Tania Chernova

Not many will be familiar with this name but Tania inspired the female sniper character by the same name in the movie “Enemy at the Gates” which was played by Rachel Weisz who acted alongside Jude Law. Tania was an American –Russian who travelled to Belarus to get her grandparents out of Russia but they had already been killed by Germans. She then became a sniper in the Russian army joining the Hares, a sniper group formed by the famous Vatsily Zaytsev who was also portrayed as a character in the same movie and played by Jude Law. Tania was credited with 24 kills before being wounded in the abdomen from a mine. She was then taken to Tashkent where she spent a considerable time in recovery. Tania fortunately survived the war.

Ziba Ganiyeva

Ziba Ganiyeva was one of the most charismatic figures in the Russian army having been a Russian celebrity and a film actress in Azerbaijan before the war. Ganiyeva fought in the Soviet Army’s 3rd Moscow Communist Rifle Division. She was a braveheart who crossed over into enemy lines an impressive 16 times and killed 21 German soldiers. She took an active part in the battle of Moscow and was severely wounded. Her injuries did not permit her to rejoin the war where she spent 11 months recovering in hospital. Ganiyeva was awarded the combat of the Red order and Banner of the Red Star.