#3 Smashing A Myth - The Men Of The Night Witches Regiment.

[CtahhR]

The Legendary "Night Witches" Regiment, the 588th Night- Light Bomber Aviation Regiment later renamed the 46th Guards Night-Bomber Aviation Taman Red Banner Order Suvurov III Regiment were a film maker's dream. Supposedly the only female only regiment in history with Heroines coated in awards (including Gold Stars) and an almost endless supply of bravery exposed through hundreds of daredevil feats.

The regiment was nicknamed the "Skirt Regiment" by fellow Soviets and for the last seventy years there has been a very strict line that the entire regiment was wholly women for the entire duration of the war (with the exception of the staff driver - who was awarded the Medal "For Combat Merits" - but one staff driver isn't going to change the momentum of the regiment)

Having spent several months researching the Regiment in depth (and randomly obtaining the driver's Medal) I have found that he wasn't unique or alone as a man in the "Women's Regiment".

The 46th's entire ПАРМ-1 (Mobile Automobile Restoration Workshop) also consisted of male personnel, other than that men were very rare but not missing.

The daring, darling female Pilots and Navigators is the propagated hook of the regiment, with almost as much focus being given to the "all" female ground crew supporting them all the way through the war.

But here are some stories of the men of the 588th/46th.