11th September, Mariya Oktyabrskaya

The Calendar Woman for 11th September is Mariya Oktyabrskaya (1905-1944)

Mariya Oktyabrskaya was a Soviet tank driver in World War II who was the first female tanker to receive the Hero of the Soviet Union award. Her military interested stemmed from her marriage to a Soviet army officer; she joined the Military Wives Council and trained as a nurse in the army. It took two years for the news of her husband’s death fighting the Nazi’s and Mariya was so angered that she determined to have her vengeance. Selling all her possessions she was able to raise the funds to donate a tank for the Red Army – under the condition that she was able to drive it. Part of her training as an army nurse had included the use of weapons and learning to drive, and Mariya put those skills to good use as part of the 26th Guards Tank Brigade.

Mariya was immediately recognised as a skilled tank driver, manoeuvring the lumbering machine with skill. She became known for jumping out of her tank and repairing it during a battle if it had taken a hit and was soon promoted to the rank of Sergeant. It was her determination to repair tanks despite orders to remain inside that led to her death in 1944. Exposed to attack outside the tank, Mariya was hit in the head by a shell fragment during an offensive against German forces. She immediately lost consciousness and slipped into a coma before being taken to a field hospital where she died two months later. That summer, she was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union award in recognition of her bravery in the battles around Vitebsk.