The Great Patriotic War became a real test for the Russian people. Everyone tried to make a contribution and a little closer victory.
Men fought, the elderly, women and children worked in the rear - this is how modern man represents war.
In fact, women also took an active part in hostilities. Most of them were among doctors, they dragged the wounded from the battlefield, without thinking about the mortal danger.
There were many who fought with the enemy on a par with men. According to official figures, their number exceeds 800 thousand. Tankers, machine gunners, signalmen, snipers, scouts are not female "professions," but the warrior girls moved forward, they did not consider themselves to be the weaker sex.
This article will focus on them, Russian girls who performed feats in the name of victory, not sparing their lives.
10. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya
This is the first girl awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. True, this title Zoe received posthumously.
When the war began, she was 18 years old. Kosmodemyanskaya became a fighter reconnaissance and sabotage units. The recruits were warned that as a result of completing the assignment, they would most likely die.
Zoe had the opportunity to leave the intelligence school, but she remained. After a three-day training, Zoe's group received a task. In 5 days they had to burn 10 settlements in order to deprive the Germans of the opportunity to camp in villages and villages.
Saboteurs were ambushed. After a while, Zoe was also caught. The girl was tortured, beaten, but she was silent. The Cosmodemyans hanged.
Before her death, she made a speech, Zoe urged the Russian people to cast off fear and fight for their homeland.
9. Marina Raskova
This girl decided to connect her fate with heaven, when no one had thought about the war. She studied in the specialty "Air Navigation" and graduated from the school of pilots.
In 1937, Marina accomplished a feat. She set a world record, made the longest flight. A year later, she again repeated her feat.
When the war began, Marina suggested organizing women's aviation regiments. To do this, she had to use her personal contacts.
In 1941, they created an aviation group, which consisted of three regiments: bomber, fighter and night-bomber. The Germans called the girls from the last regiment "night witches." They were led by Raskova.
In 1943, a brave pilot had a plane crash.
8. Maria Tsukanova
Little is known about Maria Tsukanova. This girl is the only one who was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in the war with Japan during World War II.
Tsukanova worked at a mine production plant, was a nurse and telegraph operator. The girl dreamed of fighting against the Germans, but because of her age she was refused.
In 1942, she was enrolled in the Navy. Maria received the specialty of rangefinder and signalman. Only in 1944 Tsukanova was accepted into the battalion of the Marine Corps.
In 1945, she accomplished a feat. With the liberation of the Korean port, Seishin Tsukanova was saved by 52 paratroopers. The girl was wounded twice, but she refused to leave the battlefield.
Her company was forced to retreat, but Mary remained. She and several other fighters covered up the retreat. Under the fire of her machine gun killed more than 90 Japanese. Mary was captured, she was brutally tortured. She was buried in a mass grave in the city of Chojin.
7. Manshuk Mametova
In 1942, Manshuk volunteered for the front, she was assigned to the Kazakh Rifle Brigade. The girl became a clerk, and then a nurse.
Mametova did not stop there. She studied the design of the machine gun. She shot well, learned this at the institute. Manshuk was transferred to the rifle unit.
In 1943, during heavy fighting near Nevel, she destroyed about 70 enemy soldiers. The girl was left alone, during the defense of the dominant height, her comrades died.
Mametova was not taken aback and inflicted severe damage to the enemy. The girl died the death of the brave.
6. Evgenia Rudneva
Eugene studied in the third year of mechmath of Moscow State University. The war began, the girl decided to go to the front. She graduated from a navigational school. Rudneva became the navigator of the night bomber regiment. On her account 645 night flights. Eugene destroyed the enemy and caused him great damage.
In 1944, she was on a mission. The plane was shot, it caught fire. Navigator Eugenia Rudneva and pilot Pan Prokopiev died.
5. Zinaida Portnova
When the war began, Zina was 15 years old. The girl went on a summer vacation to the village of Zui in the Vitebsk region. This territory was occupied by the Germans.
In 1942, she joined the underground organization Young Avengers and became a member of the VKLSM. Portnova distributed campaign leaflets.
She worked in the dining room, where they prepared food for German officers. Zinaida was given the task of poisoning food. She brilliantly coped with the task. About 100 Germans were killed, but the girl came under suspicion.
The Germans forced her to eat poisoned soup, but Portnova managed to survive. She fled from the village and became a partisan. In 1943 she was captured. During interrogation, she managed to take possession of a pistol and shoot the investigator and two Germans. In 1944, she was shot.
4. Ekaterina Zelenko
Catherine is called the only kamikaze woman in history. She graduated from an aviation school, was a tester of aircraft and aircraft equipment.
Catherine participated in the battles from the first days of the war. Made 40 sorties, took part in 12 air battles.
In 1941, Zelenko went on a reconnaissance mission. The plane was damaged when she carried out the second flight. Despite this, Zelenko decided to fly again.
Opponents attacked the plane. She was able to knock out one plane. After the ammunition ended, Catherine went to ram. She destroyed the enemy, for this she sacrificed her life.
3. Tatyana Markus
Tatyana was an ordinary girl. At first she worked in the personnel department, and then she worked in a tram and trolleybus park. She moved to Kiev, after the city in which she lived was captured by opponents.
Upon arrival in Kiev, she immediately took up underground activities. She worked in an officers' canteen and poisoned food. Tanya was a very beautiful girl, her appearance attracted the attention of many German officers. She accepted the courtship of the Germans, and then killed them.
She has accounted for several dozen officers and soldiers killed. Tatyana was caught. The torture continued for 5 months, but the girl did not extradite anyone. She was shot.
2. Nina Onilova
Nina was born in a peasant family, brought up in an orphanage. The girl worked as a seamstress. When the war began, she joined the Red Army.
The girl received the nickname Anka the machine gunner. She watched a film about Chapaev, and dreamed of becoming a machine gunner. She came to the front as a medical trainer, although at that time she skillfully fired a machine gun.
Once Onilova proved herself, she replaced the dead machine gunner. The girl was transferred to a machine-gun platoon. In 1941, she took part in the battles near Odessa, where she inflicted severe damage to the enemy.
In 1942, she participated in the defense of Sevastopol. In the battle, Nina was seriously injured, she died at the age of 20.
1. Lyudmila Pavlichenko
American journalists called Pavlichenko "Lady Death." The girl studied as a historian, was fond of shooting. Before the war, she decided to take sniper courses.
When Lyudmila learned that the war had begun, she immediately went as a volunteer to the front. In June 1942, Lyudmila was severely wounded. At this point, she destroyed 309 officers and soldiers of the enemy.
She also trained snipers, passed on her experience to recruits. After a severe wound, Lyudmila never returned to the front.
She became an instructor in a sniper school. Lyudmila is one of the few who were lucky enough to survive until victory. She died at the age of 58.