Mariya Oktyabrskaya

Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya
Native name	Мария Васильевна Октябрьская
Born	(1905-08-16)16 August 1905 Kiat [ru], Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	15 March 1944(1944-03-15) (aged 38) Smolensk, Russian SSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service / branch	Red Army
Years of service	1943–1944
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	26th Guards Tank Brigade (2nd Guards Tank Corps)
Battles / wars	World War II Eastern Front †
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union
Spouse(s)	Ilya Oktyabrsky ​ ​ (m. 1925; died 1941)​

Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya (Russian: Мария Васильевна Октябрьская; 16 August 1905 – 15 March 1944) was a Soviet tank driver and mechanic who fought on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany during World War II. After her husband was killed fighting in 1941, Oktyabrskaya sold her possessions to donate a tank for the war effort, and requested that she be allowed to drive it. She received and was trained to drive and fix a T-34 medium tank, which she named "Fighting Girlfriend" ("Боевая подруга"). Oktyabrskaya proved her ability and bravery in battle, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. After she died of wounds from battle in 1944, she was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's highest honor for bravery during combat. She was the first female tank driver to be awarded the title.^[1]