Armed with outdated biplanes made of fabric and wood, teenage Soviet girls flew 30,000 bombing raids in complete darkness, becoming so feared that German soldiers wouldn't even light cigarettes at night.

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IN THIS EPISODE: During World War II, a squadron of crop duster-style planes flown by Soviet female pilots were used as bombers to terrorize Nazi troops. They were so terrifying to the enemy they earned the nickname “Night Witches.” (The Night Witches) *** The jackalope is a mythical animal – so why do so many people claim to have seen it, even in modern times? (Horned Hares) *** There are places all over the world even today where, during a wedding ceremony, you might hear the reverend say the words, “Do you take this corpse to be your lawfully wedded husband?” (Beyond the Grave Nuptials) *** An old grudge between a detective and a reporter led to one of the strangest—and most damning—fake news stories of all-time. A story that nearly ruined Lizzie Borden. (The Lizzy Borden Newspaper Hoax) *** In 1948, sightings of mysterious green lights in the skies of Los Alamos, New Mexico and the Sandia atomic-weapons laboratories and other sensitive military installations had the U.S. Government extremely worried. That means they the green balls of fire weren’t from America – so what were they? (UFO’s and Green Fireballs)
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:01:10.087 = Show Open
00:03:11.728 = The Night Witches
00:13:58.669 = The Lizzie Borden Newspaper Hoax
00:26:26.839 = UFOs And Green Fireballs
00:36:08.840 = Horned Hares
00:42:14.836 = Beyond The Grave Nuptials
00:50:57.068 = Show Close
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Lizzy Borden Newspaper Hoax” by Dean Jobb for Crime Reads: https://tinyurl.com/yd9fvzes
“Horned Hares” by Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages: https://tinyurl.com/ycarwu4d
“The Night Witches” from Bugged Space: https://tinyurl.com/ybthkflf
“Beyond the Grave Nuptials” by Lisa A. Flowers for Ranker: https://tinyurl.com/y7bevukf
“UFO’s and Green Fireballs” by Darryn King for History: https://tinyurl.com/y9eht7bk
=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: June 10, 2020
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/NightWitches
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