July 9, 1917: The Russian Women's Battalion of Death goes into battle

Bessie Beatty in Russia

The following was written by American reporter Bessie Beatty and later included in her 1918 book, The Red Heart of Russia:

"All the world knows how they went into battle shouting a challenge to the deserting Russian troops. All the world knows that six of them stayed behind in the forest, with wooded crosses to mark their soldier graves. Ten were decorated for bravery in action with the Order of St. George, and twenty others received medals. Twenty-one were seriously wounded, and many more than that received contusions. Only fifty remained to take their places with the men in the trenches when the battle was over.

The battle lasted for two days. Among the pines and birches of the dusky forests they fought. With forty loyal men soldiers, they became separated from the main body of the troops, and took four rows of trenches before they were obliged to retreat for lack of reinforcements.

I heard the story from the lips of twenty of the wounded women. No one of them can tell exactly what happened.

'We were carried away in the madness of the moment,' one of them said. 'It was all so strange and exciting, we had no time to think about being afraid.'

'No,' said Marya Skridlova; 'I was not afraid. None of us were afraid. We expected to die, so we had nothing to fear.'"

Members of the Women's Battalion of Death with male officers.

Maria Bochkareva is second from right. 

A portion of the Women's Battalion during a physical exercise

The story of the Russian Women's Battalion of Death (including reportage from Bessie Beatty) is included in Women Heroes of World War I.