The 588th Night Bomber Regiment was an all-female unit of the Soviet Air Force. It flew harassment and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 until the end of the war. The regiment flew over 23,000 sorties, dropping over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells. Thirty-two of its members died in the war, including 28 who died of plane crashes.
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The 588th Night Bomber Regiment was an all-female unit of the Soviet Air Force. It flew harassment and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 until the end of the war. The regiment flew over 23,000 sorties, dropping over 3,000 tons of bombs and 26,000 incendiary shells. Thirty-two of its members died in the war, including 28 who died of plane crashes and combat deaths. It was the most highly decorated female unit in theSoviet Air Force, with many pilots having flown over 800 missions. Twenty-three of its pilots were awarded the Hero of the Union title. In total, 261 people served in the regiment, of whom 32 died of various causes including plane crashes, combat deaths and tuberculosis.
The women of the regiment were also given hand-me-downs of uniforms and over-sized shoes by the men, as well as rudimentary tools that lacked the luxury that the male soldiers received with their tools. In October 1943 it became the 46th \”Taman\” Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, referring to the unit’s involvement in the Novorossiysk-Taman operations on the Taman Peninsula during 1943. In February 1943 the regiment was honored with the Guards designation and reorganized as the 46th Guards Night bomber Aviation Regiment in the 325th Air Army, 2nd Belorussian Front.
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