 During the war she participated in bombing campaigns against German forces in the North Caucasus, Crimea, Taman peninsula, Kerch-Eltigen and Byelorussia.On 1 May 1943, the Polikarpov Po-2 she and Rufina Gasheva were flying was shot down by a German fighter over Soviet lines in Crimea, but both of them managed to survive after evacuating the aircraft and were rescued two days later.On 13 December 1944, the plane flown by Sanfirova and Gasheva was shot down again over a minefield.