A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II

This history examines Soviet women who flew combat missions during World War II. It begins with the gap between the Communist Party’s stated commitment to equal opportunity and women’s actual circumstances. After Germany invaded in 1941, pilot Marina Raskova successfully pressed for a women’s combat air unit. About a thousand young women joined, serving as pilots, navigators, and ground crew in bombing and fighter regiments. Their experiences include training, dangerous missions, losses, sexism, skepticism from others, and relationships formed under the strain of war.