Though women were initially barred from combat, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin issued an order on October 8, 1941 to deploy three women's air force units, including the 588th regiment.
Meskipun awalnya wanita dilarang ikut bertempur, saat perang bergejolak Josef Stalin mengeluarkan perintah pada tanggal 8 Oktober 1941 untuk mengerahkan tiga unit angkatan udara wanita, termasuk Resimen ke-588.