Monday, October 29, 2012

Night Witches (Nachthexen)



They flew in the cold,
in the pitch-blackness of an evil sky,
riddled with bullets.

No radios.

No parachutes.

2 bombs.

Engines cut
on the Polikarpov U-2,
to creep
up on sleeping monsters,

to visit their dreams
with light,
and bring the Reich and Reign
closer to hell.

Started them up
in mission, resolute,
crawling out on the wings,
on a limb,

for the rest of us.



Copyright 2012 Jennifer Wagner




 








Did you know women flew airplanes in combat in WWII?  I didn’t until I visited the Flying Heritage Museum recently.  The 588th Night Bomber Regiment was made entirely of women who flew the PO-2.  They would sneak up on the enemy by cutting their engines, drop bombs, and then restart their engines to get away; even crawling out on the wings, mid-flight when necessary, to get the props going.  And then go and do it all over again throughout the freezing night.  Truly heroic.  The Nazis began to refer to them as Night Witches because of the terror this tactic inflicted.  Seemed like the right time of year to write about them.



The photos:  (top) a few of these amazing aviators.   And (right) the PO-2, the tail number honors the 23 who earned "Hero of the Soviet Union" citations. And (left) the lettering on the fuselage translates into "Revenge for Dusya," a tribute to the first Night Witch to be killed in combat.  30 of them were lost in all.  If you click any of the links here I recommend the "Revenge for Dusya"...really some fascinating reading from the book A Dance with Death.


Linking up to OpenLinkNight at dVerse, an amazing site for poetry.

50 comments:

  1. huh, i did not realize this...it does not surprise me as there are lots of stories like that that never get the attention they deserve...definitely heroic...very cool bit of history here...

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    1. I bet you're right...another part of this story I didn't mention was that most of these women were barely 20 years old at the time...thanks Brian.

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  2. oh heck...i haven't heard about them before.. my...def. brave to crawl out midflight on the wings..gives me shudders to just think about it..thanks for sharing a slice of history with us here

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    1. Makes me shudder too! Thank you very much Claudia.

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  3. Jennifer, this was a really interesting poem and explanation. I had never heard of the "Night Witches." They definitely were brave spirits. And yes, the right time of year to learn about them!

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  4. I didn't know...thanks for sharing this.

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  5. wow, i don't think i ever did know that... love the way you ended this. bless all those brave, brave souls.

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  6. wow..i haven't heard about Nachthexen as well. thanks for sharing this, a truly touching poem and useful information. looking forward to learn more about them~

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    1. There definitely is more to learn about them, some very interesting stories--thank you so much Yelena.

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  7. interesting bit of history thanks for the poem and the link definitely a must read.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Tatius...thanks for stopping by.

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  8. No, I didn't know that women flew combat missions in WW2. This is amazing, and very intriguing to someone who loves history.
    Great poem too!

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  9. Jennifer--it is always to amazing to read about something new, true and heroic. You captured this well in your words. Great write!

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    1. I agree, I do enjoy coming across stories like these. Thanks Jody!

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  10. Wow... this is a great piece of history. Thanks for sharing in such a lovely poem!

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    1. Thanks Laurie! Glad I had the opportunity to learn about this chunk of history as well.

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  11. How fascinating to read about those brave women ~ Thanks for sharing them ~

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  12. Wow--I didn't know that. My dad was killed in WWII, the pilot of a B-24. I grasp at any piece of history I can get.

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    1. Wow Victoria...I bet you do. I appreciate his and your family's sacrifice. Thank you.

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  13. good read and a little new information... thanks for the lesson

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  14. So brave! Interesting piece of history and a very cool poem..thanks for sharing

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    1. Thanks Nilanjana! Appreciate your visit and your comment too.

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  15. I have never heard of the Night Witches before, to think that they would cut their engines to sneak up...that's incredible...thank you letting us know about these wonderful women through your poem. Thank you!

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  16. Add me to the list of those who'd never heard of these brave women. And I've got to tell, that really makes me mad. The female side of history is so often short-shrifted, especially if they are doing something seen as "man's work." Thank you for telling us about the Night Witches and for your lovely poem.

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    1. I wondered too why I'd never heard these stories before...they seem pretty newsworthy to me. Thanks much Patti!

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  17. I had no idea! Thanks so much for writing(so well) about this nugget of history. I can't even imagine crawling out on the wing of a plummeting plane to wrestle with a propeller, let alone over enemy territory. Fascinating, and very well told.

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    1. Ack...I can't imagine it either...and the danger to women especially if they were to survive and be taken captive under a Nazi regime. Thank you very much hedge.

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  18. I thank you for the poem and the background notes to make it even more memorable. You may want to visit the Women Veterans Memorial Museum in DC…many many stories shared there…and this poem would be something you should share with them.

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    1. Thanks for the tip O! And the encouragement--sounds like an inspiring museum...have to put that on the list!

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  19. Fantastic ~ there's so much around about vets / battles etc just now ~ this is def one of the better offerings ~ you bring it back to the impact their work has on us ~ and I thank you for it :)

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  20. Incredible!! I love stories like this :-) Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful tribute--and that ending--wow!

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    1. I love hearing amazing stories like this too. Thanks so much for your kind words Sara.

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  21. I knew nothing about them. I agree it is the perfect night to write about them. Very original and excellent choice -- and excellent write.

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  22. Thank you. Enjoyed the poem and the information!

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  23. Wow, I knew none of that. Heroic indeed, and yes, the right time to celebrate these women.

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    1. What a fascinating group...glad I came across the story and could share. Thanks Rosemary.

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  24. Loving this piece - and the fantastic story/stories behind it. There is so much to discover here. Thank you.

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  25. Very cool poem and fascinating history. I didnt know that either. I wish they would make a movie about them.

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    1. I love history and this was a fascinating find. A movie would be cool! I think there may be one out there or possibly one in the works. I'll have to google that.

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Thank you for your thoughts!