Though men are often thought of as history's most famed fighters, a whole lot of women can easily beat the best. Just ask Joan of Arc, Tomyris, and even the U.S. Military pilot nicknamed "The Dragon Lady."
From the Celtic queen Boudica to the Soviet sniper with a catchphrase for the ages, here are 9 badass women soldiers you did not want to see on the battlefield.
1
Col. Merryl Tengesdal
The first and only Black woman to ever pilot the ultra-specialized U-2 plane, Col. Merryl Tengesdal shares a nickname with the aircraft: The Dragon Lady. She also served in the Iraq War and in Afghanistan.
2
General Ann E. Dunwoody
General Ann E. Dunwoody is no stranger to firsts. After making her mark as the first female general officer of Fort Bragg, she cemented her status in history as the first woman to earn a four-star officer rank in 2008.
3
Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy
"Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy was the first female Asian-American officer in the U.S. Navy who later worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence. She was also the daughter of ... a leader in the Korean independence movement."
4
Fu Hao
“Fu Hao (1250-1192 BCE) [was] a rare female military general in ancient China's Shang dynasty, who used her status as one of 64 King Wu Ding's wives to rise through the ranks and lead victorious campaigns.”
5
Private Cathay Williams
“Private Cathay Williams was the first and only woman to serve in the US Army as a Buffalo Soldier. The catch? She was only documented to serve in the United States Army by posing as a man.”
6
Admiral Grace Hopper
“The originator of the popular saying, ‘It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission’ was Grace Hopper, a United States Navy Rear Admiral and pioneer of computer programming who popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL.”
7
Boudica
“Boudica [was] a Celtic queen who led a revolt against Roman rule in ancient Britain in A.D. Boudica’s forces had massacred some 70,000 Romans and pro-Roman Britons and though her rebellion failed, she is celebrated today as a national heroine and an embodiment of the struggle for justice.”
8
Tomyris
Serving as a queen of the Massagetae during the 6th century, Tomyris was no stranger to battle. Most famously, she led an attack on Cyrus the Great which prompted his beheading.
9
Lyudmila Pavlichenko
“When Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Soviet sniper, was being promoted for 257 confirmed kills against the invading Germans her acceptance speech was simply ‘I’ll get more.’”
