The Brutal Fate of Captured Soviet Women in WWII

In the early days of Operation Barbarossa, one image puzzled the German troops on the Eastern Front: Soviet women wielding weapons in trenches, bunkers, and defensive positions. It was no exception. It was state policy. Unlike the Nazi model, which confined women to the home and motherhood, the USSR had integrated hundreds of thousands into its military machinery. Female pilots, snipers, sappers, and tank operators challenged not only the enemy but an entire ideological conception of the female role in war. And as combatants, they were also captured. How did the German army treat the Soviet women who were taken prisoner? Why were many not considered legitimate soldiers? And what role did their condition as women play in all this? This Video is Part of an Official Adaptation into English of the Original Content by Trenchfall, Produced and Localized by Our Editorial Team as Part of an International Network of Educational Channels.