• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
True story of teen girl praised as a 'one woman army' for killing over 100 Nazis with clever technique

Home> News> World News

Published 19:48 2 May 2024 GMT+1

True story of teen girl praised as a 'one woman army' for killing over 100 Nazis with clever technique

The teenager managed to execute three Nazis, even after she had been captured

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

There are of course many dreadful and heartbreaking stories to come out of World War II.

However, more personal stories do provide a unique insight into what so many went through during the deadly war.

Zinaida Portnova's story is one of particular significance, with some nowadays labelling her as a 'one woman army'.

Born in Leningrad, Russia, in February 1926 - Portnova had quite the life, even though it was cut pretty short.

Advert

She was a seventh-grade student at the 385th school in the Russian city in 1941, when she left for her grandmother's house in the Vitebsk region.

Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union shortly after that, and an incident with Nazi troops led to Portnova despising them.

Nazi Germany soliders in 1938. (FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Nazi Germany soliders in 1938. (FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

German soldiers hit her grandmother while they were confiscating the cattle, leading to the girl (quite understandably) having strong negative feelings towards them.

Advert

Portnova joined the Belarusian resistance movement in 1942, and began by distributing Soviet propaganda leaflets in German-occupied Belarus.

She also collected and hid weapons for Soviet soldiers and reported on German troop movements.

The war efforts did not stop there though, as Portnova began learning how to use a gun.

She participated in rather risky sabotage actions at a pump, local power plant, and brick factory. These actions ended up killing up to an estimated 100 German soldiers during World War II.

Advert

Portnova's acts of revenge would also involve poisoning German soldiers' food after she became employed as a kitchen aide in Obo.

She poisoned the food meant for the Nazi garrison stationed there, but sadly this made her become an immediate suspect.

To prove she was innocent, Portnova ate some of the poisoned food in front of the Nazis.

Zinaida Portnova's story is quite incredible. (Wikipedia Commons)
Zinaida Portnova's story is quite incredible. (Wikipedia Commons)

Advert

After she did not fall ill immediately, they released her.

But the teen did eventually fall ill though, vomiting heavily as a result of consuming the food.

After she did not return to work, the Germans realized she had been the culprit and they eventually found her. She was quickly captured but that was certainly not the end of the story.

While she was being interrogated, Portnova disarmed the Nazi detective and shot him in the head.

Advert

And in her attempt to escape, the teen girl executed two more Nazis.

Portnova attempted to escape the compound and ran into the woods, but she was caught near the banks of a river.

She was executed in 1944.

Portnova's story has been creating a lot of discussion on X recently, with one person penning: "She was indeed a one woman army," while a second added: "That's an incredible woman."

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/World History / Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Topics: World War 2

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • Amy Sussman/Getty Images
    8 hours ago

    Simone Biles admits she's had 'three plastic surgeries' and asks fans to guess where

    Biles admitted her relationship with beauty has ‘changed over time’

    Celebrity
  • Facebook/Miss Universe Thailand
    8 hours ago

    Miss Universe winner walks out of ceremony over executive's 'disrespectful' comments on camera

    The heated exchange unfolded on a Facebook Live video

    News
  • FBI
    10 hours ago

    Remains found of woman who vanished 5 years ago after winning $400,000 abuse settlement

    Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis went missing around Thanksgiving 2020

    News
  • Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library/Getty Images
    10 hours ago

    Research reveals common cancer has a 'Big Bang' moment that affects how it will grow

    The cancer is notoriously resistant to treatment - but that could all change

    News
  • 'Must watch' WW2 film on Prime called ‘saddest movie of all time’ sparked outrage for one key reason
  • Polish woman had shocking response to seeing Ralph Fiennes in SS uniform while filming Schindler's List
  • Viewers left stunned after watching new harrowing drama series based on true story
  • Man miraculously survived two atomic bombs in one year