Offensive Women: Women in Combat in the Red Army in the Second World War

This article revisits the topic of Soviet women in the ground forces in the Second World War. The focus is on the nature and variety of women’s combat experiences. Although most women were noncombatants, many did participate in activities normally associated with combat, and some women participated in virtually every combat role of the time. The available evidence indicates that women in the Red Army performed, overall, as well as men in combat situations.