Document created: 4 September 03
Air & Space Power Journal - Fall 2003

A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II by Anne Noggle. Texas A&M University Press (http://www.tamu.edu/upress), John H. Lindsey Building, Lewis Street, 4354 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, 2002, 336 pages, $24.95 (softcover).

This oral history, complemented by a series of photographic portraits the author made of her interviewees, was extremely well received when it first appeared in 1994. The fact that Texas A&M University Press has reissued the book in paperback suggests how valuable it remains. Anne Noggle, a former member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots and adjunct professor of art, journeyed in the early 1990s to Russia to interview over 70 women who served in the Soviet air force. The accounts she gathered and edited constitute excellent primary sources and, with more recent scholarship (such as that of Reina Pennington), not only shed light on gender relations in Soviet society, but also dispel many myths propagated in earlier publications about female pilots in World War II.

Although each woman’s account is unique, all of them raise similar themes, from duty to challenge, loneliness, courage, and pride. Most stress the role of Marina Raskova, the woman who formed the first female regiment and inspired them to join the service. Raskova played an essential role in convincing Soviet military authorities to allow women into combat. Nevertheless, the accounts do not make clear whether the fading resistance of men resulted from war conditions or an acceptance of Soviet ideologies of equality. In any case, the women who joined faced conditions worse than male trainees did in any of the combat forces of World War II. Living conditions in the women’s units- often formed in under three months instead of the standard two years- were extremely difficult (flight clothing was often male-sized, and hygiene and building heat were nonexistent). The women also had to contend with substandard flying equipment and were sent out several times a night without escort on missions (in the case of one regiment, without parachutes until 1944). The somewhat repetitive comments of the interviewees make clear that they did not resent these conditions but in fact discovered a new identity as patriotic defenders against the Nazi threat (they also hated the German-given nickname of “night witches”). As ordinary women thrown into the fire, they developed a strong sorority amongst themselves, and those who survived learned to devise and share tactics as they gained experience, some graduating from navigator to pilot. Several of them note that they were never so respected and admired as they were during the conflict.

These testimonies, however, do not provide an analysis of their narrators’ experience. Although supported by an excellent introduction by Christine White, who clearly frames the role of the women’s squadrons (organized into three regiments) in the Soviet war effort, the collection leaves the reader wishing for more information to better understand this unique female experience in combat. The book occasionally mentions fraternization with male soldiers, but whether women sought or accepted these friendships as a matter of fact remains unclear. Similarly, 30 of the women interviewed received their nation’s highest award, that of Hero(ine) of the Soviet Union. They were all highly deserving, but Noggle does not specify the criteria for the award. Furthermore, one finds a few mistakes in the transcriptions of some nouns (e.g., Focke Wolf instead of Focke Wulf and Oerlekon instead of Oerlikon). However, these are minor quibbles. A Dance with Death is sure to remain an excellent starting point for historians, an entertaining volume for general readers, and (especially in paperback) a good source for instructors who wish to assign reading on World War II, Soviet Russia, or women in combat.

Guillaume de Syon
Reading, Pennsylvania

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.