When the Great Patriotic War began many women volunteered for the armed forces, but most of them were rejected. They were steered towards nursing or other supportive roles. Many determined women managed to enter combat by first volunteering as field medics and nurses, then simply picking up a gun during the battle, and charging boldly into the line of fire. In the area of aviation, women also contributed greatly to the war effort. In rickety biplanes, they flew bombing missions at night, without parachutes; their only protection was the darkness. This book tells the stories of the brave women that were awarded the Soviet Union's most prestigious title - Hero of the Soviet Union - for their bravery in protecting their homeland.

Introduction · Biographies - Aviation: Lydia Litvak; Anna Timofeyeva;Klavdiya Fomicheva; Marina Raskova; Yekaterina Zelenko · Infantry: Mariya Borovichenko; Anna Nikandrova; Nina Onilova; Mariya Batrakova; Yelena Stempkovskaya; Mariya Baida; Manshuk Mametova · Field nurses: Mariya Shkarletova; Valeriya Gnarovskaya; Lyudmila Kravets; Zinaida Mareseva; Vera Kashcheyevna · Resistance: Mariya Melnikaite; Anna Maslovskaya; Yefrosinya Zenkova; Ulyana Gromova; Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya; Yelena Mazanik · Tank drivers: Irina Levchenko; Mariya Oktyabrskaya · Snipers: Lyudmila Pavlichenko; Natalya Kovshova and Mariya Polivanova; Aliya Moldagulova; Tatyana Kostyrina

A third generation Japanese American (Sansei), Henry Sakaida has spent much of his life researching the shadowy history of the Japanese fighter pilot. His eye for detail, and exhaustive research, has led to him being given access to much archive material by former aces who have remained silent since the end of the war.