Angina

The price of victory. Women in the Red Army

In war, two main aspects of reality exist and are closely intertwined: the danger of battle and the everyday life. As Konstantin Simonov noted: “War is not a continuous danger, the expectation of death and thoughts about it. If this were so, then not a single person would withstand its weight... even for a month. War is a combination of mortal danger, the constant possibility of being killed, chance and all the features and details of everyday life that are always present in our lives... A man at the front is busy with an endless number of things that he constantly needs to think about and because of which he often He doesn’t have time to think about his safety at all. That is why the feeling of fear is dulled at the front, and not at all because people suddenly become fearless.”

Soldier's service included, first of all, hard, exhausting work on the verge of human strength. Therefore, along with the danger of battle, the most important factor in the war that influenced the consciousness of its participants was special conditions front-line life, or way of life everyday life in a combat situation. Everyday life in war has never been a priority topic for historical research, aspects of front-line life of men and women were not emphasized.

During the Great Patriotic War, the participation of women in combat operations and meeting the needs of the front became widespread and social phenomenon, which required special study. In the 1950s - 1980s. sought to show the military feats of Soviet women, the scale of mobilization and military training of women, the procedure for serving in all branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the military. scientific works M.P. Chechneva, B.C. Murmantseva, F. Kochieva, A.B. Zhinkin in the 1970s - 1980s, some features of women's military service, first of all, in the matter of their everyday life, establishing correct relationships with male colleagues. Recognizing that when women joined the army they were faced with problems of a moral, psychological and everyday nature, the researchers still assessed the situation of the female contingent in it as satisfactory, since, in their opinion, political bodies and party organizations were able to rebuild their educational work.

Among modern historical research, we note the project “Women. Memory. War”, which is implemented by employees of the Center for Gender Studies of the European Humanities University. The idea of the project is to analyze women's individual and collective memories of the war in their relation to official history, ideological restrictions and the politics of constructing memory (of the war) in the USSR and Belarus (during and after the Soviet period). Thus, the study of everyday aspects of everyday life at the front is also relevant for the regions of Russia, including the Bryansk region.

This study is based on interviews with women participants in the Great Patriotic War, as well as memoirs published in regional periodicals, collected from both women and men who mentioned any details of life at the front.

First of all, we remembered the uniform. Many women said that they were given men’s uniforms: “At that time (1942) there were no women’s uniforms in the division and we were given men’s uniforms,” recalls Olga Efimovna Sakharova. - The gymnasts are wide, two people can fit into the trousers... The underwear is also for men. The boots have the smallest size - 40... The girls put them on and gasped: who do they look like?! We started laughing at each other...”

“The soldiers were given overcoats, but I got a simple sweatshirt. It was terribly cold in there, but we had no other options. At night we covered ourselves with it, either over our heads or over our legs. Everyone had tarpaulin boots on their feet, heavy and uncomfortable. In winter, we wore several pairs of socks, our feet sweated a lot and were constantly wet. Clothes were not changed, only washed occasionally.”

Frontline nurse Maria Ionovna Ilyushenkova notes: “Skirts were worn by medical battalions in emergency room. At the front, skirts get in the way; you can’t do anything with them.” She had been at the front since October 1941. and remembers how hard times presence on the Northwestern Front in the winter and spring of 1942. in forests and swamps as part of a cavalry ambulance company: “Nurses barely had time to provide medical care to the wounded, hiding them in the forest, ditches and craters from shells and bombs. If you can put the wounded on a raincoat or overcoat and drag him, then good, but if not, then crawl on your bellies under the continuous whistling of bullets and shell explosions and pull them out." He describes his clothes in detail: Budenovka, an overcoat that does not fit his size , buttons on right side. There was no women's room. Everything is men's: shirts, tapered trousers, long johns. Boots were for rank and file; smaller boots were selected for women. In winter there were pea coats, sheepskin coats, a hat with earflaps and a balaclava, felt boots, and wadded trousers.”

Women associated improvements in clothing and some variety with successes in the war: “Then there were stockings. At first we sewed them with men's windings. There was a shoemaker in the cavalry ambulance company who sewed clothes. I sewed beautiful overcoats for eight girls from even the wrong material....” .

Memories vary about how they were fed at the front, but all the women connect this with the situation at the front: “Olga Vasilievna Belotserkovets recalls the difficult autumn of 1942, the offensive on the Kalinin front: Our rear fell behind. We found ourselves in swamps, surviving on nothing but breadcrumbs. They were dropped on us from airplanes: four crackers of black bread for the wounded, two for the soldiers.”

How they were fed in a field hospital in 1943. Faina Yakovlevna Etina recalls: “We ate mostly porridge. The most common was pearl barley porridge. There were also “field lunches”: plain water with fish. Liver sausage was considered a delicacy. We spread it on bread and ate it with particular greed; it seemed incredibly tasty.”

Maria Ionovna Ilyushenkova considers the front-line ration to be good and explains this by the fact that the North-Western Front was very difficult and they tried to supply the troops better: “The North-Western Front is the heaviest. We were fed well, only everything was dried: compote, carrots, onions, potatoes. Concentrates - buckwheat, millet, pearl barley in square bags. There was meat. China then supplied stewed meat and the Americans sent it too. There was sausage in cans, covered in lard. The officers were given additional rations. We didn't starve. People died, there was no one to eat...”

Note that food sometimes plays a role in people's memories small miracle associated with salvation, liberation, a bright page in life. We found a mention of this in a man’s story about the war: “In the hospital I fell ill with malaria. Suddenly I really wanted herring with potatoes! It seemed: eat it and the disease will go away. And what do you think - I ate it and got better. During the rounds, the doctor tells me: well done fighter, you are getting better, which means our treatment is helping. And take the soldier who was lying with us in the ward and say: it wasn’t your quinine that helped him, but herring and potatoes.”

Women veterans remember “front-line hundred grams” with a smile: “Yes, indeed, there were front-line hundred grams for men, but what’s worse for us women? We drank too."

“They gave one hundred grams to everyone. I only drank in severe frosts. More often I gave it away for exchange. I exchanged it for soap and oil.”

Another important recurring everyday memory of the war among men and women was thirst. good sleep, fatigue from debilitating insomnia: “Sometimes we dozed off while walking. There is a column of four people in a line. You lean on the arm of a friend, and you yourself sleep. As soon as you hear the command “Halt!” all the soldiers dead asleep are sleeping." Her daughter Lyudmila tells about nurse Evdokia Pakhotnik: “Mom said that they worked in the hospital around the clock,” writes her daughter. “As soon as you close your eyes, you need to get up - a train with wounded soldiers has arrived. And so every day." It is more common for women to describe war not as a feat, but as hard everyday work. Military doctor Nadezhda Nikiforova recalls her participation in the Battle of Stalingrad: “We were sent on ships that carried the wounded from Stalingrad along the Volga and sent them to hospitals. How many times did steamships fire at fascist planes, but we were lucky... On the ship, there were up to five hundred wounded for every two doctors. They lay everywhere: under the stairs, in the hold, and on decks in the open air. And here’s the round: you start in the morning, and by the evening you only have time to get around everyone. We’ll rest for two or three days and then go down the Volga again to get the wounded.”

Ilyushenkova M.I. speaks about her front-line awards when she recalls how she returned to her native village: “After the war, my father and I returned home together. They approached their native village of Petrishchevo in the Smolensk region early in the morning. I took it near the outskirts military uniform, put on a silk dress. His father pinned him with the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, the Red Star, and the medals “For Courage,” “For Military Merit,” and “For the Capture of Koenigsberg.”

The most difficult aspect of a woman’s life during war was discussing hygiene, including intimate hygiene. Of course, at the hospital doctors could take hot water, alcohol, bandages, cotton wool, as military doctor Nikiforova and laboratory assistant Etina recall: “This case was very difficult. I had to get together with the girls and go wash together. Some wash, others stand and watch that men are not around. In the summer we went to the lake when it was warm, but in the winter it was more difficult: we melted the snow and washed ourselves. It happened that they rubbed each other with alcohol to kill bacteria.”

Many women cut their hair at the front, but nurse Ilyushenkova proudly shows a photo with a braid around her head: “I went through the whole war with such a braid. My girlfriend and I washed each other’s hair in the tent. They melted the snow and exchanged “one hundred grams” for soap.” Long hair Olga Efimovna Sakharova almost killed a young girl: “The platoon came under fire. She lay down on the ground..., pressed into the snow. ...When the shelling ended, I heard the order: “Get to the cars!” I try to get up - it didn’t happen. The braids are long, tight... They are caught in the frost so hard that I can’t turn my head... And I can’t scream... well, I keep thinking that my platoon will leave, and the Germans will find me. Luckily for me, one of the girls noticed that I was gone. Let’s go look and help free the braids.” Not everyone agrees that there were lice. But F.Ya. Etina states: “Literally everyone had lice! Nobody was ashamed of this. It happened that we were sitting, and they were jumping on clothes and on the bed, openly crushing them like seeds. There was no time to take them out, and there was no point in taking them out at once and for everyone.” Belotserkovets O.V. recalls the everyday hygienic difficulties due to the fact that in films now the everyday life of women at the front is often embellished: “You sleep for three or four hours, sometimes right at the table, and then go back to work. What kind of lipstick is there, earrings, like they sometimes show in the movies. There was nowhere to wash, and there was nothing to comb with.”

The following is recalled about moments of relaxation during the war: “... Front-line brigades of artists arrived... Everyone gathered in the hospital and sang songs. I really liked the song “Dark Night”. ...There was a gramophone, they played rumba, they danced.” It’s more difficult to ask about relationships with men. All respondents denied the facts of harassment or any threats to themselves personally, mainly referring to old age soldiers they served alongside - 45-47 years old. Doctor N.N. Nikiforova recalls that she had to travel alone, accompanied by a soldier-driver and an officer, several tens of kilometers to the wounded man at night, and only now she thinks about why she did not doubt and was not afraid? Nadezhda Nikolaevna claims that the officers treated the young doctors with respect and ceremony and invited them to holidays, about which a note was preserved.

So, the everyday experience of war, endured and preserved by women, is a significant layer of historical memory of the war in its everyday everyday manifestation. A woman's view is a mass of everyday details of life at the front without a touch of glorification. It is very difficult for women to remember mutual hatred with the population of liberated countries; they do not want to talk about whether they experienced violence or whether they had to kill enemies. Oral histories of participants in the Great Patriotic War require careful preservation and attention of researchers.

In June 1941, without warning of war, fascist troops entered the territory of our Motherland. The bloody war claimed millions of lives. Countless number of orphans, destitute people. Death and destruction are everywhere. On May 9, 1945 we won. The war was won at the cost of the lives of great people. Women and men fought side by side, without thinking about their own true purpose. The goal was the same for everyone - victory at any cost. Do not allow the enemy to enslave the country, the Motherland. This is a great victory.

Women at the front

According to official statistics, about 490 thousand women were drafted into the war. They fought on an equal basis with men, received honorary awards, died for their Motherland, and drove out the Nazis until their last breath. Who are these great women? Mothers, wives, thanks to whom we now live under a peaceful sky, breathe free air. In total, 3 air regiments were formed - 46, 125, 586. Women pilots of the Great Patriotic War struck fear into the hearts of the Germans. Women's company of sailors, volunteer rifle brigade, women snipers, women's rifle regiment. This is only official data, but how many women were there in the rear during the Great Patriotic War. Underground fighters, at the cost of their lives, forged victory behind enemy lines. Women intelligence officers, partisans, nurses. We will talk about the great heroes of the Patriotic War - women who made an overwhelming contribution to the victory over fascism.

"Night Witches", awarded and instilling terror in the German occupiers: Litvyak, Raskova, Budanova

The female pilots received the most awards during the war. Fearless, fragile girls went to ram, fought in the air, and took part in night bombings. For their bravery they received the nickname “night witches”. Experienced German aces They were afraid of a witch raid. They carried out raids on German squadrons using plywood U-2 biplanes. Seven of the slightly more than thirty female pilots were awarded the Order of the highest rank of cavalier posthumously.

The most famous “witches” who made more than one combat mission and were responsible for more than a dozen shot down fascist planes:

Budanova Ekaterina. The rank of Guard was senior lieutenant, she was a commander, and served in fighter regiments. The fragile girl has 266 combat missions. Budanova personally shot down about 6 fascist planes and with her comrades another 5. Katya did not sleep or eat, the plane went out on combat missions around the clock. Budanova took revenge for the death of her family. Experienced aces were amazed at the courage, endurance and self-control of a fragile girl who looked like a guy. The biography of the great pilot includes such feats - one against 12 enemy aircraft. And this is not the last feat of a woman during the Great Patriotic War. One day, returning from a combat mission, Budanova saw three Me-109s. There was no way to warn her squadron; the girl entered into an unequal battle, despite the fact that there was no longer any fuel in the tanks and the ammunition had run out. Having fired the last bullets, Budanova starved out the Nazis. Their nerves simply gave way and they believed that the girl was attacking them. Budanova bluffed at her own peril and risk, the ammunition ran out. The enemy's nerves gave way, the bombs were dropped without reaching a specific target. In 1943, Budanova made her last flight. In an unequal battle, she was wounded, but managed to land the plane on her territory. The chassis touched the ground, Katya breathed her last. This was her 11th victory, the girl was only 26 years old. Hero Titles Russian Federation was awarded only in 1993.

- a pilot of a fighter aviation regiment, who has killed more than one German soul. Litvyak made more than 150 combat missions, and was responsible for 6 enemy aircraft. In one of the planes there was a colonel of an elite squadron. The German ace did not believe that he was shot down by a young girl. The fiercest battles Litvyak experienced were near Stalingrad. 89 sorties and 7 downed aircraft. There were always wildflowers in the Litvyak cabin, and the plane had a design of a white lily on it. For this she received the nickname “White Lily of Stalingrad”. Litvyak died near Donbass. Having made three flights, she never returned from the last one. The remains were discovered in 1969 and reburied in a mass grave. The pretty girl was only 21 years old. In 1990 she received the title of Hero Soviet Union.

She has 645 night combat missions. Destroyed railway crossings, enemy equipment, and manpower. In 1944, she did not return from a combat mission.
- famous pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, founder and commander of the women's aviation regiment. Died in a plane crash.
Ekaterina Zelenko is the first and the only woman, who committed air ram. During reconnaissance flights, Soviet aircraft were attacked by Me-109s. Zelenko shot down one plane and rammed the second. A minor planet of the solar system was named after this girl.

Women pilots were the wings of victory. They carried her on their fragile shoulders. Fighting bravely under the skies, sometimes sacrificing their own lives.

"Silent war" of strong women

Women underground fighters, partisans, and intelligence officers waged their own quiet war. They made their way into the enemy’s camp and carried out sabotage. Many were awarded the Order of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Almost everything is posthumous. Great feats were accomplished by such girls as Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Zina Portnova, Lyubov Shevtsova, Ulyana Gromova, Matryona Volskaya, Vera Voloshina. At a price own lives Without giving up under torture, they forged victory and committed sabotage.

Matryona Volskaya, on the orders of the commander of the partisan movement, led 3,000 children across the front line. Hungry, exhausted, but alive thanks to teacher Matryona Volskaya.

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya is the very first female Hero of the Great Patriotic War. The girl was a saboteur, an underground partisan. She was captured on a combat mission; sabotage was being prepared. The girl was tortured for a long time, trying to find out any information. But she bravely endured all the torment. The scout was hanged in front of local residents. Last words Zoe addressed the people: “Fight, don’t be afraid, beat the damned fascists, for the Motherland, for life, for the children.”

Vera Voloshina served in the same intelligence unit as Kosmodemyanskaya. On one of the missions, Vera’s squad came under fire, and the wounded girl was captured. She was tortured all night, but Voloshina remained silent, and in the morning she was hanged. She was only 22 years old, she dreamed of a wedding and children, but white dress I never had a chance to wear it.

Zina Portnova was the youngest underground fighter during the war. At the age of 15, the girl joined the partisan movement. In the territory occupied by the Germans in Vitebsk, underground fighters carried out sabotage against the Nazis. Flax was set on fire, ammunition was destroyed. Young Portnova killed 100 Germans by poisoning them in the dining room. The girl managed to avert suspicion by tasting poisoned food. The grandmother managed to pump out her brave granddaughter. Soon she joins a partisan detachment and from there begins to conduct her underground sabotage activities. But there is a traitor in the ranks of the partisans, and the girl, like other participants in the underground movement, is arrested. After prolonged and painful torture, Zina Portnova was shot. The girl was 17 years old, she was led to execution blind and completely gray-haired.

The quiet war of strong women during the Great Patriotic War almost always ended with one outcome - death. Until their last breath they fought the enemy, destroying him little by little, actively operating underground.

Faithful companions on the battlefield - nurses

Women doctors have always been on the front lines. They carried out the wounded under shelling and bombing. Many received the title of Hero posthumously.

For example, medical instructor of the 355th battalion, sailor Maria Tsukanova. A female volunteer saved the lives of 52 sailors. Tsukanova died in 1945.

Another heroine of the Patriotic War is Zinaida Shipanova. By forging documents and secretly escaping to the front, she saved the lives of more than one hundred wounded. She pulled soldiers out from under fire and bandaged wounds. She calmed down the discouraged warriors psychologically. Main feat women in occurred in 1944 in Romania. Early in the morning, she was the first to notice the creeping fascists and informed the commander through Zina. The battalion commander ordered the soldiers to go into battle, but the tired soldiers were confused and were in no hurry to engage in battle. Then the young girl rushed to the aid of her commander, without making out the way, she rushed into the attack. Her whole life flashed before her eyes, and then the soldiers, inspired by her courage, rushed towards the fascists. Nurse Shipanova has inspired and rallied soldiers more than once. Didn't make it to Berlin, ended up in the hospital with shrapnel wound and concussion.

Women doctors, like guardian angels, protected, treated, encouraged, as if covering the fighters with their wings of mercy.

Women infantrymen are the workhorses of war

Infantrymen have always been considered the workhorses of war. They are the ones who begin and end every battle, and bear all its burdens on their shoulders. There were women here too. They walked side by side with men and mastered hand weapons. One can envy the courage of such infantrymen. Among the women infantry there are 6 Heroes of the Soviet Union, five received the title posthumously.

The main character was the machine gunner Liberating Nevel, she single-handedly defended the heights with one machine gun against a company of German soldiers, shooting everyone, she died from her wounds, but did not let the Germans through.

Lady Death. Great snipers of the Patriotic War

Snipers made a significant contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany. During the Great Patriotic War, women endured all the hardships. Staying in hiding for days, they tracked down the enemy. Without water, food, in the heat and cold. Many were awarded significant awards, but not all during their lifetime.

Lyubov Makarova, after graduating from sniper school in 1943, ends up on the Kalinin Front. The green girl has 84 fascists to her name. She was awarded the medal "For Military Merit" and the "Order of Glory".

Tatyana Baramzina destroyed 36 fascists. Before the war she worked in kindergarten. During World War II, as part of reconnaissance, she was thrown behind enemy lines. She managed to kill 36 soldiers, but was captured. Baramzina was cruelly mocked before her death, she was subjected to torture, so that afterwards she could only be identified by her uniform.

Anastasia Stepanova managed to eliminate 40 fascists. Initially she served as a nurse, but after graduating from sniper school she actively took part in the battles near Leningrad. She was awarded the award "For the Defense of Leningrad".

Elizaveta Mironova destroyed 100 fascists. She served in the 255th Red Banner Marine Brigade. Died in 1943. Lisa destroyed many soldiers of the enemy army and bravely endured all difficulties.

Lady Death, or the great Lyudmila Pavlichenko, destroyed 309 fascists. This legendary soviet woman in the Great Patriotic War it terrified the German invaders. She was among the volunteers at the front. Having successfully completed his first combat mission, Pavlichenko ends up in the 25th Infantry Division named after Chapaev. The Nazis were afraid of Pavlichenko like fire. The fame of the female sniper of the Great Patriotic War quickly spread in enemy circles. There were bounties placed on her head. Despite weather conditions, hunger and thirst, “Lady Death” calmly waited for her victim. Participated in battles near Odessa and Moldova. She destroyed the Germans in groups, the command sent Lyudmila on the most dangerous missions. Pavlichenko was wounded four times. “Lady Death” was invited with a delegation to the USA. At the conference, she loudly declared to the journalists sitting in the hall: “I have 309 fascists on my account, how long will I continue to do your work.” “Lady Death” went down in Russian history as the most effective sniper, saving hundreds of lives of Soviet soldiers with her well-aimed shots. An amazing female sniper of the Great Patriotic War was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Tank built with the money of the heroine's woman

Women flew, shot, and fought equally with men. Without hesitation, hundreds of thousands of women took arms voluntarily. There were also tankers among them. So, with the money raised from Maria Oktyabrskaya, the “Battle Friend” tank was built. Maria was kept in the rear for a long time and was not allowed to go to the front. But she still managed to convince the command that she more benefits will be on the battlefields. She proved it. Oktyabrskaya was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. She died while repairing her tank under fire.

Signalmen - “postal doves” of wartime

Assiduous, attentive, with good hearing. Girls were willingly taken to the front as signalmen and radio operators. They were trained in special schools. But here, too, there were our own Heroes of the Soviet Union. Both girls received the title posthumously. The feat of one of them makes you shudder. Elena Stempkovskaya, during the battle of her battalion, called artillery fire on herself. The girl died, and victory was won at the cost of her life.

Signalmen were wartime “messenger doves”; they could find any person upon request. And at the same time, they are brave heroes, capable of heroic deeds for the sake of common victory.

The role of women in the Great Patriotic War

In wartime, women became an integral figure in the economy. Almost 2/3 workers, 3/4 workers agriculture there were women. From the first hours of the war until the last day there was no longer a division between men and women's professions. Selfless workers plowed the land, sowed grain, loaded bales, worked as welders and lumberjacks. Industry was boosted. All efforts were aimed at fulfilling orders for the front.

Hundreds of them came to factories, working 16 hours at a machine, and still managed to raise children. They sowed in the fields and grew grain to send to the front. Thanks to the work of these women, the army was provided with food, raw materials, and parts for aircraft and tanks. Unbending, steely heroines of the labor front are worthy of admiration. It is impossible to single out just one feat of a woman on the home front during the Great Patriotic War. This is a common service to the Motherland of all women who were not afraid of hard work.

We cannot forget their feat before the Motherland

Vera Andrianova - reconnaissance radio operator, was awarded the medal "For Courage" posthumously. The young girl took part in the liberation of Kaluga in 1941; after completing courses for reconnaissance radio operators, she was sent to the front to be deployed behind enemy lines.

During one of the raids behind German lines, the U-2 pilot did not find a place to land, and this female hero of the Great Patriotic War made a jump without a parachute, jumping into the snow. Despite the frostbite, she completed the task of the headquarters. Andrianova made many more forays into the camp of enemy troops. Thanks to the girl’s penetration into the location of Army Group Center, it was possible to destroy an ammunition depot and blockade a fascist communications center. Trouble happened in the summer of 1942, Vera was arrested. During interrogations, they tried to lure her to the side of the enemy. Adrianova was not forgiving, and during the execution she refused to turn her back on the enemy, calling them insignificant cowards. The soldiers shot Vera, discharging their pistols right in her face.

Alexandra Rashchupkina - for the sake of serving in the army, she pretended to be a man. Having once again been refused by the military registration and enlistment office, Rashchupkina changed her name and went to fight for her homeland as a mechanic-driver of a T-34 tank under the name Alexander. Only after she was wounded was her secret revealed.

Rimma Shershneva - served in the ranks of the partisans, actively participated in sabotage against the Nazis. She covered the embrasure of the enemy bunker with her body.

Low bow and eternal memory to the Great Heroes of the Patriotic War. We won't forget

How many of them were brave, selfless, shielding themselves from bullets heading towards the embrasure - a great many. The warrior woman became the personification of the Motherland, the mother. They went through all the hardships of the war, bearing on their fragile shoulders the grief of the loss of loved ones, hunger, deprivation, and military service.

We must remember those who defended their homeland from the fascist invaders, who gave their lives for the sake of victory, remember the exploits, women and men, children and old people. As long as we remember and pass on the memory of that war to our children, they will live. These people gave us the world, we must preserve their memory. And on May 9th, stand in line with the dead and march in the parade of eternal memory. A low bow to you, veterans, thank you for the sky above your heads, for the sun, for life in a world without war.

Women warriors are role models of how to love your country, your Motherland.

Thank you, your death is not in vain. We will remember your feat, you will live forever in our hearts!

Before the Great Patriotic War, women did not serve in units of the Red Army. But they often “served” at border outposts together with their border guard husbands.

The fate of these women with the advent of the war was tragic: most of them died, only a few managed to survive in those terrible days...

By August 1941, it became obvious that there was no way to do without women.

Morning May 2 1945 turned out to be a gentle year. Corporal Shalneva regulated the movement of our military equipment one and a half kilometers from the Reichstag. Suddenly, one Emka pulled off to the side of the road, and the poet Evgeny Dolmatovsky and front-line correspondent Evgeny Khaldei got out of the car. The experienced eye of the TASS photojournalist immediately “snatched the type.” Khaldei did not get out of the car calmly as he did. Dolmatovsky, he jumped out of it as if he had been scalded with boiling water, almost knocking his comrade off his feet. Whirling around the girl like a bumblebee, he rattled off with a smile from ear to ear:

- Tell me, beauty, where are you from?!

“I’m a Siberian, from a village whose name won’t tell you anything,” the traffic controller smiled in response.

The shutter of the watering can clicked, and Maria Shalneva made history... Maria Timofeevna Shalneva, corporal of the 87th separate road maintenance battalion, regulates the movement of military equipment near the Reichstag in Berlin.

Oath. IN During the war, women served in the Red Army not only in auxiliary positions, such as signalmen and nurses. There were even rifle units: the 1st separate women's reserve rifle regiment, the 1st separate women's volunteer rifle brigade (OZhDSBr) of 7 battalions with a total number of 7 thousand people. These were mostly 19-20 year old girls

Girls of the 487th Fighter Wing. In the photo, Sergeant O. Dobrova is sitting on the left. Inscriptions on the back of the photo:
“Masha, Valya, Nadya, Olya, Tanya are the girls of our unit 23234-a”
"July 29, 1943"

Local residents erect barricades on one of the streets of Odessa. 1941

Northern Fleet nurses.

Knight of the Order of Glory, 3rd degree, sniper Maria Kuvshinova, who destroyed several dozen German soldiers and officers.

Female officers of the 46th Guards Taman Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 325th Night Bomber Aviation Division of the 4th air army 2nd Belorussian Front: Evdokia Bershanskaya (left), Maria Smirnova (standing) and Polina Gelman.

Evdokia Davydovna Bershanskaya (1913-1982) - commander of the women's 588th night light bomber aviation regiment (NLBAP, since 1943 - 46th Guards Taman night bomber regiment). She is the only woman awarded the military orders of Suvorov (III degree) and Alexander Nevsky.

Maria Vasilievna Smirnova (1920-2002) - squadron commander of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. By August 1944, she had flown 805 night combat missions. On October 26, 1944 she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Polina Vladimirovna Gelman (1919-2005) - chief of communications of the aviation squadron of the 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. By May 1945, as a navigator of the Po-2 aircraft, she had flown 860 combat missions. On May 15, 1946 she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Valentina Milyunas, medical instructor of the 125th Infantry Regiment of the 43rd Latvian Guards Division.

From the book by Andrey Eremenko “Years of Retribution. 1943-1945":
“Subsequently, the 43rd Guards Latvian Division, advancing slightly north of Daugavpils, occupied the Vishki railway station; The battle here was very stubborn, since, having entrenched themselves in strong station buildings, the Nazis fired destructive fire at the attackers. The arrows are stuck. It was at that moment that Valya Milyunas stood up and shouted: “Forward, for our native Latvia!” - rushed towards the enemy. Dozens of other warriors followed her, but an enemy bullet struck the heroine. Everyone thought she was killed. With the thought of revenge for the death of a young patriot
New units quickly moved in. Suddenly Valya stood up and, waving a red flag, again began to call the soldiers forward to the enemy. The Nazis were driven out of the station. The wounded heroine was picked up by her friends, the nurses. The red flag turned out to be a scarf soaked in her blood. Valya was accepted into the party and awarded a high award.”

Hero of the Soviet Union, sniper of the 25th Chapaev Division Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (1916-1974). Destroyed over 300 fascist soldiers and officers.

Women dig anti-tank ditches near Moscow in the fall of 1941.

Sniper of the 54th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division of the Primorsky Army of the North Caucasus Front, junior lieutenant L.M. Pavlichenko. The photo was taken during her trip to England, the USA and Canada with a delegation of Soviet youth in the fall of 1942.

Presumably at the same time, American singer, musician, representative of folk and country music styles Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (Woody Guthrie; 1912-1967) wrote the song “Miss Pavlichenko” about her. However, it was recorded in 1946.

Pavlichenko Lyudmila Mikhailovna was born in 1916, a participant in the Great Patriotic War since June 1941 - a volunteer. Participant in defensive battles in Moldova and southern Ukraine. For good marksmanship training, she was assigned to a sniper platoon. Since August 1941, she took part in the heroic defense of the city of Odessa and destroyed 187 Nazis. Since October 1941, he took part in the heroic defense of the city of Sevastopol. In June 1942, Lyudmila Pavlichenko was wounded and recalled from the front line. By this time, Lyudmila Pavlichenko had killed 309 Nazis with a sniper rifle, including 36 enemy snipers. She was not only an excellent sniper, but also an excellent teacher. During the period of defensive battles, she trained dozens of good snipers.
In October 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the medal " Gold Star"(No. 1218).

A female medical instructor from the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps.

Soviet girl volunteers go to the front.

Soviet soldiers in Prague are resting in trucks.

Soviet soldiers who took part in the assault on Koenigsberg before being sent home.

A nurse at an American field hospital in France. Normandy, 1944.

It is quite difficult to single out the greatest. Any woman who finds herself in combat conditions and at the same time accurately fulfills her duties deserves to be called great. Female nature, in essence, is opposed to war; a woman is created to give life, and not to take it. Indeed, special, very serious circumstances are needed for a woman to end up in war. But when she surpasses men in courage, when the strength of her spirit is amazing, when she accomplishes something almost impossible - this is true greatness! Here are striking examples of such women during the war:

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There is not a single woman in world history who would command a platoon. Marine Corps. And how she commanded! “Frau Black Death” - that’s what the enemy soldiers called her. During the fighting, Evdokia was wounded four times and shell-shocked twice. By the beginning of the war, she was not even sixteen; she persuaded the commander of the Red Army to take her with him when German planes were already bombing her native village. Having added three years to herself, she became a medical instructor, and when, by mistake, mistaking her for a soldier, they offered to go to the front line, she did not try to convince anyone.

Evdokia was appointed intelligence commander, and by the time she was “exposed” she had already committed several heroic deeds. In October 1943, she was appointed commander of a platoon of machine gunners in the Marine Corps. The soldiers obeyed and respected her, the platoon was sent to the most difficult areas. Her name terrified the enemy. Evdokia Zavaliy is an honorary citizen of eight cities. She has five military orders and many different medals.

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About two hundred enemies were killed by this woman, a Filipino guerrilla who fought against the Japanese on the island of Leyte during World War II. A schoolteacher who became the leader of the guerrilla movement after the Japanese invasion. Together with the men who participated in the partisan movement, she killed the invaders with thin knives.

The Philippines has a very developed culture of edged weapons, since the country was often under oppression, and agricultural knives were also used. 10,000 pesos were offered by her opponent for her head. In the battle, Nieves was wounded, but remained alive and in the memory of all Filipinos she will forever remain a hero.

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From the age of 14, Lydia, like many Soviet teenagers, studied at the flying club. During the war, in 1942 she was enrolled in the women's air regiment. She shot down German bombers and fighters, and she was only 21 years old!

She asked to draw a white lily on the hood of the plane, her call sign was “Lily”, and she was also called the “White Lily of Stalingrad”. She was transferred to a fighter aviation regiment, where they were collected best pilots. Almost two dozen aircraft shot down (individually and in a group). August 1, 1943 White Lily made four combat missions, shot down two planes and did not return from the last mission. Four orders, the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, is included in the Guinness Book of Records - a female pilot with the most victories in battles.

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Heroine of the First World War. Among Serbian female soldiers, she was the most decorated, she was wounded at least nine times, and the French called her the Serbian Joan of Arc.

In 1912, Milunka pretended to be a man, but the truth was revealed only a year later - when she was wounded. Milunka was allowed to continue serving on the front lines as she fought as well as the men. In 1914, during the First World War, she volunteered. The girl fought bravely during the Battle of Kolubara and was awarded the order. In 1915 she was seriously wounded in the head, but after several months she returned to the front. During the Battle of Kaymakchalan, Milunka captured 23 Bulgarian soldiers at once. Nine significant awards of Milunka are known. In her homeland, in many cities streets are named after her.

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America 1776, Ford Washington in New York. There is a war of independence going on. Margaret followed her husband, like some other women in the war, to cook and do their laundry. Her husband John, during one of the attacks, replaces the killed commander at the cannon. John also dies in the battle. Then Margaret takes his place. Moreover, she had to load the gun and shoot herself. She was seriously wounded by buckshot, but she continued to shoot. The British won that battle, took the heroic woman prisoner, but later released her. She was awarded a soldier's pension for her bravery.

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During the occupation of Buenos Aires by British troops in 1806, Manuela fought fiercely in the streets of the city. Women fought for the freedom of their homeland just as fiercely as men. The battle reached its climax in the square, at which time Manuela's husband was killed. Then she took a bayonet and killed the Englishman who shot him. She was very brave in battle.

Now in Buenos Aires there is a street and a school that bear the name of Manuela Pedraza. And in Tucuman, where she was born, there is a rural community with her name. There is also an annual Manuela Pedraza Award, highlighting the role of women in social struggle. It recalls the defense of national interests for which many Argentines gave their lives.

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The world famous Maid of Orleans. At the height of the Hundred Years' War, this seventeen-year-old girl told the Dauphin Charles that God had sent her to save France. She received special permission to wear men's clothing, a sword was found for her that belonged to Charlemagne (as the legend said). A huge upsurge in the army was caused by the fact that they would now be controlled by the messenger of God.

Her first victory was the capture of Orleans, which for a long time Famous military leaders could not do it, but Jeanne did it in four days. The extraordinary girl won many important victories, but as a result of betrayal, she was handed over to the British and burned at the stake. At the same time, many present cried with pity, and Zhanna shouted to the bishop that she was summoning him to God's judgment. The execution of the girl did not help the British, after the victories, the coronation of Cal, the unification with Burgundy Hundred Years' War ended. The verdict was announced, the girl's good name was restored. And later she was canonized.

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The character is mythical, historians have not confirmed her existence, but if the legend about this warrior woman is passed down from generation to generation, you must admit that this does not happen out of nowhere. According to research, Gwendolen was the third ruler of Britain, her father was the legendary warrior Corin. After his death, Gwendolen's husband proclaimed another girl, whom he secretly loved, as queen.

The enraged queen recruited an army and in the battle of the Stour River, King Lorin was killed. She also ordered the king's beloved and her daughter to be thrown into the river. Gwendolen ruled Britain for fifteen years and left the throne to her son. This is how great women take revenge for injustice and betrayal.

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Matilda, Countess of Tuscany

Not many medieval women took part in military operations, and Matilda not only took part in them, but also led her regiments forward. The marriages of her family, which strengthened the possession of Tuscany, did not suit the Holy Roman Emperor; they upset a certain balance of power. And Matilda unconditionally takes the side of the popes, opponents of the emperor.

Emperor Henry had to endure the humiliation of lost battles more than once and he had to leave Northern Italy. Matilda was called by her contemporaries "The Great Countess"

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Constance Markevich

She became one of the first women to hold government positions. Constance was the Minister of Labor in Ireland. She was also a Member of the British Parliament and a Member of the Parliament of the Irish Republic. Constance married an artist from a very rich Polish family and became Countess Markievicz. I communicated with many future political figures, read revolutionary magazines, where there was talk about the liberation of Ireland from the yoke of Great Britain.

Constance was first imprisoned after a demonstration in 1911. She throws stones at portraits of the royal family, burns the British flag, supplies weapons to Irish volunteers, and takes part in the famous Easter Rising. This heroic woman participates during Civil War in the Battle of Dublin. Her heart was clothed with courage like armor.

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Conclusion

It was an article about the most famous female warriors in the world. Although the military exploits of many other women are now forgotten, this does not mean that their role in our lives is insignificant. Thank you for your attention.

After the fall of the monarchy in February 1917, the collapse of discipline and order now in the republican Russian army reached its critical point. They didn’t even shoot deserters on the spot tangible results. Something had to be done.

Already known at that time, the female officer Maria Bochkareva decided to create a female combat unit that would become a moral example for male warriors. Maria declared this: “I know that a woman, as a warrior, cannot give anything valuable to the Motherland. We - women - just need to set an example for deserting soldiers on how to save Russia. Let us all die - if only they understand their duty to the Motherland! All we need is to attract attention!”

Supreme Commander-in-Chief Alexei Brusilov was skeptical about this innovation, rightly noting that there were no such units in any army in the world. However, Alexander Kerensky was even interested in little help in maintaining order in the troops, therefore the order to create such a detachment was signed on June 19, 1917.

Of the two thousand female volunteers, only 300 were selected. The detachment had strict discipline: they got up at five in the morning, studied until ten in the evening, and ate simple soldier food. Women had their heads shaved.

Black shoulder straps with a red stripe and an emblem in the form of a skull and two crossed bones symbolized “an unwillingness to live if Russia perishes.”

The rigidity with which Maria brought her idea to life was vital: women went to fight on the front line, and not just work as nurses.

The founder of the suicide battalion herself said it best:

“In the battalion I propose, I will have complete sole authority and seek obedience. Otherwise, there is no need to create a battalion.”

Soon, several more battalions were created, but due to political disagreements with Kerensky, in the end approximately 300 women remained under the direct command of Bochkareva, and this unit was called the 1st Petrograd Women's Shock Death Battalion.

On July 9, 1917, a baptism of fire took place. In the infantry chain, men and women were lined up one after another. Under artillery shelling and machine gun fire, 30 women were killed and 70 were injured, but the German fortifications were captured and the battalion showed true heroism.

Despite the successful military debut, the use of female units in combat was considered inappropriate. Maria Bochkareva was promoted to rank, but then her fate was tragic. According to one version, she was shot for collaborating with the White Guards in 1919; according to another, she went missing in 1920.