Stories of heroes with almost superhuman abilities are not new aerial combat. During World War II, German soldiers on the Russian Front talked about supernatural women pilots who terrorized them on the front lines.
At the time, women were banned from combat. However, when Adolf Hitler launched the offensive against Russia, Major Marina Raskova—the first woman in the Soviet Union to earn national attention as a pilot, navigator, and aviation record-setter—approached Joseph Stalin with the suggestion of training women for aerial combat. The 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th “Taman” Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Force was created in October of 1941. These aerial units were made up of women in the late teens and early 20s. All were volunteers. Their mission: harassment and tactical bombing.
