Po-2: Night Witches

["Diego Zampini" <dzampini@hotmail.com>]

Hi, everybody.
It is quite true that the Po-2s were nicknamed ´Night Witches´ by the 
Germans during WW2, but it is not known why they called them that way:
The reason is that the most famous unit which operated the Po-2 was the 588 
NBAP -Russian acronym for Night Bombing Aviation Regiment- which operated in 
Stalingrad, Ukranie and Crimea areas since May 1942; was a FEMALE unit, I 
mean its crews were WOMEN. When the Germans realized that (after shooting 
down some Po-2s and found the female crew members killed in the ground) they 
gave them such nickname.
The unit deserved its nickname: on October 25 1942 several Po-2s of 588 NBAP 
struck the German airfield in Armavir (Kerch peninsula) at set on fire a 
fuel depot. The fire extended fast, and six bombers Ju 88 and He 111 of 
II./KG 51 were destroyed by the flames. The unit won its new title: 46 
GvNBAP -Guards Night Bombing Aviation Regiment- on January 6 1943 and 5 of 
its female pilots were awarded with the Golden Star to the Heroe of the 
Soviet Union, the highest Soviet military award.
So, the Polikarpov Po-2 already have an outstanding record as night bomber 
when it began to bomb UN airfields and fuel depots in 1951.
Furthermore, Ed (Evanhoe) remembered that a B-26 claimed to shot down one 
Po-2. That is true: Captain Richard M. Heyman -8 Light Bomb Squadron- 
claimed a Po-2 kill on June 24 1951. I hope this info helps you.
Regards,
Diego Fernando Zampini


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