the-seed-of-europe:

Russian female snipers.

Women played an incredibly significant role in the Soviet war effort during WWII. Initially, in 1941, the thousands of women who volunteered to enlist were turned away or relegated to industry work on the home front or medical service. However, the significant losses to the Germans and the women’s persistence paid off, and the Soviet Union was soon recruiting women as pilots (including the world’s only two female fighter aces, Lydia Litvyak and Katya Budanova), snipers, machine gunners, tank crew members and partisans, medics, communication personnel, political officers, as well as in the auxiliary corps. About 800,000 women served in the Russian army during WWII. Around 200,000 were decorated and 89 received the highest ranking award, the Hero of the Soviet Union.