The name alone would strike terror into the hart of even the most battle-hardened German soldier: The Night Witches.

Although these women were not Americans, we decided that since they fought as allies against Nazi soldiers and their story is not commonly known, we would give them an honorable mention in our Forgotten Americans section. Named for the sound of their rudimentary, plywood biplanes as they cruised slowly overhead at low altitude dropping bombs, the Night Witches were the all-volunteer, all-female air raid squad that the Soviets deployed against the Third Reich. The spooky "whoosh" as they circled overhead reminded the German troops of women sweeping. The association with a broom led to them calling these night-time raiders "Nachthexen" – Night Witches.

A term of derision for the Nazis, a badge of honor for the women of the Soviet Union's all-female bomb squad.

The Night Witches were so hated by the powers that be in Berlin that anyone who could down one of their crop dusters was awarded the prestigious Iron Cross award.

But who were these brave women who battled against the Nazi Luftwaffe in the freezing cold of the Eastern Front?

Continue reading Night Witches: The All-Female Soviet Aerial Bomb Squad at Ammo.com.