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:

Brian Miller said...

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...

Claudia said...

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

Mary said...

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!

ayala said...

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

mrs mediocrity said...

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

Anonymous said...

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~

ScottlB said...

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

Daydreamertoo said...

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!

Jody Lee Collins said...

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

Laurie Kolp said...

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

Grace said...

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

Victoria said...

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.

Wolfsrosebud said...

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

Nilanjana Bose said...

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

Anonymous said...

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!

PattiKen said...

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.

hedgewitch said...

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.

Orange UaPoet said...

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.

Anonymous said...

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 :)

Sarav said...

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

Dave King said...

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

janetld said...

Thank you. Enjoyed the poem and the information!

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

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.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Makes me shudder too! Thank you very much Claudia.

Jennifer Wagner said...

I agree, they were brave. Thank you Mary.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks for reading ayala.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank you very much...and amen.

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

I love history too...thanks very much Bren.

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks Grace--glad you enjoyed the read.

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

Glad you enjoyed the offering Wolfrosebud.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks Nilanjana! Appreciate your visit and your comment too.

Jennifer Wagner said...

I know, crazy right? Thanks so much!

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

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.

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

Polly, thanks so much, I'm honored.

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks Dave! I'm honored by your compliment!

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks for saying so janet!

Jennifer Wagner said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank you--for reading and commenting on it!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

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

Jennifer Wagner said...

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.