Osprey Elite 90 : Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-1945

When the Great Patriotic War began many women volunteered for the armed forces, but most of them were rejected. They were steered towards nursing or other supportive roles. Many determined women managed to enter combat by first volunteering as field medics and nurses, then simply picking up a gun during the battle, and charging boldly into the line of fire. In the area of aviation, women also contributed greatly to the war effort. In rickety biplanes, they flew bombing missions at night, without parachutes - their only protection was the darkness. This book tells the stories of the brave women that won the Soviet Union's most prestigious medal - the Hero of the Soviet Union - for their bravery in protecting their homeland. These courageous women have inspired films, poetry, books and above all, they inspired a nation to fight harder than ever to stop the invasion of the Motherland by forces that seemed unstoppable. Henry Sakaida has researched the lives of these women in meticulous detail to come up with a fascinating book that is jam-packed with information, including a list of every female recipient of the award, why they were awarded it, and what became of them. Text by Henry Sakaida with illustrations by Christa Hook.

Contents

• Introduction
• Biographies - Aviation
  Lydia Litvak
  Anna Timofeyeva
  Klavdiya Fomicheva
  Marina Raskova
  Yekaterina Zelenko
  
• Biographies - Infantry
  Mariya Borovichenko
  Anna Nikandrova
  Nina Onilova
  Mariya Batrakova
  Yelena Stempkovskaya
  Mariya Baida
  Manshuk Mametova
  
• Biographies - Field Nurses
  Mariya Shkarletova
  Valeriya Gnarovskaya
  Lyudmila Kravets
  Zinaida Mareseva
  Vera Kashcheyevna
  
• Biographies - Resistance
  Mariya Melnikaite
  Anna Maslovskaya
  Yefrosinya Zenkova
  Ulyana Gromova
  Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya
  Yelena Mazanik
  
• Biographies - Tank Drivers
  Irina Levchenko
  Mariya Oktyabrskaya
  
• Biographies - Snipers
  Lyudmila Pavlichenko
  Natalya Kovshova and Mariya Polivanova
  Aliya Moldagulova
  Tatyana Kostyrina