In the countries that participated in the Second World War, women served voluntarily along with men. In the rear, they took on many responsibilities. Women participated in the maintenance of military equipment, resistance groups, worked in factories, and so on. Many of them were victims of occupation and bombing. Hundreds of thousands of them went voluntarily to the front as nurses and doctors. Nurses during the Great Patriotic War (photos of some of them will be presented in the article) not only fulfilled their medical duty, but also, if necessary, went on the attack or intelligence together with the soldiers.
Khrustaleva Tanya
In the 90s, near the village of Dubrovka, in the Urgan district, the remains of soldiers were reburied. They were buried between the Aleksandrovsky farm and the village of Kurakino in a mass grave. From mid-July to the end of August 1943, a field mobile surgical hospital was located in the forest. Among the reburied soldiers, the name of one nurse stood out. During World War II, Khrustaleva Tanya was a nurse. However, her real name was Tamara. 1927 is the year of birth of this nurse. During the Great Patriotic War, she, like many others, voluntarily went to the front. On the day of her death - August 4, 1943 - she was 16 years old.
Khrustaleva characteristic
The main marks on the activities of soldiers are contained in the award sheets. The characterization of this nurse, who took an active part in public work during the Great Patriotic War, is very positive. According to the record, Khrustaleva was executive and responsible, enjoyed respect and authority, despite her age. The activities of this nurse during the Great Patriotic War were repeatedly noted by the hospital command. In April 1943, Khrustaleva became a member of the Komsomol. She was the daughter of a simple worker who died in the Second World War near Rzhev.
Reward
On August 4, 1943, in the course of fulfilling her duties, Khrustaleva died. German aircraft bombed the area where the hospital was located. A fragment of a bomb pierced the nurse's chest. During the Great Patriotic War, she was presented posthumously to the medal "For Military Merit" . This award was given to her mother.
Tkacheva Praskovya Leontyevna
It is difficult to overestimate the feat of nurses during the Great Patriotic War. Women dragged the wounded to shelter on themselves, covered them from enemy bullets. Tkachev's nurse was one of them. During the shelling, she saw a fire in the therapy department. The surgical building was already destroyed by that time, and there were about 80 people in it. In addition, the dressing room was broken, the pantry was on fire. During the shelling, the wounded began to appear. Many soldiers had operations on the eve, and they could not move independently. From the battalion commissar Tkachev received an order to transfer patients to the nearest earthen rampart. Before its first rows from the surgical building was about 100-150 meters. Next was the second row in a semicircle, and behind it was a farmyard, hidden on three sides. With all her strength, Tkacheva saved the wounded and sick from death. From the second floor, on which the soldiers were stationed after the operations, she managed to take out twenty people. Returning once again, the nurse saw that the rest was no longer needed. The wall could not stand under the shelling and collapsed, burying dozens of people alive. In total, about 28 people were saved.
But people needed
dressings, water, linen, medicines. Tkacheva had to run several times to the blazing compartment. The supplies were short. Bandages are over - sheets, footcloths, pillowcases are used. Soon the water ended. The soldiers died, the forces left the wounded. At noon, the Nazis came close enough to a casemate with smoke bombs. Several Red Army men suffocated. The shelling continued, Tkacheva was wounded by shell fragments.
Evdokia Rovnyagina
The feat of nurses during the Great Patriotic War is an example of the courage and valor of Soviet women. Their activities inspired the soldiers, gave them strength. Unfortunately, little information has been preserved about Evdokia Rovnyagina. She spent more than ten hours at the front line, being among the defenders as a soldier and a nurse. During World War II, the names of the heroes who died in battle were recorded in magazines stored by the commanders. Witnesses of the death of Rovnyagina were Tkacheva and Savina. Evdokia was hit by a bullet in the afternoon during the shelling.
Alexander Savin
On June 22 in the morning there was a roar of cannonade. Alexandra Savina was at this time after the duty of the house. The fortress was under fire - the walls collapsed, furniture fell, window openings flew out. Alexandra took all her documents, including a Komsomol ticket, quickly dressed and went to the infectious diseases department. However, the building of the building was destroyed.
Battle order
Together with the rest, Savina was given the task of evacuating the wounded and sick from the destroyed building to an earthen rampart. The Nazis shot through the entire territory on which the hospital was located, both from the air and from the ground. Stretchers with sick nurses had to be dragged along the ground, some fighters were pulled in raincoats, tents, blankets. To evacuate the soldiers, they used everything they found. Saving a soldier, Savina sometimes lingered for a while in the funnels, waiting until the automatic bursts passed. After the fighters were stationed in the rampart, Alexandra was ordered to stock up with medicines, bandages, gauze and other dressings. She went back to the department, but she failed to get into it. As soon as she left the shelter, the Germans appeared. Savina decided to hide in the bush to wait a bit and go on. At this time, machine gunners destroyed the Nazis. Alexandra returned to the rampart with nothing - the wounded were left without water and medicine. Two fighters crawled to the channel, but did not return. Then Savina, taking two flasks, went to him herself. As soon as she lowered them into the water, the Germans immediately shot them.
Enemy breakthrough
In other ramparts gathered children and women, a cook, the wounded, cooks. Together with them were unarmed doctors Mokhov and Maslov. The Germans broke through to the ramparts. All who were in them, the Nazis pushed closer to the hospital ward. The seriously wounded political officer, who was also with them, the Germans shot the man lying. Several fighters died from the machine gun. Among them were seriously ill. Soon a group was discovered in which Savina was present. Walking wounded were pushed out, and seriously ill patients were shot on the spot. The Germans, having gathered a group of wounded and women, among whom was Savina, decided to hide behind her. Soviet soldiers defending the fortress shouted to them that they lay down. Women and wounded fell, and soldiers opened fire on the Nazis. This went on several times.
Anna Ovchinnikova
The work of nurses during the Great Patriotic War, it seems, did not stop even for a moment. In fierce battles, people died, the staff was not enough. Women sometimes worked without sleep and rest. So it was with the senior laboratory assistant of the clinical department Anna Ovchinnikova. On the eve of the shelling, she worked until late with the head of the laboratory Timofeeva. Around 11 pm Ovchinnikova went to rest. Soon the first explosions were heard. Together with Timofeeva Ovchinnikova quickly went to the department. The paramedics on duty then evacuated the wounded and sick.
From the memoirs of Anna Ovchinnikova
“All the wounded,” she wrote, “they could not bear.” Rescue evacuated fighters also failed. Making their way again with a wounded soldier on a stretcher to the rampart, they heard the Nazis talking, the screams of children and women, and gunfire. When everything calmed down, they reached the rampart. However, a terrible picture appeared before them: near the shelter lay dead soldiers. The Germans led the surviving and walking wounded under escort. Nurses walked around the rampart, hoping to find someone alive, but found no one. Then they laid the rescued wounded. The nurses were unarmed and could not defend themselves or the soldier. Covering the fighter, they headed for the squad. But they failed to get through and had to hide in the bushes.
Zina Tusnolobova
She served as a nurse since April 1942. In February of the following year - 1943 - she was seriously wounded and frostbite in the battle for the Gorshechnaya station, located in the Kursk region. Doctors managed to save her life. But due to severe frostbite, Zinaida lost both legs and arms.
Valeria Gnarovskaya
Special attention deserves the heroic act of this nurse during World War II. The biography of this woman is quite simple. Valeria was born in the Pskov region, in the village of Modolitsy. Her father was an employee. Valeria graduated from Podporozhsky school named after Pushkin. In 1941, immediately after the outbreak of the war, she was evacuated to Ishim (Tyumen Region). There she became a telephone operator in the Istoshinsky branch of the Berdyuzh district. In 1942, Valeria went to the front. There she graduated from a medical instructor.
Heroism of Gnarovskaya
As a medical instructor of the 907th regiment, Valeria saved the lives of officers and soldiers. So, with. Naked Valley in Donetsk region she was able to take out 47 wounded from the shelling. Defending the rescued soldiers, she destroyed more than 20 fascists. Valeria died in 1943, on September 23, near the village of Ivanenki (now the village of Gnarovskoye) in the Zaporizhzhya Region. With a bunch of grenades, she threw herself under an enemy tank, blowing it up. For her feat, Valery Gnarovskaya was posthumously awarded the title of Hero. In Podporozhye, a monument was erected in her honor, a memorial plaque hangs on the school building . Streets in Tyumen and Podporozhye are named after Gnarovskaya.
Finally
The events described above indicate that the role of nurses during the Great Patriotic War was invaluable. Rescuing fighters, they often perished themselves. Women worked on a par with men, sometimes even twice as much as they. The uniform of nurses during the Great Patriotic War did not differ from the soldier's uniform. Often they had to carry out combat missions. Then they received the appropriate uniforms, weapons. Like men, they wore pants and tunics. Such clothes of nurses during the Great Patriotic War did not hamper their movement. This was especially important during the evacuation of the wounded. All the orderlies had a bag with medicines and dressings. No matter how difficult the situation, they were always ready to help the wounded. The feat of nurses during the Great Patriotic War will forever remain in the history of the country. Indeed, it was thanks to these women that many lives were saved.