Mariya vasilyevna oktyabrskaya (August 16, 1905- March 15, 1944) was w Soviet tank drier during world war 2. She was the first of the few female tank drivers to be awarded the title hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet union's highest awarded for bravery during combat. 

When the Nazis killed a young Red Army officer in 1941, they had no idea that they have just dug their own grave. Mariya oktyabrskaya was the wife of the dead Red Army officer and hearing about her husband's death two years later made her really angry and eventually made her distinguished hero. 

When in in 1925 oktyabrskaya married a Soviet army officer, she began to show interest in the military wives council where she was trained as a nurse in the army. She also learned how to use weapons and drive vehicle. 

With the outbreak of world war 2, two-third of the Reich's forces marched on oktyabrskaya's homeland, destroying much of it in their wake. She was evacuated to Tomsk, Siberia but her husband was required to stay behind and fight and eventually he got killed. 

Since mariya was in Siberia, it took her two years to find out about her husband's death. when she finally did, she was furious. She wrote to her sister, "I've had my baptism by fire...... Sometimes I'm so angry I can't even breath,"  and made plans to get even. 

There was nothing that could heal the pain for her loss, except one thing. Revenge! Oktyabrskaya was determined to avenge her husband's death. Here is what she did; sold everything that she ever possessed and wrote a letter to Stalin. 

"My husband was killed in action defending the motherland. I want revenge..... For his death and for the death of Soviet people..... For this purpose I've deposited all my personal savings - 50,000 rubles to the National Bank in order to build a tank. I kindly ask to name the tank 'fighting  Girlfriend' and to me to the war front line as a driver to said tank." 

Eventually Stalin wrote back in approval and she began her quest. Initially, the army had doubt about her ability to handle a tank, but eager for revenge as she was, she proved them in training that she could drive, shoot and throw grenades with the best of them. 

Whatever doubts Soviet officers had about oktyabrskaya's combat skills quickly dissipated following her first Nazi encounter on her first outing in the tank, she outmaneuvered the soldiers, killing around thirty of them and taking out an anti-tank gun. Fascinated by the herioc performance of the 38 year old widow, the army promoted her to sergeant. She proved herself again as a hero during a night raid in November 1943 when a  bazooka team blasted the tracks of her tank. Instead of hiding in her machines cockpit, she risked life and limp by hopping out. As her peers covered for her , oktyabrskaya's was able to fix the thread and climb back into the tank to continue her warpath. 

The following year was her final battle. The vengeful Soviet soldier led the unit into the Nazis line of fire with skills so perfect, that she made across two enemy trenches before her track were blasted by enemy's guns. 

Once again she hopped out to fix " The fighting Girlfriend." As she was working a German artillery shell exploded close by and the widow was struck with shrapnel that sent her into immediate coma. 

Two months after her last battle, the fearless sergeant succumbed to her injury and joined her husband in death. 

Marya oktyabrskaya was posthumously awarded; Hero of the Soviet Union award  August 1944.