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forgotten story about a great hero of the Soviet
Mariya Oktyabrskaya in her T-34 tank nicknamed fighting girlfriend
In the early stage of the second world war when the Germans were using their blitzkrieg tactic to capture town after town the Russian were sustaining heavy losses not only because of the lack of resources to actually defend the armored enemy troops.
Our story has started on the Peninsula of Crimean, a fierce place for the number of battles that have taken place as most of the time it was back and forth. One thing was for sure, those in Crimean did not want to lose their homes so they gave a good fight to the German soldiers. Despite all the efforts they were outnumbered and outgunned so most of the soldiers have died.
The loss of a loved one has awakened the anger which has turned into hatred for the Germans. Mariya Oktyabrskaya was the wife of one of the soldiers that have given their last to defend against the Germans on the Crimean front. After her husband’s death in 1941, Mariya was in so much pain from her loss that she has sold all of her possession to purchase (build) a T-34 model 1941 medium tank and donate it to the Soviet army with certain conditions.
T-34 model 1941 with a 76mm gun
Those conditions were to firstly have the name of the tank set as the fighting girlfriend and the second was that she would be driving the tank in combat. This request was sent to Stalin himself with a check of 50,000 rubles which was the price to build a T-34 model 1941 medium tank. Stalin was extremely proud to see a civilian not only want to fight for her country but also purchase her own weaponry.
Her request was accepted upon seeing the grief she is in from her drastic action. At the same time, Mariya was no mechanical engineer but she has picked up a lot of knowledge from her husband not only about technical and mechanical tank operations but also some basic combat training.
Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya was born on the 16th of August 1905 and came from a poor family of ten children in Ukraine, Crimea. She has started her life by working a good period of time in a cannery and then as a telephone operator. In 1925 she got married to a Soviet army officer that has made her acquire a high interest in military matters.
later on, she has acquired a post from her husband as a military nurse, for this cause she was also required to receive a basic gun and combat training, however, her husband has even shown her how to drive and even shoot a tank. At the time with the communistic system in place, many of the wives of Soviet soldiers and officers were made to join the military service either as nurses or other departments that they were pro efficient.
Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya
The military squadron she was assigned to was worried as they were not sure if this woman was ready for the eastern front. However, she has shown them some of her military skills learned from her husband. What made her tank crew sure of it was the bravery she was showing on her face. Since she has left home to go fight on the front in order to avenge her husband she was still full of grief that turned into anger.
Not only she has proven to be a valuable soldier but also a brave mechanic. On her first battle, the T-34 fighting girlfriend has been hit by an armor-piercing shell that has damaged the engine and hydraulics at which point she has jumped out of the tank in the middle of a firefight to fix it. After fixing it she went forward, heating up that 76mm cannon once again.
She has fought for a year and managed to push the Germans back into Hungary, upon the entry of Hungary which was a fierce fight because of the strongholds set up by the Germans and Hungarians, she has sustained some serious injuries upon a mortar shell that has hit her whilst she was out of her tank fixing it.
Mariya was promoted to the rank of senior sergeant for her bravery and abilities in battles. Sadly in 1944 at the age of 38, she has passed away because of her injuries in the previous battle. After her death, she was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union which was the highest honor for bravery during combat at the time.
I believe that it was people like these that have really influenced the allies that odds are just simple numbers.
Mariya Oktyabrskaya in her T-34 tank nicknamed fighting girlfriend
In the early stage of the second world war when the Germans were using their blitzkrieg tactic to capture town after town the Russian were sustaining heavy losses not only because of the lack of resources to actually defend the armored enemy troops.
Our story has started on the Peninsula of Crimean, a fierce place for the number of battles that have taken place as most of the time it was back and forth. One thing was for sure, those in Crimean did not want to lose their homes so they gave a good fight to the German soldiers. Despite all the efforts they were outnumbered and outgunned so most of the soldiers have died.
The loss of a loved one has awakened the anger which has turned into hatred for the Germans. Mariya Oktyabrskaya was the wife of one of the soldiers that have given their last to defend against the Germans on the Crimean front. After her husband’s death in 1941, Mariya was in so much pain from her loss that she has sold all of her possession to purchase (build) a T-34 model 1941 medium tank and donate it to the Soviet army with certain conditions.
T-34 model 1941 with a 76mm gun
Those conditions were to firstly have the name of the tank set as the fighting girlfriend and the second was that she would be driving the tank in combat. This request was sent to Stalin himself with a check of 50,000 rubles which was the price to build a T-34 model 1941 medium tank. Stalin was extremely proud to see a civilian not only want to fight for her country but also purchase her own weaponry.
Her request was accepted upon seeing the grief she is in from her drastic action. At the same time, Mariya was no mechanical engineer but she has picked up a lot of knowledge from her husband not only about technical and mechanical tank operations but also some basic combat training.
Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya was born on the 16th of August 1905 and came from a poor family of ten children in Ukraine, Crimea. She has started her life by working a good period of time in a cannery and then as a telephone operator. In 1925 she got married to a Soviet army officer that has made her acquire a high interest in military matters.
later on, she has acquired a post from her husband as a military nurse, for this cause she was also required to receive a basic gun and combat training, however, her husband has even shown her how to drive and even shoot a tank. At the time with the communistic system in place, many of the wives of Soviet soldiers and officers were made to join the military service either as nurses or other departments that they were pro efficient.
Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya
The military squadron she was assigned to was worried as they were not sure if this woman was ready for the eastern front. However, she has shown them some of her military skills learned from her husband. What made her tank crew sure of it was the bravery she was showing on her face. Since she has left home to go fight on the front in order to avenge her husband she was still full of grief that turned into anger.
Not only she has proven to be a valuable soldier but also a brave mechanic. On her first battle, the T-34 fighting girlfriend has been hit by an armor-piercing shell that has damaged the engine and hydraulics at which point she has jumped out of the tank in the middle of a firefight to fix it. After fixing it she went forward, heating up that 76mm cannon once again.
She has fought for a year and managed to push the Germans back into Hungary, upon the entry of Hungary which was a fierce fight because of the strongholds set up by the Germans and Hungarians, she has sustained some serious injuries upon a mortar shell that has hit her whilst she was out of her tank fixing it.
Mariya was promoted to the rank of senior sergeant for her bravery and abilities in battles. Sadly in 1944 at the age of 38, she has passed away because of her injuries in the previous battle. After her death, she was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union which was the highest honor for bravery during combat at the time.
I believe that it was people like these that have really influenced the allies that odds are just simple numbers.