Tom Townsend

Following the German invasion of Russia in the summer of 1941, the Soviet Government authorized the formation of three squadrons of female pilots. Their story has, for the most part, remained untold outside of the Soviet Union. Although this novel is a work of historical fiction, the Night Witches were very real. This is the time of Stalin and The Young Communists League and all Russians fought. The open cockpit PO-2 biplane was simple enough for peasant girls to fly, and cheap to build and show more repair. And training women for air battle freed up the men to fly the more important missions of the Great Patriotic War. show less