The following article focuses on gender roles during World War II in the Slovenian lands. It outlines a number of identities and motives, both revolutionary and traditional. The revolutionary period was profoundly influenced by the centuries-old anthropological situation – Christianity. World War II transformed gender roles and allowed women to enter the male sphere. They achieved this by resorting to traditional mechanisms with their own rules, laws, and history. The study shows that women gave legitimacy to the National Liberation Movement, which, in turn, provided them with a new social status – one that was much more aligned with tradition than the socialist movement claimed. The stories of female fighters, activists, family members, and undecided bystanders reveal how the occupation shaped the wartime years and how the new Socialist Yugoslavia rose to power.