Review Detail

This is a enthralling telling of the brave Soviet airwomen who flew missions during World War II. They fought in combat, unlike the other Allied nations at that time. Their story hasn't been shared for some time.

What worked: The stories of these brave Soviet women is amazing. The author weaves in photos and the back story of the airwomen. She also shares facts like how the women had to use men's military outfits, even the underwear-as there wasn't any for women at that time. These women fought during the night, sometimes without parachutes. It wasn't until the summer of 1944, that they were equipped with parachutes.

Some interesting facts:

At the beginning, Stalin might have used the women air regiments for publicity.

The Germans called the women "night witches". The airwomen bombed the Germans as many as 300 times a night throughout the war.

The Soviet soldiers called the women, "heavenly creatures" and "little sisters."

There were no combat boots for women. "They wrapped their feet in extra cloth, filled the gaps with balled-up pieces of newspaper."

After the war, the women had to sign a pledge promising they'd not talk about their services as that would be better. Stalin refused to allow the women to continue military service in the air force as they weren't suited for war.

Fascinating portrayal of the heroic Soviet airwomen who fought during World War II. Their stories finally give credit to the courageous women fliers of the war.