8th March is not the first day to be recognized as the International Women’s Day, but certainly the most enduring - and for that, we have the turbulence of the early 20th century to thank.
The day was first intended to be a celebration of the working women, and thus didn’t find much spread beyond the countries of the Comintern, and later the Warsaw Pact. After the October Revolution in Russia, womens’ and men’s rights were made completely equal - whether at the factory or in the army, there was nothing a man could do that a woman was banned from doing. This policy was steadily reversed in the following decades (the prime example being female military service, all but phased out by the late 1940s), and the International Women’s Day came to be associated with the celebration of women and femininity in general - and after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the “international” holiday became even less so than before.
Women in the Strategic Mind series
At the same time, nowhere was the women’s role in WWII more notable than on the Eastern Front. The legendary Night Witches, officially the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, were an all-female bomber squadron, one of three such units of the Soviet Air Forces. Flying outdated planes on risky midnight raids, they became well-known for their effectiveness and skill, compensating for their lackluster equipment with ingenious tactics.
In Strategic Minds: Spectre of Communism, we wanted the voiceover of the Soviet tactical bombers to reference this page of history. Also, in the game you can employ two of the most renowned female heroes of the Soviet Union - Marina Raskova, the creator of the aforementioned Night Witches regiment, and Lydia Litvyak, the legendary fighter pilot whose star had risen during the Battle of Stalingrad.
Tactical bomber:
1. Unit selection. “Nobody expects a Soviet bombing raid.”
https://youtu.be/x_hsgj1_s9I
2. Attack. “Death from above!”
https://youtu.be/iJB6KIbv-WM
Marina Raskova:
1. Unit selection. “No mercy for the Motherland’s enemies.”
https://youtu.be/STYwMvusMP4
2. Attack. “Commencing the bombardment.”
https://youtu.be/0NKpFOpeN50
Lydia Litvyak:
1. Attack. “Got you in my sights!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRxErKMzuWU&feature=youtu.be
2. Killing the enemy. “Another kill for the White Lily!”
https://youtu.be/vI96gVUWQKk
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