Many servicemen are remembered for their actions that have changed the course of combat, and/or have saved hundreds of lives during battles. Medals like the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, the Iron Cross, and more recognize the act of battlefield bravery and military leadership...
A growing number of female recipients of medals and decorations have grown since around the time of the Second World War. Not only men, but women too, can obtain these medals and recognition for their acts of extreme bravery and courage in times of battle. Many of them were awarded these medals and recognition in a time when servicewomen were unheard of...
Here is a small list of influential servicewomen from the Second World War recognized for their work during the bloodiest war in history. Take a moments to stop and think how it will be to fight during the Second World War (About 32,000 deaths per day), then consider the guts and anxiety to pull the trigger. Can you do the same? Take note that pulling that trigger will end someone's life. In a battlefield, it is your life or their's; one small mistake, and you're paying the price: with your life. These women surly deserve the rewards they received for the dedication to their country.
 |
| Maj. Pavlichenko during her visit to the US and Canada in 1942. |
Lyunmila (or Liudmyla) Pavlichenko was a female Soviet sniper from the Second World War. At the age of 24, she volunteered to join the Red Army to fight the advancing Germans. She is one of the (approx.) 500 out of 2000 female snipers who survived the brutal fighting in the Eastern Front. She is credited with 309 kills, and is regarded as the most successful female sniper to date. On top of that, she was the first Soviet citizen welcomed by a US President (FDR).
 |
| T-34 396, nick named "The Fighting Girlfriend" |
Maria Oktyabrskaya
Maria Oktyabrskaya (or the "fighting girlfriend") was a female tank pilot and mechanic from the Soviet Union. She learned that her husband was Killed in Action from the German advance, and gathered her possessions to donate a tank to the Red Army, under one condition: for her to pilot the tank. She then attended a five-month tank training program and was assigned to a (at the time, state of the art) T-34. After completion, she was sent to the south-western sector of the Soviet defense lines in Ukraine SSR. Amid fierce machine gun fire, she would repair her tank track every time they got blown up. Unfortunately, she was hit unconscious by sharpnel in January of 1944 during a night battle, and died a few weeks later due to her wounds. She was the first female awarded the Hero of The Soviet Union in recognition for her courageous and brave actions.
 |
| Jackie in the seat of a P-40 Warhawk. |
Jacqueline Cochran is an American Aviation pioneer and is said to be one of the best aviation racing pilots of her generation. She is heavily involved in the creation of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). When the US began their daylight/mid-day bombing raids over German in 1942, one of the problems was the shortages of male bomber pilots. Since a single B-17 (and later B-24's, 24's, and 29's) accommodate 10 crew members, losing a single bomber meant losing 10 men, and given the bitter German air defenses at the time, losing an entire bomber squadron of about 20 - 30 bombers (200-300 crew members) was common. Cochran proposed the idea of using female pilots to deliver domestic, non-combat operations (ferrying/transport) in order to allow more male pilots to go to the front. As the director of the WASP program, she trained hundreds of female pilots during the duration of the war. She was later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
 |
| Nancy Love at the cockpit of a B-17 nicknamed "Queen Bee" |
Nancy H. Love was an American test pilot and US Air Force Officer (post-WW2, since the Air Force was still a branch of the US Army at the time.). She taught women, and even men, to fly military aircraft for ferrying (transport) service during the Second World War, and even commanded multiple of her own all-women ferrying units in the WASP. Lt. Col. Love and her WASP units basically mastered all most every aircraft the Army Air Force had in their possession at the time. She was certified to fly at least 15 military aircrafts, including the Douglas C-54 Skymaster, American B-25 Mitchell, North American P-51, and became the first women to pilot a Boeing B-17 Heavy Bomber along sides with Betty Gillies.
No comments:
Post a Comment