Women at War: Female Veterans in the Soviet Armed Forces

Introduction

The Soviet Union was unique among the belligerent nations of the Second World War in the scale of women's participation in combat roles. An estimated 800,000 women served in the Soviet armed forces during the war, many in front-line combat positions that were unthinkable in other Allied armies.

Combat Roles

Soviet women served as fighter pilots, night bomber pilots, snipers, tank commanders, machine gunners, and infantry soldiers. The most famous units were the three all-female aviation regiments: the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Bomber Regiment, and the 588th Night Bomber Regiment (the "Night Witches"). Together these regiments flew tens of thousands of combat missions.

Medical Service

The largest single category of women's service was in medical roles. Over 300,000 women served as nurses, field medics, and surgeons, often under fire. The role of the saninstrutkor (medical orderly) was particularly dangerous — these women crawled onto the battlefield to drag wounded soldiers to safety, often under enemy fire.

Our Registry

Our database includes several female Soviet veterans who served in various capacities and later emigrated to the United Kingdom, including pilots, medics, partisans, and anti-aircraft gunners.