Latenightgamer · 41-45, M
ChipmunkErnie · 70-79, M
THE USSR'S 588th Night Bomber Regiment, aka THE NIGHT WITCHES -- an all-female bomber group.
"The regiment flew harassment and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 until the end of the Second World War (1945). At its largest, it had 40 two-person crews. The regiment flew over 23,000 sorties, dropping over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells.[9][10] It was the most highly decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, with many pilots having flown over 800 missions by the end of the war, and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. Thirty-two of its members died during the war.
The regiment flew in wood-and-canvas Polikarpov U-2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft (hence its original uchebnyy designation prefix of "U-") and for crop dusting, which also had a special U-2LNB version for the sort of night harassment attack missions flown by the 588th. The plane could only carry 350 kilograms (770 lb) of bombs,[12] so eight or more missions per night were often necessary.[13] Although the aircraft was obsolete and slow, the pilots took advantage of its exceptional maneuverability; it also had a maximum speed that was lower than the stalling speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which made it very difficult for German pilots to shoot down, with the exception of fighter ace Josef Kociok, who grounded the regiment for an entire night by shooting down three or four of their planes on the night of 31 July – 1 August 1943."
"The regiment flew harassment and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 until the end of the Second World War (1945). At its largest, it had 40 two-person crews. The regiment flew over 23,000 sorties, dropping over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells.[9][10] It was the most highly decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, with many pilots having flown over 800 missions by the end of the war, and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. Thirty-two of its members died during the war.
The regiment flew in wood-and-canvas Polikarpov U-2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft (hence its original uchebnyy designation prefix of "U-") and for crop dusting, which also had a special U-2LNB version for the sort of night harassment attack missions flown by the 588th. The plane could only carry 350 kilograms (770 lb) of bombs,[12] so eight or more missions per night were often necessary.[13] Although the aircraft was obsolete and slow, the pilots took advantage of its exceptional maneuverability; it also had a maximum speed that was lower than the stalling speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which made it very difficult for German pilots to shoot down, with the exception of fighter ace Josef Kociok, who grounded the regiment for an entire night by shooting down three or four of their planes on the night of 31 July – 1 August 1943."
PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (Russian: Людмила Михайловна Павличенко; Ukrainian: Людмила Михайлівна Павличенко, romanized: Lyudmyla Mykhailivna Pavlychenko, née Belova; 12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1916 – 10 October 1974) was a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II. She is credited with killing 309 enemy combatants.[2][3] She served in the Red Army during the siege of Odessa and the siege of Sevastopol, during the early stages of the fighting on the Eastern Front. Her score of 309 kills likely places her within the top five snipers of all time, but her kills may be significantly more numerous, as a confirmed kill has to be witnessed by a third party.[4]
After she was injured in battle by a mortar shell, she was evacuated to Moscow.[5] After she recovered from her injuries, she trained other Red Army snipers and was a public spokeswoman for the Red Army. In 1942, she toured the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. After the war ended in 1945, she was reassigned as a senior researcher for the Soviet Navy. She died of a stroke at the age of 58.[2]
After she was injured in battle by a mortar shell, she was evacuated to Moscow.[5] After she recovered from her injuries, she trained other Red Army snipers and was a public spokeswoman for the Red Army. In 1942, she toured the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. After the war ended in 1945, she was reassigned as a senior researcher for the Soviet Navy. She died of a stroke at the age of 58.[2]
Sidewinder · 36-40, M
Douglas Bader, the pilot with no legs.
In 1931, he crashed a biplane while performing aerobatics.
As a result of the crash, both of his legs had to be amputated.
After his recovery, he relearned to walk with prosthetic legs made of metal.
After relearning to walk, he eventually took a refresher course in aviation.
Then, during the early days of the Second World War, he re-enlisted into the Royal Air Force and during the Battle of Britain, scored about 30 confirmed kills before being shot down and captured.
One advantage that not having any natural legs gave him in a fighter plane gave him was being able to withstand G-Forces more effectively in aerial combat.
In 1931, he crashed a biplane while performing aerobatics.
As a result of the crash, both of his legs had to be amputated.
After his recovery, he relearned to walk with prosthetic legs made of metal.
After relearning to walk, he eventually took a refresher course in aviation.
Then, during the early days of the Second World War, he re-enlisted into the Royal Air Force and during the Battle of Britain, scored about 30 confirmed kills before being shot down and captured.
One advantage that not having any natural legs gave him in a fighter plane gave him was being able to withstand G-Forces more effectively in aerial combat.
PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M
Mariya Oktyabrskaya
Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya (Russian: Мария Васильевна Октябрьская; 16 August 1905 – 15 March 1944) was a Soviet tank driver and mechanic who fought on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany during World War II. After her husband was killed fighting in 1941, Oktyabrskaya sold her possessions to donate a tank for the war effort, and requested that she be allowed to drive it. She received and was trained to drive and fix a T-34 medium tank, which she named "Fighting Girlfriend" ("Боевая подруга"). Oktyabrskaya proved her ability and bravery in battle, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. After she died of wounds from battle in 1944, she was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's highest honor for bravery during combat. She was the first female tank driver to be awarded the title.[1]
Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya (Russian: Мария Васильевна Октябрьская; 16 August 1905 – 15 March 1944) was a Soviet tank driver and mechanic who fought on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany during World War II. After her husband was killed fighting in 1941, Oktyabrskaya sold her possessions to donate a tank for the war effort, and requested that she be allowed to drive it. She received and was trained to drive and fix a T-34 medium tank, which she named "Fighting Girlfriend" ("Боевая подруга"). Oktyabrskaya proved her ability and bravery in battle, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. After she died of wounds from battle in 1944, she was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's highest honor for bravery during combat. She was the first female tank driver to be awarded the title.[1]
Richard65 · M
I wouldn't say I'm impressed, rather than fascinated by certain stories. One I recall reading from the New York Review of Books (I think). It was an extended two-part article about what happened in Japan between the two atom bombs being dropped. It described how the Japanese military and domestic authorities acted, with some voices urging surrender whilst other army factions, unable to bear the shame of surrender, plotted to assassinate officials who might engage in negotiations with the Allies. There was murder and counter-murder, spies and agitators, secret coded messages and suicide. The myriad plots were so wild and complex that it was like an insane Shakespeare play.
emiliya · 22-25, F
@Richard65 What is your view on the bombs being dropped? I think it was a way for USA to tell the world how powerful it was. The Japanese were looking at surrendering, using Soviet Union as a mediator. It was inevitable.
US had invested time and money in the atomic bomb, and now it was finally ready to be used, and they got to make a big display in the process.
US had invested time and money in the atomic bomb, and now it was finally ready to be used, and they got to make a big display in the process.
Richard65 · M
@emiliya I agree, that was exactly it. The US had spent $2 billion on the Big Stick and they wanted to wield it to demonstrate their military superiority. The Japanese military had declared Total War, which, unfortunately, rendered everyone and everything in Japan as a legitimate military target. I remember reading about a US soldier, thinking he was going to be a part of the invasion force into Japan, wrote his will as he fully expected to die. After Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered and he was relieved to go home instead of dying. It's certainly a very complex situation. There were elements of the Japanese military that were prepared to launch a coup in order to prevent any surrender. The shame of capitulation was too great for them to bear. So, a Japanese surrender wasn't a certainty. An interesting anecdote tells of American troops driving into Tokyo and the remnants of the Imperial Japanese Army lined the roads, but every soldier had his back turned to the American convoy. The Americans thought it was an insult, until a Japanese translator in the convoy explained that it was a sign of respect. The Japanese Army were shamed by their defeat and did not feel worthy of facing their victors.
As far as the moral principle of dropping the bombs, it's interesting to note that both bombs combined killed around 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki in a matter of minutes, destroying two cities in the blasts. However, the Allied campaign of conventional fire bombing raids killed a total of 300,000 to 330,000 Japanese civilians with at least 8 million left homeless, and with an estimated 40 percent of Japan's urban areas destroyed; 60 percent of Tokyo itself went up in flames. The conventional bombing campaign lasted just over a year. Yet, the atomic bombs are regarded as a particularly abhorrent act in world history, despite killing less civilians and damaging less infrastructure than conventional fire bombing.
So, is the morality of bombing civilians judged simply on the basis of the time it takes to kill them all?
As far as the moral principle of dropping the bombs, it's interesting to note that both bombs combined killed around 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki in a matter of minutes, destroying two cities in the blasts. However, the Allied campaign of conventional fire bombing raids killed a total of 300,000 to 330,000 Japanese civilians with at least 8 million left homeless, and with an estimated 40 percent of Japan's urban areas destroyed; 60 percent of Tokyo itself went up in flames. The conventional bombing campaign lasted just over a year. Yet, the atomic bombs are regarded as a particularly abhorrent act in world history, despite killing less civilians and damaging less infrastructure than conventional fire bombing.
So, is the morality of bombing civilians judged simply on the basis of the time it takes to kill them all?
emiliya · 22-25, F
@Richard65 Japanese soldiers had their ideas around surrender and were ashamed of defeat, but they could not stop it. Nuking Japan was never necessary. They would have surrendered.
The fire bombings were horrific. Both of them are. With nukes, you will not even know you are being blasted away. There are some who will be further away and be injured or die some hours, days, or weeks after they were nuked, but the others will be extinguished straight away. This kind of rapid mass destruction is unprecedented. It is the worst thing ever invented by mankind. Scientists can be truly evil.
The fire bombings were horrific. Both of them are. With nukes, you will not even know you are being blasted away. There are some who will be further away and be injured or die some hours, days, or weeks after they were nuked, but the others will be extinguished straight away. This kind of rapid mass destruction is unprecedented. It is the worst thing ever invented by mankind. Scientists can be truly evil.
Richard65 · M
I also remember reading about a Japanese pilot, Hajime Fujii, who asked the air force to let him become a Kamikaze pilot. However, he had a wife and two daughters, so the authorities wouldn't grant him permission because he was a father. This brought shame on him. Unbeknownst to him, his wife felt so guilty for her husband's predicament that she dressed her two daughters in their best kimonos and all three jumped into the Arakawa River near Kumagaya Aviation School, and drowned themselves in order to preserve her husband's honour.
https://www.kamikazeimages.net/stories/fujii/index.htm
https://www.kamikazeimages.net/stories/fujii/index.htm
Northwest · M
OK dude.
ImperialAerosolKidFromEP · 51-55, M
The R&D-obsessed bohemian corporal overlooking the potential of the bomb
This comment is hidden.
Show Comment
emiliya · 22-25, F
@NativePortlander1970 Very true. My father was born in 1953 and began smoking at 11, after his father died. His mother and sister didn't like it, but he still did it.
Both of my parents smoked. My mother began in the '80s, when she was a teen.
Sergey's smoking caused him to have problems from an early age, which is why he did not become a soldier after military school.
Both of my parents smoked. My mother began in the '80s, when she was a teen.
Sergey's smoking caused him to have problems from an early age, which is why he did not become a soldier after military school.
This comment is hidden.
Show Comment