2019. Not very Halloween-y at all. So 9 00:00:32,090 --> 00:00:34,370 Speaker 3: we're doing a better job this time around. And it 10 00:00:34,409 --> 00:00:36,970 Speaker 3: also turns out that it's not actually about witches at all. 11 00:00:38,090 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a cool, it's a spiffy name. We're really 12 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: talking about the 588th Night Bomber. They didn't have the 13 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,740 Speaker 1: best equipment. They did not have the best planes. You 14 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,500 Speaker 1: could call them a little bit ragtag. 15 00:00:52,780 --> 00:00:55,550 Speaker 3: And what set them apart from some of their cohorts 16 00:00:56,090 --> 00:01:00,550 Speaker 3: was the fact that this was an all-female bomber regiment 17 00:01:00,970 --> 00:01:02,930 Speaker 3: where they lacked in equipment. They made up for in 18 00:01:02,990 --> 00:01:05,390 Speaker 3: moxie strategy, ambition. 19 00:01:07,170 --> 00:01:12,940 Speaker 1: And they terrified German soldiers so much that the 588th 20 00:01:12,980 --> 00:01:17,819 Speaker 1: gained a street name can you do it in German 21 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: for us? 22 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 3: Thank you, Ben. Thank you. Thank you. I want it 23 00:01:20,180 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 3: to so bad. Denach Texan. 24 00:01:22,260 --> 00:01:25,930 Speaker 1: The Night Witches. Let's roll it. Ridiculous History is a 25 00:01:25,950 --> 00:01:54,430 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. Welcome to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank 26 00:01:54,470 --> 00:01:57,430 Speaker 1: you so much for tuning in. My name is Ben. 27 00:01:57,670 --> 00:01:58,570 Speaker 3: My name is Noel. 28 00:01:59,090 --> 00:02:02,550 Speaker 1: And today we are joined, as always, with our super producer, 29 00:02:02,630 --> 00:02:06,530 Speaker 1: Casey Labouche-Pagram. Give it up for him, folks. 30 00:02:07,230 --> 00:02:09,730 Speaker 3: I just did a weird thing, Ben. I said my 31 00:02:09,790 --> 00:02:11,550 Speaker 3: name the way I say it on our other show, 32 00:02:11,590 --> 00:02:13,149 Speaker 3: Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, because you didn't 33 00:02:13,190 --> 00:02:15,970 Speaker 3: start off with a pithy little scene like you usually do. 34 00:02:16,210 --> 00:02:16,690 Speaker 1: That's right. 35 00:02:16,710 --> 00:02:17,250 Speaker 3: It threw me. 36 00:02:17,810 --> 00:02:23,710 Speaker 1: Ah, yes, well, it's... It's a different recording time for us. 37 00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: We've been doing a lot of weird scheduling shuffling, and 38 00:02:29,740 --> 00:02:31,500 Speaker 1: I'm not in my afternoon bin yet. 39 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:32,679 Speaker 3: You're not in your history zone? 40 00:02:33,540 --> 00:02:36,060 Speaker 1: Not quite, not quite, but we're in a bit of 41 00:02:36,100 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: a spooky zone, and we're talking about an adventure. I 42 00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:44,660 Speaker 1: do have something that does relate slightly. Today's show concerns 43 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,829 Speaker 1: a pivotal role of women in aviation, and I don't 44 00:02:48,870 --> 00:02:52,690 Speaker 1: know if I ever mentioned this to you, But my grandmother, 45 00:02:52,790 --> 00:02:56,830 Speaker 1: one of my grandmothers, was actually a pilot or trained 46 00:02:56,889 --> 00:02:58,109 Speaker 1: as one in World War II. 47 00:02:58,570 --> 00:02:59,490 Speaker 3: I did not know that then. 48 00:02:59,630 --> 00:03:02,150 Speaker 1: It's a true story, Noel. It's a true story. She 49 00:03:02,190 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: was a teacher. And in the part of the world 50 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: where she resided, one of the local programs that the 51 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: government was supporting was to train teachers, some teachers, to 52 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,179 Speaker 1: be pilots in World War II. I don't think she 53 00:03:16,260 --> 00:03:18,230 Speaker 1: ever passed. shot anyone out of the sky. 54 00:03:18,610 --> 00:03:20,470 Speaker 3: No, that's, that's okay. I mean, she's, you can still 55 00:03:20,490 --> 00:03:22,470 Speaker 3: be a badass and not have any kills under your belt. 56 00:03:22,790 --> 00:03:24,510 Speaker 3: I mean, being a pilot in any kind of war 57 00:03:24,570 --> 00:03:26,780 Speaker 3: situation is gotta be absolutely harrowing. 58 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,980 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, even comparing world war two 59 00:03:31,060 --> 00:03:33,540 Speaker 1: to the modern day, the planes are just so much 60 00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: more dangerous and a dog fight is kind of like 61 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,020 Speaker 1: a knife fight. You know, I don't know if you 62 00:03:39,060 --> 00:03:41,030 Speaker 1: guys have ever Casey, have you ever been in a 63 00:03:41,070 --> 00:03:43,530 Speaker 1: knife fight that you'd be willing to talk about on air? 64 00:03:44,310 --> 00:03:46,470 Speaker 2: None that I'm willing to disclose on air. That's, yeah. 65 00:03:46,730 --> 00:03:48,590 Speaker 3: Not even in your private life as LaBouche? 66 00:03:49,010 --> 00:03:51,420 Speaker 2: Well, like I said, that I'm willing to disclose on air. 67 00:03:51,500 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 2: So you can think what you want to think. 68 00:03:53,540 --> 00:03:55,180 Speaker 3: You know what they say, though, you guys? They say 69 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:56,900 Speaker 3: never bring a knife to a dog fight. 70 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:57,460 Speaker 2: That is true. 71 00:03:57,640 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 3: Or a dog to a knife fight, because that would 72 00:03:59,260 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 3: just be cruel. 73 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's no good. 74 00:04:02,180 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 3: No, it's definitely no good. Casey on the case. Speaking 75 00:04:06,060 --> 00:04:08,740 Speaker 3: of which, I am absolutely thrilled to be wearing... One 76 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,059 Speaker 3: of our patented Casey on the Case t-shirts right now 77 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,590 Speaker 3: featuring a delightful photo of young Casey Pegram in his 78 00:04:14,710 --> 00:04:17,130 Speaker 3: Macy's catalog modeling days. 79 00:04:17,390 --> 00:04:19,590 Speaker 2: Yeah, like Macy's or JCPenney. 80 00:04:19,670 --> 00:04:20,010 Speaker 3: One of those. 81 00:04:20,050 --> 00:04:20,630 Speaker 2: One of those, yeah. 82 00:04:20,670 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 3: You can get one for yourself by going to tpublic.com 83 00:04:23,500 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 3: slash ridiculous history where we have an assortment of fine 84 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,539 Speaker 3: garments or mouse pads or what have you available. 85 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,770 Speaker 2: Perhaps an Upton's ad, if anybody remembers Upton's. 86 00:04:33,950 --> 00:04:34,310 Speaker 3: Upton's? 87 00:04:34,350 --> 00:04:34,950 Speaker 2: Yeah. 88 00:04:35,029 --> 00:04:38,169 Speaker 1: I remember Upton's. It's a department store similar to Dillard's 89 00:04:38,210 --> 00:04:38,650 Speaker 1: or Macy's. 90 00:04:38,690 --> 00:04:40,430 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just another one of those anchor stores at 91 00:04:40,470 --> 00:04:42,370 Speaker 2: the mall, but I think they went away. 92 00:04:42,850 --> 00:04:46,140 Speaker 1: Also, for anyone who's thinking, oh, man, I would love 93 00:04:46,180 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: a shirt like that. Why don't I have one right now? 94 00:04:48,620 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: Don't worry, folks. I'm thinking the same thing. I got 95 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:53,860 Speaker 1: a little snaked, so I'm going to have to find 96 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,940 Speaker 1: one for myself. I'm right there with you. Today's story, 97 00:04:57,140 --> 00:05:01,330 Speaker 1: the protagonist of today's story, deserve T-shirts all their own 98 00:05:01,550 --> 00:05:04,970 Speaker 1: at the very least. Our story does take place in 99 00:05:05,070 --> 00:05:07,790 Speaker 1: World War II. It does not take place in the U.S. 100 00:05:08,190 --> 00:05:13,420 Speaker 1: It takes place in the Nazi-occupied Soviet Union where German 101 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:18,100 Speaker 1: soldiers had a very real and very profound fear of witches, 102 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,660 Speaker 1: but maybe not the kind of witches you might automatically imagine, right? 103 00:05:21,860 --> 00:05:24,540 Speaker 3: Well, no, maybe not, but it certainly was maybe tying 104 00:05:24,620 --> 00:05:28,690 Speaker 3: into kind of a cultural fear. you know, witches loomed 105 00:05:28,750 --> 00:05:33,089 Speaker 3: large in German culture, right? Hansel and Gretel, surely others, 106 00:05:33,650 --> 00:05:36,650 Speaker 3: you know, Germans are notoriously afraid of witches. Everybody knows that, 107 00:05:36,870 --> 00:05:38,860 Speaker 3: but you're right. They were afraid of a very particular 108 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,220 Speaker 3: type of witches who were members of the all-female night 109 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 3: bomber regiment, which was part of the Soviet air forces. 110 00:05:46,620 --> 00:05:52,020 Speaker 3: And these women flew over 30,000 missions over the course 111 00:05:52,060 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 3: of three years, dropped 23,000 tons of bombs on the Nazis. 112 00:05:57,350 --> 00:06:01,210 Speaker 3: And they did all of their flights under the cover 113 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 3: of night, earning them the nickname the Night Witches. 114 00:06:05,300 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: And this name did not arrive entirely because of the 115 00:06:09,060 --> 00:06:13,219 Speaker 1: time during which they chose to make these bomb runs. 116 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: It also came about because of their approach. They were 117 00:06:17,420 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: very difficult to detect because they used a very dangerous strategy. 118 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:27,109 Speaker 1: Their planes were made of plywood and canvas. And the best... 119 00:06:27,350 --> 00:06:31,470 Speaker 1: way that the German soldiers could know there was a 120 00:06:31,630 --> 00:06:35,029 Speaker 1: night witch in the area or scouting them out was 121 00:06:35,390 --> 00:06:38,570 Speaker 1: they would hear the soft whoosh of a plywood and 122 00:06:38,630 --> 00:06:44,260 Speaker 1: canvas plane. So it's literally like someone silently flying and 123 00:06:44,300 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 1: then hearing a whoosh followed by a cavalcade of explosions. 124 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: So each of these planes had a pilot and a navigator, 125 00:06:54,820 --> 00:06:58,740 Speaker 1: all female. Let's talk a little bit about how they 126 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: came to be. So June of 2019 marks the 77th 127 00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:08,380 Speaker 1: anniversary of the beginning of the Night Witches. And there's 128 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,730 Speaker 1: a lot of context that pours into this because in 129 00:07:10,810 --> 00:07:16,130 Speaker 1: June of 1941, Axis powers pushed into the USSR using 130 00:07:16,170 --> 00:07:20,460 Speaker 1: the largest invading force in the history of war, Not 131 00:07:20,500 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: the history of Russian war, not the history of European war, 132 00:07:23,820 --> 00:07:25,540 Speaker 1: the history of human war. 133 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 3: That's like saying the history of the world. 134 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: Exactly, exactly. For example, the infamous Operation Barbarossa saw about 135 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: 4 million troops invade Russia from the West. And because 136 00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: of this operation, Russian leaders began to worry that Moscow 137 00:07:42,140 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: itself might be overtaken. 138 00:07:43,660 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's true. And this was, in fact, one of 139 00:07:46,260 --> 00:07:52,090 Speaker 3: the most... Bloody and violent, terrible military actions considered atrocities, 140 00:07:52,350 --> 00:07:55,550 Speaker 3: known for its atrocities in World War II. These atrocities 141 00:07:55,610 --> 00:08:01,130 Speaker 3: were perpetrated against the Russians by the Nazis. And the soldiers, 142 00:08:01,270 --> 00:08:04,100 Speaker 3: the male soldiers of the Soviet Union were heading up 143 00:08:04,150 --> 00:08:08,340 Speaker 3: the front lines when the forces from the Axis powers 144 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 3: invaded and overtook the capital of Russia. Right, right. 145 00:08:13,540 --> 00:08:17,020 Speaker 1: World War II losses of the Soviet Union from all 146 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: related causes were about 27 million people. And that's a 147 00:08:22,580 --> 00:08:25,580 Speaker 1: ballpark estimate counting civilian and military. 148 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,050 Speaker 3: I mean, they were essentially treated like cannon fodder, right? 149 00:08:28,070 --> 00:08:31,670 Speaker 3: They were treated as utterly expendable by the Allied forces, right? 150 00:08:31,950 --> 00:08:32,130 Speaker 2: Right. 151 00:08:32,250 --> 00:08:36,730 Speaker 1: So the USSR had several big things going for it 152 00:08:36,929 --> 00:08:41,750 Speaker 1: in World War II. One, the terrain is notoriously damaged. 153 00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: notoriously dangerous and inhospitable. And second, they had a lot 154 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,420 Speaker 1: of manpower. So the idea was maybe they could overwhelm 155 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:53,500 Speaker 1: opponents through the sheer force of numbers alone. But this really, 156 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:58,110 Speaker 1: this is where we get into things like scorched earth strategies, 157 00:08:59,150 --> 00:09:03,010 Speaker 1: the kind of mentality that says, I will, I, like, 158 00:09:03,050 --> 00:09:05,690 Speaker 1: it's sort of like what's similar to the people in 159 00:09:05,730 --> 00:09:10,860 Speaker 1: Fukushima or Chernobyl who, killed themselves, committed suicide to save 160 00:09:10,900 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: the greater population. As people are fighting for what they 161 00:09:14,140 --> 00:09:17,900 Speaker 1: see as the greater good, everyone is involved. No one 162 00:09:18,059 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: is not at war in Russia at this time. And 163 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,700 Speaker 1: from the very beginning of the USSR involvement in the war, 164 00:09:25,260 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: there is already an active female Soviet pilot. You may 165 00:09:29,780 --> 00:09:32,459 Speaker 1: have heard her called the Russian Amelia Earhart. Her name 166 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:37,900 Speaker 1: is Colonel Marina Raskova. And while she was an active pilot, 167 00:09:38,179 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 1: she started receiving letters from women all across Russia who said, look, 168 00:09:43,940 --> 00:09:46,580 Speaker 1: I want to join the war. I want to help 169 00:09:47,059 --> 00:09:50,020 Speaker 1: any way I can. Let's fight these Nazis. Let's get 170 00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:54,750 Speaker 1: these Germans off our land. And many of them would say, 171 00:09:54,750 --> 00:09:57,710 Speaker 1: you know, I work as in a support role, right? 172 00:09:57,750 --> 00:10:01,220 Speaker 1: Like I work at a factory making armaments or I 173 00:10:01,340 --> 00:10:04,620 Speaker 1: work at a hospital or something, but I want to 174 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:06,020 Speaker 1: be on the front lines. 175 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 3: They didn't end up being quite on the front lines 176 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:11,380 Speaker 3: because those male Soviet soldiers we talked about who were 177 00:10:11,420 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 3: on the front lines were getting creamed. So the Red 178 00:10:14,820 --> 00:10:20,189 Speaker 3: Army commanders were absolutely... desperate and needed something to help 179 00:10:20,230 --> 00:10:24,260 Speaker 3: turn the tide of battle. So in October of 1941, 180 00:10:24,260 --> 00:10:31,340 Speaker 3: Stalin himself posted Raskova to head up an all-female squadron, 181 00:10:31,820 --> 00:10:34,660 Speaker 3: air squadron to be specific. And this is a historical 182 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:38,990 Speaker 3: thing because this was the only air squadron that was, 183 00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:42,589 Speaker 3: according to records, all-female. And it was the 588th Night 184 00:10:42,650 --> 00:10:45,350 Speaker 3: Bomber regiment. 185 00:10:45,610 --> 00:10:49,949 Speaker 1: And the pilots weren't the only women in the regiment. 186 00:10:50,270 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: Everyone in the 588th was female, from the pilots to 187 00:10:54,380 --> 00:10:56,319 Speaker 1: the commanders to the mechanics. 188 00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 3: That's right. So this team began to assemble in 1942. 189 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 3: Their ages ranged from 17 to 26 years old, and 190 00:11:05,330 --> 00:11:09,750 Speaker 3: they took up residence in a small village by the 191 00:11:09,790 --> 00:11:14,570 Speaker 3: name of Ingalls, where they started training. Roscova personally headed 192 00:11:14,630 --> 00:11:18,870 Speaker 3: up this training. And she did not take any crap 193 00:11:19,050 --> 00:11:22,949 Speaker 3: from anybody. She was a very hard-nosed instructor and commander. 194 00:11:23,390 --> 00:11:26,310 Speaker 1: Yes. There's a great article about this called The Little 195 00:11:26,370 --> 00:11:29,010 Speaker 1: Known Story of the Night Witches, an all-female force in 196 00:11:29,030 --> 00:11:31,890 Speaker 1: World War II, published in Vanity Fair as well as 197 00:11:31,980 --> 00:11:36,660 Speaker 1: Atlas Obscura by author Eric Grundhauser. And in this, he 198 00:11:36,700 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: depicts the way that Raskova immediately immersed her trainees into 199 00:11:42,900 --> 00:11:47,620 Speaker 1: the program. They had to shave their heads, right? They 200 00:11:47,660 --> 00:11:52,850 Speaker 1: had to wear size 42 boots. Supply chain issues were 201 00:11:52,990 --> 00:11:57,170 Speaker 1: already in full effect at this time in Russia's military history. 202 00:11:57,610 --> 00:12:01,090 Speaker 1: So they didn't have custom uniforms. They had to wear 203 00:12:01,110 --> 00:12:06,180 Speaker 1: these bulky, ill-fitting uniforms that were made for dude soldiers. 204 00:12:06,780 --> 00:12:09,699 Speaker 1: And one of the pilots said it was kind of 205 00:12:09,740 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: a rough landing for her on the first day. She said, 206 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: we didn't recognize ourselves in the mirror. We saw boys there. 207 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:26,990 Speaker 1: And the problems with adjusting to the pre-existing supplies didn't 208 00:12:27,070 --> 00:12:31,550 Speaker 1: stop with the uniforms, unfortunately. It continued on to the planes. 209 00:12:31,610 --> 00:12:35,850 Speaker 1: They were flying these planes called Polikarpov PO-2s. These are 210 00:12:35,990 --> 00:12:41,429 Speaker 1: two-seated open cockpit biplanes. These are the plywood ones I 211 00:12:41,450 --> 00:12:44,390 Speaker 1: was mentioning earlier with the canvas stretched over them. They 212 00:12:44,429 --> 00:12:48,209 Speaker 1: have absolutely no armor. They're already obsolete by the 40s. 213 00:12:48,770 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: These are the kind of things that really incentivize you 214 00:12:52,510 --> 00:12:56,380 Speaker 1: to fly quietly and in a sneaky way because one 215 00:12:56,460 --> 00:12:59,220 Speaker 1: shot and boom, you're gone. Kind of like my old 216 00:12:59,540 --> 00:13:01,340 Speaker 1: Saturn SC car I had. 217 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 3: Yeah. 218 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:03,440 Speaker 1: Wrap that one around a tree. 219 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 2: Really? 220 00:13:04,059 --> 00:13:04,479 Speaker 1: Yeah. 221 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 3: Are you okay? 222 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:06,530 Speaker 1: Yeah. 223 00:13:06,929 --> 00:13:09,020 Speaker 3: Okay, that's fair. These are probably unrelated, though, right? 224 00:13:09,580 --> 00:13:12,020 Speaker 1: These are unrelated. This had nothing to do with World 225 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:12,380 Speaker 1: War II. 226 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 3: That's fair. Now, Ben, remember the Red Baron? Yes. Was 227 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,719 Speaker 3: he exclusively a Peanuts character, or was that actually a 228 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 3: historical fighter pilot? Guy makes great pizza. That's also true. 229 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:23,020 Speaker 3: But seriously, I really don't know. 230 00:13:24,570 --> 00:13:27,650 Speaker 1: Oh, no, I do not. I mean, there's pepperoni. 231 00:13:27,809 --> 00:13:30,730 Speaker 3: No, the Red Baron. He was a Prussian fighter pilot. 232 00:13:31,630 --> 00:13:34,430 Speaker 3: The idea of a plane being made of wood and 233 00:13:34,490 --> 00:13:38,550 Speaker 3: canvas is unusual, but it wasn't that unusual, right? Because 234 00:13:38,580 --> 00:13:41,660 Speaker 3: this was like cheap material. It was lightweight. Again, it 235 00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:42,340 Speaker 3: was quiet. 236 00:13:42,700 --> 00:13:47,780 Speaker 1: Right, exactly. And in previous conflicts, something like this, this 237 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:50,980 Speaker 1: style of biplane aircraft would have been fine. It's just 238 00:13:51,020 --> 00:13:53,910 Speaker 1: so many years had passed and there was already better 239 00:13:53,990 --> 00:13:58,390 Speaker 1: technology out there, these planes were also pretty slow. And 240 00:13:58,429 --> 00:14:01,870 Speaker 1: because they had a slower stall speed than the standard 241 00:14:01,950 --> 00:14:04,839 Speaker 1: German fighters at the time, it made it tough for 242 00:14:05,250 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: the Axis or the German forces to actually shoot them. 243 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 1: It's kind of like when there are two cars racing 244 00:14:11,380 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: and one of them maybe, let's say, is a truck 245 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,559 Speaker 1: with a big block engine and it can pick up speed. 246 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: But once it gets up to a high speed, it 247 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,830 Speaker 1: has a tough time slowing down. So what would have 248 00:14:23,910 --> 00:14:27,510 Speaker 1: ordinarily been a disadvantage for these aircraft actually made them 249 00:14:27,620 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: tougher to hit. Also, again, these are exposed cockpits, and 250 00:14:32,460 --> 00:14:33,180 Speaker 1: this is Russia. 251 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 3: Oh, my God. I can only imagine. Again, that's why 252 00:14:35,820 --> 00:14:38,140 Speaker 3: I picture the Red Baron. There's also a detail about 253 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 3: these planes that did not give them a particularly good advantage. 254 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,260 Speaker 3: They had to fly pretty low, which would make sense 255 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,940 Speaker 3: for them to be flying at night. But, gosh, during 256 00:14:47,980 --> 00:14:51,730 Speaker 3: a regular dogfight during the day, it seems very, very challenging. 257 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:54,010 Speaker 3: You'd be kind of like a sitting duck. But here's 258 00:14:54,050 --> 00:14:57,350 Speaker 3: a question, too, Ben. These open cockpits, like they wore 259 00:14:57,410 --> 00:15:00,030 Speaker 3: some kind of like protection over their faces, right, to 260 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:01,740 Speaker 3: keep them from. Sure. 261 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: Goggles and probably the probably the whole nine, the leather, 262 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,119 Speaker 1: the little skull cap thing with the strap that you 263 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,980 Speaker 1: would buckle under your chin. Yeah, I would imagine so. 264 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:17,170 Speaker 3: But here's the thing. The women of the 588th were unthwarted. 265 00:15:17,310 --> 00:15:20,450 Speaker 3: They were absolutely ready to go and do whatever it took. 266 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,290 Speaker 3: to pitch into the war effort. So after their first 267 00:15:24,430 --> 00:15:29,330 Speaker 3: bombing run, which took place on June 1942, they absolutely, 268 00:15:29,790 --> 00:15:32,850 Speaker 3: not obliterated, but definitely slowed down the Nazi forces with 269 00:15:32,890 --> 00:15:36,460 Speaker 3: these overnight bombing runs and continued till the end of 270 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 3: the war. 271 00:15:37,180 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. At their height, so it started first bombing 272 00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: on June 8th, 1942. And at the height of their strength, 273 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:49,580 Speaker 1: they had 42-person crews, each which were flying, get this 274 00:15:49,780 --> 00:15:55,060 Speaker 1: multiple runs as soon as the sun set. The record 275 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,740 Speaker 1: would be like 18 runs a night. Why would you 276 00:15:57,780 --> 00:16:01,900 Speaker 1: make 18 incredibly dangerous bombing runs, you may ask? It's 277 00:16:01,940 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: because the planes could only carry six bombs at a time. 278 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:08,460 Speaker 1: So as soon as they dropped those six, provided they survived, 279 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,460 Speaker 1: they flew back, got another six bombs, and then flew 280 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,090 Speaker 1: back again. This meant that there was also a tightly 281 00:16:15,190 --> 00:16:18,770 Speaker 1: controlled weight limit. That's part of why they flew at 282 00:16:18,810 --> 00:16:22,050 Speaker 1: lower altitudes, but that's also the reason they could not 283 00:16:22,090 --> 00:16:23,710 Speaker 1: bring parachutes. Jeez. 284 00:16:24,790 --> 00:16:28,970 Speaker 3: That is pretty bold. And using that cover of night 285 00:16:29,050 --> 00:16:32,250 Speaker 3: was crucial. There was no way around it. The three 286 00:16:32,310 --> 00:16:36,150 Speaker 3: planes would leave at one time, and then two would 287 00:16:36,710 --> 00:16:41,070 Speaker 3: kind of act as almost– or they would draw fire, 288 00:16:41,310 --> 00:16:44,510 Speaker 3: enemy fire, and then the last one would do the 289 00:16:44,550 --> 00:16:49,470 Speaker 3: bomb run. And they also had to, like, Prius-style, like, 290 00:16:49,630 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 3: kill their engines so that they would just glide over 291 00:16:53,430 --> 00:16:55,750 Speaker 3: it before they dropped their payload. 292 00:16:55,930 --> 00:16:57,320 Speaker 1: And then start the engine again. 293 00:16:57,340 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 3: And then start the engine and get out of there. 294 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:00,540 Speaker 3: I mean, absolute badassery. 295 00:17:00,900 --> 00:17:05,070 Speaker 1: Yeah, and there's some psyop going on here as well because– 296 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,409 Speaker 1: The whooshing sound, we already mentioned that freaked the German 297 00:17:08,450 --> 00:17:11,470 Speaker 1: soldiers out, but they are also the source of the 298 00:17:11,510 --> 00:17:16,570 Speaker 1: name Night Witches. Once they had learned that this was 299 00:17:16,630 --> 00:17:22,209 Speaker 1: indeed a crew of female combatants and bombers, the misogyny 300 00:17:22,230 --> 00:17:25,390 Speaker 1: kicked in, and it was even more injurious to them 301 00:17:25,859 --> 00:17:30,360 Speaker 1: on some level that they were getting creamed by female 302 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:35,160 Speaker 1: forces instead of Russian dudes. And the Germans started, you know, 303 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,940 Speaker 1: in the fog of war, so much strange speculation thrives. 304 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:44,330 Speaker 1: The Germans started saying that the Soviet forces were changing 305 00:17:44,570 --> 00:17:47,990 Speaker 1: the women somehow, experimenting on them to give them, quote, 306 00:17:48,369 --> 00:17:50,010 Speaker 1: the night vision of a cat. 307 00:17:50,250 --> 00:17:52,870 Speaker 3: That's right. The Germans would have referred to them natively 308 00:17:53,310 --> 00:18:01,869 Speaker 3: as the Nachthexen or the night witches. And one of them, Nadetsia? Popova, 309 00:18:01,890 --> 00:18:05,469 Speaker 3: I'm going to go with that one, she flew roughly 310 00:18:05,470 --> 00:18:09,850 Speaker 3: 850 missions, and she received the title of Hero of 311 00:18:09,910 --> 00:18:14,550 Speaker 3: the Soviet Union. And in Albert Axel's book, Greatest Russian 312 00:18:14,590 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 3: War Stories, 1941 to 1945, she's quoted as saying, this 313 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,460 Speaker 3: was nonsense, of course. What we had were clever, educated, 314 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:24,859 Speaker 3: very talented girls. 315 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:25,699 Speaker 2: Ooh. 316 00:18:26,230 --> 00:18:29,390 Speaker 1: And fighting against this, for some reason, tell me what 317 00:18:29,410 --> 00:18:31,690 Speaker 1: you think about this, folks. For some reason, this gives 318 00:18:31,770 --> 00:18:36,340 Speaker 1: me a League of Their Own vibe in a much 319 00:18:36,390 --> 00:18:40,419 Speaker 1: more dangerous field because they had to deal with fighting 320 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,260 Speaker 1: a war against ruthless opponents, but they also had to 321 00:18:44,300 --> 00:18:48,980 Speaker 1: deal with misogyny from people who should have been supporting them. 322 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:54,010 Speaker 1: Members of the Soviet military were still very dismissive of 323 00:18:54,050 --> 00:18:58,490 Speaker 1: the idea of women flying in general, let alone in combat. 324 00:18:58,950 --> 00:19:03,899 Speaker 1: They wouldn't give these soldiers, these pilots, these mechanics, anyone 325 00:19:03,980 --> 00:19:08,260 Speaker 1: on the 588th, the credit they deserved at the time. 326 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,580 Speaker 1: And the inspiring thing here, especially for any of us 327 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: listening who have been in a situation where you have 328 00:19:14,260 --> 00:19:20,869 Speaker 1: to confront institutionalized misogyny, these women doubled down. They didn't care. 329 00:19:20,930 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: They were not cowed. they did not say, Oh no, 330 00:19:23,930 --> 00:19:27,300 Speaker 1: let's let the dudes fly the planes or whatever. They said, yes, 331 00:19:27,780 --> 00:19:32,159 Speaker 1: we're women. We're pilots. We're killers. We do what we want. 332 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:35,580 Speaker 1: And if you have a tough time with it, go 333 00:19:35,619 --> 00:19:36,860 Speaker 1: pout somewhere else. Yeah. 334 00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 3: But unfortunately the, the brass, you know, the Russian military 335 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 3: brass weren't super kind to, to these women. And I 336 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,550 Speaker 3: think there was even like a, incentive in among the 337 00:19:48,609 --> 00:19:52,110 Speaker 3: germans to to uh any to give a an iron 338 00:19:52,190 --> 00:19:54,109 Speaker 3: cross which i think was one of the highest um 339 00:19:54,250 --> 00:19:56,780 Speaker 3: awards you can get in the german army if you 340 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:59,500 Speaker 3: shot down one of these women so they were hated 341 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,399 Speaker 3: on both sides just kind of a kind of a 342 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:02,860 Speaker 3: rough situation to be in. 343 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:09,180 Speaker 1: Fortunately While the wheels of justice grind slow, they grind 344 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: exceedingly fine. And the members of the Night Witches were 345 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,960 Speaker 1: eventually recognized, such as the example you had mentioned earlier, 346 00:20:19,020 --> 00:20:22,780 Speaker 1: Noel Popova, who got the title of Hero of the 347 00:20:22,820 --> 00:20:26,090 Speaker 1: Soviet Union and the multiple medals. By the end of 348 00:20:26,220 --> 00:20:28,530 Speaker 1: World War II, the 588th had flown around 30,000 bombing 349 00:20:28,770 --> 00:20:39,129 Speaker 1: raids worldwide. which translates to 23,000 tons of explosives or munitions, 350 00:20:39,830 --> 00:20:44,150 Speaker 1: they also lost a lot of people. They lost 30 351 00:20:44,150 --> 00:20:49,139 Speaker 1: pilots during the war, which is an unbelievably low number 352 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: when you consider what those planes were made of, their 353 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,109 Speaker 1: technical constraints. And the fact that these people were often 354 00:20:58,310 --> 00:21:01,710 Speaker 1: using the same strategy repeatedly, not over the course of 355 00:21:01,750 --> 00:21:05,260 Speaker 1: the war, but sometimes as much as 18 times a night. 356 00:21:05,580 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Like how many times if 357 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: you're in charge of the searchlight on the German side, 358 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,899 Speaker 1: how many times do you fall for that? Two planes 359 00:21:14,980 --> 00:21:19,199 Speaker 1: fly in opposite directions without checking where the bombs are 360 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:20,119 Speaker 1: coming from, you know? 361 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,669 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a really good question. They weren't even given 362 00:21:23,750 --> 00:21:27,010 Speaker 3: their own sized uniforms. They had to take kind of 363 00:21:27,070 --> 00:21:29,750 Speaker 3: tattered hand-me-downs from other soldiers who I don't know if 364 00:21:29,770 --> 00:21:32,209 Speaker 3: they had like died or what, but that'd be pretty morbid. 365 00:21:33,170 --> 00:21:35,790 Speaker 3: But no, they were absolutely treated like second class citizens. 366 00:21:35,810 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 2: You know, this is it reminds me. 367 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 3: Have you seen that video that compares men's soccer and 368 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,200 Speaker 3: women's soccer? And it's like a scene from American Sniper 369 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 3: where it's Bradley Cooper as the sniper and it shows 370 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:55,820 Speaker 3: him like, you know, cocking back the gun and like 371 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:57,939 Speaker 3: looking through the scope. And then you see him shooting 372 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,460 Speaker 3: at a male soccer player and they fall down and 373 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,780 Speaker 3: like grab their knees and start like cringing and crying 374 00:22:02,820 --> 00:22:07,660 Speaker 3: because apparently in male soccer. dudes are just always taking 375 00:22:07,700 --> 00:22:10,090 Speaker 3: dives because it's like it gives them an edge or 376 00:22:10,109 --> 00:22:11,810 Speaker 3: they're able to get like penalty. I don't know. 377 00:22:11,869 --> 00:22:17,970 Speaker 1: Because unless the referee absolutely sees what happened, they can't 378 00:22:18,510 --> 00:22:19,210 Speaker 1: say you're faking. 379 00:22:19,300 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 3: There you go. 380 00:22:19,940 --> 00:22:23,020 Speaker 1: It is technically, I think, and someone tell us more 381 00:22:23,060 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: about this. I believe it's technically on the books. illegal 382 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,660 Speaker 1: to do that but it's very tough to prove. 383 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:31,780 Speaker 3: It there's lots of footage of it and then compare 384 00:22:31,820 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 3: that with footage of women's soccer where they literally stand 385 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,179 Speaker 3: up and spit their teeth out and just keep you 386 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 3: know marching forward um there is absolutely an element to 387 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:44,590 Speaker 3: that in this story uh so popova who we spoke 388 00:22:44,630 --> 00:22:47,250 Speaker 3: about earlier in an article from the atlantic there's a 389 00:22:47,310 --> 00:22:50,350 Speaker 3: great great quote from her talking about walking away from 390 00:22:50,710 --> 00:22:54,109 Speaker 3: a bombing raid with 42 bullet holes in her little 391 00:22:54,210 --> 00:22:56,699 Speaker 3: wooden plane You would think it would have just shredded 392 00:22:56,740 --> 00:22:59,450 Speaker 3: the thing, Ben. Like, I mean, God, to take a 393 00:22:59,490 --> 00:23:01,950 Speaker 3: hit like that in the air in a plane made 394 00:23:01,970 --> 00:23:05,130 Speaker 3: of wood and like canvas, that is just absolutely terrifying. 395 00:23:05,570 --> 00:23:08,710 Speaker 3: I can't imagine having that level of bravery. Right. 396 00:23:08,790 --> 00:23:10,910 Speaker 1: And let's also consider how young a lot of these 397 00:23:10,950 --> 00:23:14,690 Speaker 1: people were. They were not experienced soldiers. They were ranging 398 00:23:14,730 --> 00:23:18,810 Speaker 1: in age from 17 to 26. And many of us 399 00:23:18,930 --> 00:23:21,570 Speaker 1: who have had military service in the background may say, well, 400 00:23:21,630 --> 00:23:25,130 Speaker 1: I've met some people in their mid-20s who unfortunately. 401 00:23:24,490 --> 00:23:25,100 Speaker 3: Have a ton. 402 00:23:25,810 --> 00:23:30,859 Speaker 1: Of a very, very harrowing experience fighting domestically and abroad. 403 00:23:30,890 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 1: That's true. But at this time, in 1941, until Stalin 404 00:23:36,500 --> 00:23:41,300 Speaker 1: gave these orders, no other nation officially allowed women to 405 00:23:41,380 --> 00:23:46,719 Speaker 1: engage in combat. Previously, women could help transfer planes and ammunition, 406 00:23:47,180 --> 00:23:49,199 Speaker 1: after which they would say, all right, it's time for 407 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: the boys to take over or whatever. And when the 408 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: Night Witches did this, Again, we cannot overemphasize how it. 409 00:23:59,740 --> 00:24:01,340 Speaker 2: Was a crappy gig. Absolutely. 410 00:24:01,380 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 3: It was a crappy gig. 411 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,500 Speaker 1: They didn't even get things like radar, guns, and radios. 412 00:24:05,540 --> 00:24:09,020 Speaker 1: They had to use rulers, stopwatches, flashlights, pencils. 413 00:24:09,460 --> 00:24:13,100 Speaker 3: And not to poo-poo the Soviet Union or anything too much. 414 00:24:13,140 --> 00:24:15,090 Speaker 3: That's not what we're here to do. But if you 415 00:24:15,220 --> 00:24:18,750 Speaker 3: have read about the story of Chernobyl, you realize that 416 00:24:18,810 --> 00:24:23,390 Speaker 3: a lot of the equipment that the folks had were substandard. 417 00:24:23,890 --> 00:24:27,190 Speaker 3: They didn't have enough radiation suits. They didn't have meters 418 00:24:27,270 --> 00:24:30,430 Speaker 3: that even reached the levels of contamination that were present 419 00:24:30,490 --> 00:24:32,530 Speaker 3: in some of these situations. So that seems to be 420 00:24:32,630 --> 00:24:35,379 Speaker 3: sort of a legacy thing, having, you know, kind of 421 00:24:35,450 --> 00:24:36,359 Speaker 3: substandard equipment. 422 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:38,959 Speaker 1: Yes. Oh, and I want to clarify there. When we 423 00:24:39,020 --> 00:24:43,540 Speaker 1: said six bombs apiece, that's six bombs per raid, not 424 00:24:43,660 --> 00:24:47,490 Speaker 1: six bombs per plane. The planes could each only carry 425 00:24:47,590 --> 00:24:50,489 Speaker 1: two bombs at a time, one under each wing. So 426 00:24:50,530 --> 00:24:53,270 Speaker 1: when three planes flew out, that was a total of 427 00:24:53,410 --> 00:24:56,470 Speaker 1: six bombs they could drop while the other two members 428 00:24:56,630 --> 00:25:01,460 Speaker 1: of the flight or the raid were running scrimmage or 429 00:25:01,500 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: making a distraction there. They also had, this was really cool, 430 00:25:05,300 --> 00:25:08,119 Speaker 1: this is something I couldn't find in full yet, and 431 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,220 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear if someone else has found this. 432 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:11,010 Speaker 3: The commandments? 433 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: Uh-huh, the 12 commandments of the Night Witches. The one 434 00:25:15,270 --> 00:25:17,970 Speaker 1: that we found in the first one was be proud 435 00:25:18,010 --> 00:25:23,590 Speaker 1: that you are a woman. There are 11 others. We've 436 00:25:23,609 --> 00:25:27,070 Speaker 1: got we've got to find them. The last flight of 437 00:25:27,130 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: the night, which is took place around May 4th, 1945. 438 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:37,720 Speaker 1: At this time, they flew within 37 miles or 60 439 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,889 Speaker 1: kilometers to everybody in any country other than what the U.S., 440 00:25:41,930 --> 00:25:43,070 Speaker 1: Namibia and Myanmar. 441 00:25:43,570 --> 00:25:44,290 Speaker 3: They they got. 442 00:25:44,290 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: 37 miles or 60 kilometers close to Berlin. And this 443 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:54,180 Speaker 1: was three days before Germany officially surrendered. We do know 444 00:25:54,619 --> 00:25:59,010 Speaker 1: that the Germans had two theories about why these women 445 00:25:59,150 --> 00:26:03,469 Speaker 1: were successful. Spoiler alert, neither of those theories have anything 446 00:26:03,510 --> 00:26:07,730 Speaker 1: to do with their ability as pilots or as professionals. 447 00:26:08,670 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 1: The first theory is that they had been given these 448 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:15,020 Speaker 1: special injections and experiments that turned them into pilots. people 449 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,940 Speaker 1: with supervision. And the second was that they were all 450 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: criminals who were masters at stealing, like the idea of 451 00:26:22,020 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: the Russian thief-in-law, and had been sent to the front 452 00:26:25,340 --> 00:26:29,940 Speaker 1: line as punishment. So they were conscripted, hardcore criminals. That's 453 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,330 Speaker 1: the only way they could get away with these cunning, 454 00:26:32,450 --> 00:26:33,190 Speaker 1: brazen acts. 455 00:26:33,650 --> 00:26:37,330 Speaker 3: And during that really pretty brief four-year period, 41 to 45, 456 00:26:37,330 --> 00:26:41,380 Speaker 3: the night which is operated, they lost 30 pilots. And 457 00:26:41,460 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 3: then the 23 pilots, not all of them, but 23 458 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,489 Speaker 3: of the remaining pilots, including Popova, who we talked about earlier, 459 00:26:47,810 --> 00:26:51,389 Speaker 3: were given that very high honor of heroes of the 460 00:26:51,430 --> 00:26:57,790 Speaker 3: Soviet Union. Interestingly enough, the squad was never disbanded and 461 00:26:57,890 --> 00:27:00,429 Speaker 3: it actually just was given a new name and continued on. 462 00:27:00,450 --> 00:27:03,360 Speaker 3: And it was called the much less intriguing sounding 46th 463 00:27:03,730 --> 00:27:09,109 Speaker 3: Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. which continued to be 464 00:27:09,130 --> 00:27:12,890 Speaker 3: a mainstay in the Soviet Union's mixed gender forces. 465 00:27:13,310 --> 00:27:16,629 Speaker 1: And we should also mention that they weren't just raining death. 466 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:21,460 Speaker 1: They also performed 155 supply drops of food and ammo 467 00:27:21,580 --> 00:27:25,660 Speaker 1: to Soviet forces. And here's one of the last facts 468 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:30,780 Speaker 1: I found. Let's file this under that's a kicker. Despite 469 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,820 Speaker 1: being the most highly decorated unit in the Soviet Air 470 00:27:34,900 --> 00:27:39,650 Speaker 1: Force during the war, After they were disbanded and became 471 00:27:40,100 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: part of this other grouping, there was this big Victory 472 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:48,400 Speaker 1: Day parade in Moscow. And the Night Witches were not 473 00:27:48,460 --> 00:27:54,490 Speaker 1: included because, according to the management, their planes were too slow. 474 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:57,399 Speaker 3: But that's like the whole point, man. That's not their fault. 475 00:27:57,560 --> 00:27:57,940 Speaker 1: I know. 476 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,140 Speaker 3: They were forced to use those planes. They were given 477 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 3: the leftovers. 478 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:02,899 Speaker 1: Maybe they should have had the parade at night. I 479 00:28:02,940 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: don't know. 480 00:28:03,300 --> 00:28:03,780 Speaker 3: Seriously. 481 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:04,780 Speaker 1: To keep it on brand. 482 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,420 Speaker 3: Aren't parades pretty slow usually, though? I mean, I don't 483 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:08,699 Speaker 3: see how that would be a detractor. 484 00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:13,070 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know. I've never organized a Victory Day 485 00:28:13,109 --> 00:28:15,970 Speaker 1: parade after a war. Although I do want to go 486 00:28:16,050 --> 00:28:19,469 Speaker 1: to New Orleans and hire my own parade. Do you 487 00:28:19,490 --> 00:28:21,209 Speaker 1: know you could do that? I told you that, right? 488 00:28:21,230 --> 00:28:21,790 Speaker 3: No, what? 489 00:28:22,010 --> 00:28:26,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, next time I'm in New Orleans, I think parade 490 00:28:26,500 --> 00:28:30,300 Speaker 1: prices are incredibly reasonable in New Orleans. And you can, 491 00:28:30,859 --> 00:28:33,620 Speaker 1: especially in the off season, you can pay a group 492 00:28:33,660 --> 00:28:37,979 Speaker 1: of people, not particularly princely some, and they'll just do 493 00:28:38,020 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 1: a parade for you. 494 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 3: How much are we talking? 495 00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:41,020 Speaker 1: A few hundred, yeah. 496 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:43,700 Speaker 3: And does this include floats? 497 00:28:44,530 --> 00:28:47,030 Speaker 1: No, this would be, I think we're talking a few hundred. 498 00:28:47,050 --> 00:28:50,290 Speaker 1: We're talking about just the musicians. Which I think is great. 499 00:28:50,650 --> 00:28:53,350 Speaker 3: Like a second line parade. It feels like a better parade. 500 00:28:53,370 --> 00:28:54,850 Speaker 3: That would be a lot more fun. I don't need 501 00:28:54,890 --> 00:28:57,710 Speaker 3: a float that's in the shape of my giant head. No, no. 502 00:28:57,810 --> 00:29:01,070 Speaker 1: Custom floats. You're getting into Mardi Gras territory. I don't know. 503 00:29:01,090 --> 00:29:04,770 Speaker 1: What about Casey? Would you ever have a parade? Would 504 00:29:04,790 --> 00:29:06,690 Speaker 1: you ever purchase a parade for yourself? 505 00:29:06,990 --> 00:29:08,020 Speaker 2: No, definitely not. 506 00:29:08,050 --> 00:29:09,020 Speaker 1: For someone else then? 507 00:29:09,390 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe for somebody else. If they did something really, 508 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:14,020 Speaker 2: really special. Maybe, yeah. 509 00:29:14,700 --> 00:29:18,650 Speaker 1: Casey on the case. I am going to embarrass the 510 00:29:18,710 --> 00:29:20,810 Speaker 1: hell out of you when we get to New Orleans, Casey. 511 00:29:21,090 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 1: Just forget about it and act surprised later. 512 00:29:23,940 --> 00:29:24,380 Speaker 2: Will do. 513 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 3: I think that's all we got for today, right, Ben? 514 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:34,850 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. So ends our tale of the heroic Night Witches, 515 00:29:35,190 --> 00:29:38,730 Speaker 1: one of the chapters of World War II history that 516 00:29:38,930 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 1: I think is very, familiar to a lot of our 517 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:44,660 Speaker 1: Russian listeners, but maybe news to some of us in 518 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,300 Speaker 1: the West. We want to hear your stories of other 519 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 1: World War II heroes or strange tales that you think 520 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,070 Speaker 1: your fellow listeners would enjoy. You can find us on 521 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,229 Speaker 1: Facebook at Ridiculous Historians. You can also find us on 522 00:29:58,290 --> 00:29:59,570 Speaker 1: Twitter and Instagram. 523 00:29:59,940 --> 00:30:01,660 Speaker 3: Yeah, and if you want to find us individually on Instagram, 524 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,700 Speaker 3: I hang out with my kid and occasionally travel, mainly domestically, 525 00:30:04,810 --> 00:30:06,590 Speaker 3: but I'm hoping to get out of the country one 526 00:30:06,610 --> 00:30:08,650 Speaker 3: of these days too so I can match Ben's sick 527 00:30:08,750 --> 00:30:13,290 Speaker 3: Instagram adventures. But my slightly more underwhelming adventures are at HowNowNoelBrown. 528 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,420 Speaker 1: I think you're beating yourself up there a little bit, Noel. 529 00:30:16,460 --> 00:30:17,100 Speaker 3: It's a thing I do. 530 00:30:17,380 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: Circumstances will probably find both of us overseas sooner than 531 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,020 Speaker 1: you think. In the meantime, you can find me getting 532 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,310 Speaker 1: kicked into and out of various places at Ben Bolin, 533 00:30:28,530 --> 00:30:30,930 Speaker 1: named to what I would only describe as a burst 534 00:30:31,010 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: of creativity. But hey, guys, you might be saying, I... 535 00:30:36,060 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: I don't really like the social needs, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. 536 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,959 Speaker 1: Those aren't my cup of vodka or cup of needs. 537 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,620 Speaker 1: There we go. But I do have an email. I 538 00:30:46,060 --> 00:30:48,450 Speaker 1: got around to that. So can I just contact you 539 00:30:48,490 --> 00:30:51,550 Speaker 1: guys that way? We have good news for you. You 540 00:30:51,630 --> 00:30:54,850 Speaker 1: can email us directly. We are ridiculous at I heart 541 00:30:54,950 --> 00:30:58,350 Speaker 1: radio dot com. Big thanks to our super producer, Casey Pegram, 542 00:30:58,390 --> 00:31:01,940 Speaker 1: as always. Alex Williams, who composed our theme. Christopher Haciotis, 543 00:31:01,980 --> 00:31:05,520 Speaker 1: friend of the show, friend inside of our hearts. Gabe Luzier, 544 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 1: also Yves Jeffcoat, who will be on our show pretty soon, 545 00:31:10,100 --> 00:31:15,620 Speaker 1: spoiler alert. And we'd like to welcome Ryan Barish. 546 00:31:15,980 --> 00:31:17,900 Speaker 3: Welcome to the family, Ryan Barish, who will be helping 547 00:31:17,940 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 3: us with some research moving forward. See you next time, folks. 548 00:31:29,090 --> 00:31:31,890 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 549 00:31:32,030 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.