The First Russian Womens Battalion Of Death organized by Maria Bochkareva who was wounded at least three times and was decorated for killing German soldiers in hand to hand combat with a bayonet... Florence Farmborough commented on 13th August, 1917: At dinner we heard more of the Womens Death Battalion. It was true; Bochkareva had brought her small battalion down south of the Austrian Front, and they had manned part of the trenches which had been abandoned by the Russian Infantry. The size of the Battalion had considerably decreased since the first weeks of recruitment, when some 2000 women and girls had rallied to the call of their leader. Many of them, painted and powdered, had joined the Battalion as an exciting and romantic adventure; she loudly condemned their behaviour and demanded iron discipline. Gradually the patriotic enthusiasm had spent itself; the 2000 slowly dwindled to 250. In honour to those women volunteers, it was recorded that they did go into the attack; they did go over the top. But not all of them. Some remained in the trenches, fainting and hysterical; others ran or crawled back to the rear.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:21:30 +0000
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