Thus the Soviet Union was the first nation to have women pilots in a combat role. The 588th Regiment eventually became known as the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. Because the bi-planes were smaller and lighter and had a maximum speed below the stall speed of the Luftwaft, they had greater maneuvrability giving them an edge in battle. These missions were to harass the German army, and to destroy strategic targets. They flew close to 30,000 missions over the course of the war, generally eight missions per night. Each plane contained a pilot and a navigator in an open cockpit and no parachutes. The 588th Night Bomber Regiment was set up after the famous Russian woman aviator, Marina Raskova urged Stalin to allow women to become fighter pilots. This bomber regiment was made up of young women between the ages of seventeen and twenty-six who flew flimsy planes made of plywood and canvas and carried a two bombs on each run. Night Witches is set in Stalingrad, Russia in 1942 and is a fictional account of a young girl who joins 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Airforce.
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