Initially after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Kashcheeva remained in nursing courses until graduating in November 1941. She then repeatedly requested to be sent to the warfront, and was accepted into the Red Army in March 1942 to serve as a medic in the newly-formed 315th Rifle Division, composed of people from the Altai region. Upon completing training in August she was deployed to the warfront as part of the 362nd Rifle Regiment, but remained there only briefly before transferring to the 115th Separate Rifle Brigade before eventually settling with the 120th Guards Rifle Regiment in October. There she received her "
baptism by fire" in the
Battle of Stalingrad. Later during defensive operations at the
Krasny Oktyabr Steel Plant, the regiment fought off as many as twenty attacks daily and downed multiple enemy aircraft and artillery points, at the price of significant casualties. Throughout constant aerial bombardment and poor weather conditions she treated wounded soldiers, as well as helping spot German snipers and deliver food. In a mission that involved landing in Dnipropetrovsk and crossing the Dnieper river, the unit managed to provide a foothold for later troops to come. Despite incurring severe injuries and nearly bleeding to death she continued her work in reconnaissance, delivering information on enemy artillery positions to her commanding officers, which helped troops regain control of a strategic bridgehead on the right bank of the river. Only five soldiers from the initial landing group survived the fighting, including her. For her actions on that mission, she was awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union on 22 February 1944, wherein she was praised not only for completing her mission through hardships but also inspiring other soldiers to continue on fighting. == Later life ==