Random Brave Women Who Disguised Themselves as Men to Fight in War (13 items)

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  (#7) Joanna Zubr, The Napoleonic Warrior

  Very little information survives about the life and times of Joanna Zubr (sometimes listed as Zubrowa), but there is enough to understand who she was. 

  Born in Poland just a few years before the American Revolution, Joanna was a young woman when she and her husband, Michal, enlisted in the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw, a section of the Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armee. Disguised as a man, Joanna served in the infantry.

  Following the battle of Zamosc, Joanna was promoted to the equivalent rank of sergeant for her service during the battle. She was also awarded Poland’s highest military medal, the Virtuti Militari. 

  After the series of conflicts ended, none of which Napoleon actually started, Joanna and Michel moved to the city of Wielun where they lived for the rest of their lives. Joanna lived until she was 80, uncommon for the time, living until the early 1850s.
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  (#12) Dorothy Lawrence, The Only Known British Woman To Fight In WWI

  Dorothy Lawrence’s tenacity helped her embark on the adventure of a lifetime and into the annals of history. More than a hundred years later, her story survives because of how uncommon and tragic it was. 

  The facts and details of Dorothy’s early life often contradict each other, but what can be strung together is that she was born in Hendon in the 1890s to an unmarried mother and was soon given up for adoption. Later in life, Dorothy would claim that her guardian, an official of the Church of England, had assaulted her while in his care. 

  Before WWI, Dorothy wanted to become a journalist, and, at the outbreak of war, bicycled through France keeping close to the English army to try to prove herself as a front-line correspondent. At every corner, she was met with discrimination and frustration. 

  Then, in 1915, she decided that to produce a raw and thorough story as a reporter: a first-hand account of WWI. Soon, at a cafe in Paris, Dorothy convinced two British Tommies on leave to help her. Leaving no stone unturned, Dorothy had several soldiers smuggle her a uniform and equipment kit piece by piece until she could slip into the ranks unnoticed. 

  Once in France, one of the soldiers managed to find an abandoned farm house for Dorothy to sleep in while bringing her food and other items. Then, with great risk to all involved, Dorothy was smuggled into the 179th Tunneling Company of the Royal Engineers to construct vast, subterranean mines under the German trenches. Each mine was filled with explosives and detonated. The backbreaking work took its toll on Dorothy and she became very ill in the dangerous conditions. She then turned herself in and was temporarily imprisoned. 

  After WWI, Dorothy suffered ridicule, rejection and financial difficulties. She was then committed to a mental institution until her death in the 1960s. 
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  (#13) Wanda Gertz, The Woman Who Fought In Three Wars

  Wanda Gertz was a titan among women who witnessed, experienced, and played a part in 20-century history. Born in 1896, Gertz began life in Warsaw, Poland, in a family of Saxon heritage. In 1914, Wanda was part of a nationalist independence organization, Konfederacji Polskiej (KP) and helped equip the Warsaw Battalion to fight in WWI. At the time, women were barred from serving, but this didn’t discourage Wanda, and she decided to disguise herself as a man by the name of Kazimierz Żuchowicz. 

  Soon, Wanda saw combat on the eastern front of WWI in conflicts against the Imperial Russian Army. While campaigning, she developed technical skills from working on railways, using horses to move equipment and how to operate artillery cannon. 

  In the chaos of post-WWI Eastern Europe, Wanda returned to active service still as Kazimierz. The newly formed RKKA, the Red Army of the Soviet Union, began marching west from Russia to spread communism and their attack included overrunning Poland to establish a communist government. During this period, known as the Polish-Soviet War, she rose to the rank of commander and led the Second Women’s Volunteer Legion stationed in Vilnius. 

  The Polish Victory against the Soviets at Warsaw in 1920 resulted with Wanda being awarded the Virtuti Militaria. Poland’s newly established independence was a lull in military service for Wanda, but not by any means the end of active service. 

  Only 19 years later, with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Soviet-Nazi invasion of Poland, Wanda Gertz returned to serve Poland with a new alias, ‘Lena.' From 1939 to 1944, Wanda, now as Lena, worked for the Polish Government in Exile and the SZP (Sluzba Zwyciestwu Polski) spy organization. Through WWI she expertly impeded the efforts of German military forces, the Abwehr and other spies. She was captured and briefly interned until 1945 when allied forces began liberating concentration camps. 

  Wanda’s leadership helped her fight three wars, oppose, resist, and see the end of the Third Reich in Germany and outlive both Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler. Her service to help those who ultimately would survive WWII is often overlooked. She lived until in 1958.
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  (#1) Joanna, Countess of Flanders And Warrior In The Hundred Years War

  She may have inspired Joan of Arc. Whether this is true or not, Joanna of Flanders, who was born in 1295, fought for France at the beginning of the Hundred Years War with England. 

  To demonstrate her military prowess, the politically savvy Joanna took advantage of factional infighting in France to stake her son's claim to the French throne. With France divided, she sent for help from the English King Edward III to aid her efforts in ensuring that her son, John, would eventually lead the Monfort faction and ascend to the kingship. In this way, Joanna was also able to avenge her husband, John, who had been imprisoned by Philip IV. 

  Throughout the ongoing series of wars, Joanna displayed her leadership qualities, which helped legitimize her son’s succession. During one of her many daring acts, Joanna dressed as a man in uniform, collected 300 French soldiers, and went up against the military camp of Charles de Blois who had besieged Hennebont. Joanna and her soldiers rampaged through the camp, burned supplies, and quickly rode away on horseback during this daring feat. 

  Joanna survived the war and her faction, the Monforts, eventually were victorious. Her life ended in England in 1374.
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  (#9) Frances Clayton, A Member Of The Union Army Cavalry

  Experts believe that hundreds of women actually served in combat roles during the American Civil War. When the first guns fired on Fort Sumter and thousands rushed to the colors in 1861, among them was Frances Clayton, who would become known as Jack Williams. A native of Illinois and in her 30s at the time, Frances and her husband, Elmer Clayton, had three children and were living on a farm in Minnesota. 

  Once the war erupted, Frances and her husband enlisted together — with Frances in disguise — in the Union Army. Both served honorably, but Frances displayed great courage in as many as 17 combat engagements. She kept up her disguise and bravery even when her husband perished in front of her at the battle of Stones River in 1862.

  Frances too was soon hurt, possibly at the hip, which may have helped bring light to her true identity. This, however, is not certain as very little information about her wounds and post-war life exist. She survived the war, but her whereabouts and the fate of her children is not known.
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  (#8) Nadezhda Durova, A Fighter In The Tsar's Cavalry

  History is often filled with strange, uncanny coincidences. While Joanna Zubrowa was campaigning at Zamosc Fortress, it is possible that at one point or another she crossed paths with Nadezhda Durova, a Russian cavalry trooper fighting for the Tsar. While unlikely, she may have even been the soldier to unknowingly hurt Joanna Zubrowa. 

  Nadezhda, who was of Ukrainian descent, was born in September 1793 in the Russian empire to an adoring father and a loveless mother. At an early age, sages would likely say that Nadezhda was destined to be a soldier. 

  One story involves Nadezhda’s mother throwing her out of a carriage while accompanying her husband on a military campaign. This act was said to reduce battle-hardened veterans to tears. Miraculously, Nadezhda survived and was cared for by her father and his fellow soldiers. 

  While a young woman, she left her newly wedded husband and enlisted, as a man named Aleksandr, in the Polish Lancers during the Napoleonic Wars. She was noted for displaying extraordinary courage, sans-judgment and never revealed her true identity. By 1816, she had achieved the rank of captain. After retiring from the military, Nadezhda returned home to help her father. Restless with civilian life, she began to write and penned her memoirs, later published as Cavalry Maiden. 

  Her life ended at the age of 86 in the mid-19th century and was buried with full military honors.

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