V nebe 'Nochnye vedmy'

On October 1941 Joseph Stalin issued an order to organize three all-female aviation groups, one of them the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. The group deployed to the front lines in June 1942. Their aircraft was the wood-and-canvas Polikarpov PO-2, a two-seater open cockpit biplane of 1928 design that was ordinarily used as a trainer and crop duster. The plane could carry only two bombs at the time. It was only used at night, and the attack technique was idling the engine near the target and gliding the rest of the way. The planes, although obsolete were extremely maneuverable and their maximum speed was lower than the stall speed of German fighters, which made them difficult to shoot down.

In February 1943 the regiment was honored with the Guards designation and in October 1943 it became the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, the name alluding to the unit's involvement in operations in the Taman peninsula. At the end of war the regiment had flown over 23,000 sorties dropping more than 3,000 tons of bombs. The pilots garnered many decorations, with twenty three of them earning the coveted Hero of the Soviet Union award.

The Russian title of this movie translates to Night Witches in the Sky. Night Witches (Nachthexen) was the name bestowed on the fliers by German soldiers, who acquired a grudging respect for them and dreaded their stealth attacks. However, the Taman Regiment was somewhat forgotten after the war, unlike other outfits like the Normandie - Niemen regiment. In fact, this movie, made in 1981 seems to be the first in telling their story, at least among films accessible in the West. There seems to be a recent revival of interest; a Russian series, Night Swallows (1913+) is available in the streaming services and there is a movie in development.

I liked this direct and unpretentious film. Perhaps it is a little simple-minded and oversentimental here and there but there is no flag-waving or patriotic propaganda beyond what the subject warrants. The positives outweigh the negatives and add up to a movie well worth watching.