There were almost female soldiers in Battlefield 1, if a statement by DICE is accurate. The game, which takes place in World War I, would have been sacrificing historical accuracy in favor of diversity if the decision had actually been reversed.
Even though nowadays it’s almost normal to be putting female soldiers in first-person shooter games, back in the days of the World Wars there were no female soldiers.
Women normally were used for clerical duties and hospitals, and unlike men in those kinds of positions couldn’t just be pulled out of those positions to be sent to the front line.
Female soldiers in Battlefield 1 would have been a major historical inaccuracy, though DICE has more recently been more agreeable with female characters, especially considering women played major roles in Battlefield 4 and Battlefield: Hardline.
Women had previously enlisted into armies before World War 1, but in order to do that they had to masquerade as men, and they didn’t do it in any very significant numbers.
There is, however, one way that there could be female soldiers in Battlefield 1: Russia. Russia was the only country that actually used women in combat, including a regiment of light cavalry that was commanded by a woman.
However, these women failed to provide a notable propaganda effect, and they were disbanded shortly after. The Russian Civil War also had female soldiers in both the Red and White Russian armies.
But since Russians aren’t in Battlefield 1, female soldiers in Battlefield 1 still do not exist.
While it’s possible that DICE would likely one day give us some Russia DLC and thus would give us female soldiers in Battlefield 1, for now it seems like a pipe dream.
Either way we’ll most likely just be seeing male soldiers when the game releases on October 21, so for now, until we get any Russian DLC, people will just have to deal.
