A Dance with Death

By Anne Noggle

Book Overview

In their own vivid words, the women members of the Soviet air force recount their dramatic efforts against the German forces in World War II. These brave women, the first ever to fly in combat, proved that women could be among the best of warriors, withstanding the rigors of combat and downing the enemy.

The women who tell their stories here began the war mostly as inexperienced girls--many of them teenagers. In support of their homeland, they volunteered to serve as bomber and fighter pilots, navigator-bombardiers, gunners, and support crews. Flying against the Luftwaffe, they saw many of their friends--as well as many of their foes--fall to earth in flames. Their three combat Air Force regiments fought as many as one thousand missions during the war.

For their heroism and success against the enemy, two of the women's regiments were honored by designation as Guard regiments. At least thirty women were decorated with the gold star of Hero of the Soviet Union, their nation's highest award.

But equally courageous were the women's efforts to show the Red Army that they were entirely adequate to the great role they sought. For even though Stalin had decreed equality for both sexes, the women had to grapple initially with deep distrust from male pilots and Red Army officers, against whom they eventually prevailed.

War, Stalin-era politics, and human emotion mix in these gripping, first-person accounts. Supported by photographs of the women at war, the stories are unforgettable. Portraits of the women as they are now, taken by award-winning photographer Anne Noggle, add the perspective of time to the experiences of the survivors of this great dance with death.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585441775
• ISBN13: 9781585441778
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A book with death defying acts of bravery and sacrifice, told by the real people.

That's exactly what this book is. Their story. The Soviet Airwomen in WW2 were very overlooked by the international community. This book is one of the best sources of information on them. When you read it you hold your breath during the tense parts, even though you know they make it out fine. It's amazing how these girls were able to laugh in such a desperate time, and indeed, in many places where it is defined, the girls found that things happened where you just couldn't afford not to laugh. For example, their boots were so big, because they only wore male suits, that when given the command to face another direction, one girl turned the complete opposite direction but her boots stayed in the same place!

very good book

I loved this book about the brave women who fought in world war 2. Not many people had known that women flew in combat so long ago. This book will make the readers see what it was like when everybody had to fight. These women are heroines. I like the photos of the women in their old age with all their medals. They look like anybodies Grandmother! I would be proud to know them. This book makes me feel like I do.

Veterans remember

In this excellent book, surviving Soviet veterans of World War ll are interviewed about their service in the Red Air Force. Not only pilots and navigators, but gunners and ground crew also, relate their experiences of what is commemorated in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Ms. Noggles'recent photos (taken in the early 1990's) contrast poignantly with the black-and-white photos, taken over half a century ago, of the young airwomen in uniform. I highly recommend this book. Read about the courage and sacrifice of these aviators, and the horrific circumstances and conditions which they endured, and remember that these were perfectly ordinary young Soviet women. Some had personally experienced Stalinist oppression, but when their country's existence was threatened, they all voluntarily joined in her defense.

A SUPERLATIVE "EYE-OPENER"!

A superlative book..action packed! I was astonished at their courage and patriotism. (Who would actually go out on nightly bombing attacks in a PO-2? They did!) Their continual struggle against the Nazis was made so much more burdensome under the unjust tyranical yoke of Communism. What fine women and what a great "eye-opener".

Testimonials of female Soviet combat pilot in WWII

This book touched me.This book is well-written, informative, clear. These accounts of bravery are honest, heartfelt, and depict perfectly the little-known women who flew bomber and fighter combat mission against Luftwaffe aces. They overcame criticism and doubts by their superiors. They fought during terrible winters, suffocating summers, with bare necessities and strict military discipline. They lived, chatted, loved, and died, caught in the largest-scale military conflict in history, and survived, as heroes, as reminders to us all that under incredible odds and the most adverse circumstances, the human spirit rises to the occasion and overcomes.I will read this book many times.