Respected: Deborah Penny, 47, the first transgender soldier in battle, has won the respect of her comrades at Camp Bastion after her sex change

Battling the Taliban on the dusty battlefields of Afghanistan is one of the most difficult challenges a soldier can face.

But Warrant Officer Class 2 Deborah Penny has shown huge bravery in another way – by becoming the first sex-change soldier to serve in a warzone in British Army history.

The 47-year-old was born a man but is serving on the Helmand frontline as a woman.

Military chiefs say the bomb disposal expert, who has served in the Army for 30 years, has won the respect of her comrades for her courage.

The Royal Logistic Corps warrior, a former rugby player who used to be called David, dramatically changed her life in the macho military world by becoming the first transgender soldier in battle.

A high-ranking Army source said: ‘Squaddies used to point her out at Camp Bastion as a novelty — but she has become accepted.

‘She wears the uniform like all the blokes and girls and has a feminine bob haircut.

‘Debbie is working in a male orientated world and has shown courage in deciding to change her life in such a dramatic manner and still pursue her career in a macho world.’

Explosives expert WO2 Penny, who used to serve in the Royal Green Jackets, now works alongside UK bomb disposal teams.

As an ammunition technician, she makes sure soldiers do not accidentally bring explosives home from the warzone.

Women can serve in any Army unit, including as Apache helicopter pilots targeting the Taliban, except those whose primary role is to ‘close with and kill’ - engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.

But armed female soldiers do go out on patrol with combat units while serving as medics, intelligence specialists, artillery spotters, logisticians or signallers. Women have served with distinction, and been decorated, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and several have been killed in battle.

Around 9,000 women serve in the Army – making up around 10 per cent of its total strength.

WO2 Penny, of Colchester, Essex, has been living as a woman since 2007.

Until 2000, gay personnel were banned from the military. The previous year, 298 people were discharged from the Army for their sexuality.

But a legal victory for three gay men and a lesbian who had been kicked out of the Royal Navy and RAF brought a change.

In 2008 Jan Hamilton, formerly Parachute Regiment Captain Ian Hamilton, was the first UK officer to complete gender reassignment from male to female.

In battle: Explosives expert WO2 Penny in serving on the frontline in Helmand (pictured) as a woman

Another military sex change: Bradley Manning, US army whistleblower, is now Chelsea Manning

US army whistleblower Bradley Manning, jailed for leaking classified documents to Wikileaks, is also changing sex.

Earlier this year, the British Army was named on gay campaign group Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2014 list, which names Britain’s most gay-friendly workplaces.

The Ministry of Defence said the Armed Forces did not tolerate any form of harassment, victimisation or discrimination of transgender service personnel.

A source said: ‘Our policy is that it is the right of each and every member of the Armed Forces to work in an environment which is free from intimidation and bullying and to expect to be treated with dignity and respect.’

An Army spokesman said: ‘The Armed Forces want to represent the breadth of the society we serve and we support all of our personnel, including those considering gender reassignment, by offering them the appropriate level of care and advice.’

