Today in World War II History—October 8, 1941

Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, 1943, leader of the Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment the only woman awarded the Order of Suvorov; under her command twenty-three aviators in the regiment became Heroes of the Soviet Union (public domain via Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation)
80 Years Ago—Oct. 8, 1941: Germans take Orel, key city south of Moscow.
USSR establishes three regiments of female fighter pilots, including the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, later called the “Night Witches” by the Germans.
Chinese drive Japanese out of the Changsha area.