England temporarily eased their restrictions as well, recruiting thousands of women to operate anti-aircraft guns during the Battle of Britain.

During World War II, the Soviets again turned to female soldiers, who served as snipers and fighter pilots. In World War I, Russia’s newly installed Provisional Government created the Women’s Battalion, which attracted thousands of volunteers who saw action at the front against German troops. Captured by her enemies and tried for witchcraft and heresy, she was burned at the stake.ĭuring the two world wars, the constant need for troops caused some countries to temporarily ease their restrictions on women in combat. Believing God had chosen her to save her country during the Hundred Years’ War, she commanded the French army in its victory over English forces at Orleans in 1429 and led King Charles VII to his coronation. The Maid of Orleans, as she was known, began her short life as a simple peasant but rose to become the patron saint of France through her leadership on the battlefield. Almost half of the bodies found in an examination of 14 Viking burial grounds in Britain belonged to women, and some were buried with the swords and shields they presumably used in life. In reality, Viking women accompanied their men on their infamous raids in Britain starting in A.D.

Riding horses and wearing helmets and shields, these women were sent to battlefields to choose those slain soldiers worthy of a place in Valhalla. Norse mythology celebrates its own female warriors in the form of the Valkyries, a group of maidens who served the god Odin. 7 Mysterious Mass Illnesses That Defied Explanation

Women in combat arms