Yekaterina Mikhailova-Demina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ekaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova-Demina
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Ekaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova-Demina in 2016
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| Native name |
Екатерина Илларионовна Михайлова-Дёмина
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| Born | 22 December 1925 Leningrad, Soviet Union |
| Died | 24 June 2019 (aged 93) Moscow, Russia |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union Russia |
| Service/ |
Marines |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Chief Petty Officer |
| Unit | 369th Independent Naval Infantry Battalion |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Ekaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova-Demina (Russian: Екатерина Илларионовна Михайлова-Дёмина; born December 22, 1925 – died June 24, 2019) was a very brave Russian military doctor. She was the only woman to serve as a scout in the Soviet marines during World War II.
She saved hundreds of wounded soldiers from battlefields. She was also seriously hurt three times while working as a medic with the marines. Even though she was nominated many times, she didn't receive the highest awards right after the war. But in 1990, President Mikhail Gorbachev finally gave her the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Contents
A Young Hero: Wartime Career
Ekaterina was born in Leningrad. She lost her parents when she was young and grew up in an orphanage.
Joining the War Effort
When the Great Patriotic War started in June 1941, Ekaterina was only fifteen. She quickly volunteered to join the military in Smolensk. This happened after a train she was on was bombed while going to Brest. She pretended to be two years older to join. The recruitment office first said no, but a military hospital accepted her.
The hospital where she worked was bombed, so the patients had to leave. But Ekaterina stayed behind. As German soldiers moved towards Moscow in 1941, she worked as a field medic for the Red Army. They really needed medical help. She got a serious leg injury in a fight near Gzhatsk. Because of this, she was sent to the Urals to get better.
From Hospital Ship to Front Lines
After she recovered, she was sent to work on the Red Moscow. This was a hospital ship of the Soviet Navy. It carried wounded soldiers from Stalingrad to Krasnoyarsk. She was promoted to chief petty officer because she did such a great job.
But Ekaterina found this work boring. She wanted to be on the front lines. So, she volunteered to join the Azov Flotilla of the Soviet marine infantry. At first, they said no. But she asked the government in Moscow, and in February 1943, she was accepted. She joined the 369th Independent Naval Infantry Battalion.
Battles and Bravery
Ekaterina first fought with the marines on the Taman Peninsula near the Azov Sea. Then, she moved to other battles along the Black Sea coast and on the Dniester River. Her unit later moved to the Danube Flotilla. She fought through Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Austria. The war ended for her in Vienna.
At first, the men in her unit didn't welcome her. But she quickly showed them how tough and capable she was on the front line. Besides scouting enemy areas with her male teammates, she also treated the wounded. She helped them get to safety. She earned her first medal for bravery when she helped take back Temryuk on the Taman Peninsula. She also received her first of two Orders of the Patriotic War for her part in the Battle of Kerch.
Heroic Actions
In August 1944, Ekaterina took part in a special operation. It was like a commando mission to take back the city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine. Her unit crossed the Dniester estuary in rubber boats. Then they climbed a ridge held by the enemy. Ekaterina was in the first group to climb the ridge. She joined the charge to push the enemy off the ridge. She attacked a German bunker by herself, blew it up, and killed 20 Nazis. She also captured 14 prisoners. On top of that, she treated 17 wounded sailors and helped them escape to safety. She earned an Order of the Red Banner for her amazing role in this attack.
Four months later, in December 1944, her unit was in Yugoslavia. They attacked the fortress of Ilok in Croatia. Ekaterina was one of 50 marines who made a fake attack from a small island in the Danube River. The island was flooded, so the unit had to use trees to shoot from. In the intense gunfight, Ekaterina was shot in the hand. Only 13 of her unit survived, and all of them were wounded. Some of the injured fell from their trees into the freezing water. But Ekaterina jumped in and saved them. She used belts and rifle slings to tie the wounded men to the trees. She saved seven men. This battle left her with double pneumonia and her hand wound. She had to go to the hospital. Even so, she left the hospital early without permission and went back to her unit. She received a second Order of the Red Banner for her incredible bravery.
After the War: Recognition and Legacy
Ekaterina Mikhailova-Demina left the military in November 1945. But she continued to work in medicine after the war. She worked with the Soviet Red Cross and Red Crescent Society. She was given the Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross for her work during the war. In 1950, she graduated from the Second Leningrad Medical Institute. She worked as a doctor for 36 years, retiring in 1985.
She was nominated three times for the Hero of the Soviet Union. This was the country's highest award. But each time, she was turned down. She finally received the medal, along with the Order of Lenin and Gold Star. This happened by a special order from President Gorbachev on May 5, 1990. It was to mark the 45th anniversary of the war's end. Ekaterina Mikhailova-Demina was one of the last people honored before the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991.
After Yevdokiya Pasko died in January 2017, Ekaterina Demina was the last living female Hero of the Soviet Union who was a World War II veteran. The other two living female Heroes were cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya.
Ekaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova-Demina passed away in June 2019 at the age of 93. She was buried in the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.
Awards and Honors
- Florence Nightingale Medal (May 15, 1979)
- Hero of the Soviet Union (May 5, 1990)
- Order of Lenin (May 5, 1990)
- Two Orders of the Red Banner (September 27, 1944 and March 8, 1945)
- Order of the Patriotic War 1st class and 2nd class (1st class - March 11, 1985; 2nd class - February 15, 1944)
- Medal "For Courage" (October 31, 1943)
- Medal "For the Capture of Vienna"
- Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg"
- Medal "For the Capture of Budapest"
- Various jubilee medals
See also
In Spanish: Yekaterina Mijáilova-Diómina para niños
- List of female Heroes of the Soviet Union
