Page 39 - History of War - Issue 25-16

10 DEADLIEST SNIPERS

05.Lyudmila Pavlichenko

26-year-old Pavlichenko was one of the Red Army’s most famous, and successful, female shooters
Ukrainian-born Pavlichenko volunteered for Pavlichenko killed her irst German during the After narrowly escaping Sevastopol before
service in 1941 while she was studying history battle for Odessa, even though she admitted it was captured, the Red Army realised her
at university. The recruiter attempted to steer she found the act dificult – that is until a fellow potential as a propaganda tool and Pavlichenko
her towards a medical role but Pavlichenko soldier was shot dead near her. By the time the was dispatched to the United States of
was insistent that she would contribute more Soviets withdrew from the two-month battle, America, becoming the irst Soviet citizen to
to the war effort as a sniper. After pointing to she had chalked up 257 kills – a rate of more visit the White House. Such was her fame in
her sharpshooter badge won in competitive than ive Germans a day – and was awarded the the USA that she was the inspiration for a
shooting before the war, Pavlichenko was Soviet Union’s Order of Lenin. feature ilm and a folk song.
granted her wish. Pavlichenko next deployed to the defence Upon her return to the Soviet Union, her
Within the Red Army there were as many as of Sevastopol, and by the middle of 1942, her efforts were recognised with the award of
2,000 female snipers, and while this was still kill tally had risen to 309 including 36 German the Hero of the Soviet Union. Afterwards, she
a tiny percentage of the more than 800,000 snipers (a log book recovered from one sniper’s became a sniping instructor and something of a
who served, it was far more than in other body indicated he had killed more than 500 national hero. Many of her fellow female snipers
contemporary armies that largely restricted Soviets). She was also wounded several times. fell during the war, with only a quarter surviving
females from combat roles. The Soviet forces Unusually, Pavlichenko apparently favoured until 1945. Pavlichenko was promoted to major
widely employed female tank drivers and the scoped semi-automatic 7.62x54mm SVT-40 and served in the military for the remainder of
bomber pilots along with frontline infantry roles, when most of her contemporaries preferred the her career. She was immortalised on a postage
alongside their male comrades. more accurate bolt-action Mosin Nagent. stamp in 1976, two years after her death.

Right: Pavlichenko’s legacy
was commemorated on
postage stamps in 1976

Confirmed kills: 309 “BYTHETIMETHESOVIETSWITHDREWFROMTHETWO-
Unconfirmed kills: 300+ MONTHBATTLE,SHEHADCHALKEDUP257KILLS–A
Longest shot: 500+ metres (547 yards)
RATEOFMORETHANFIVEGERMANSADAY–ANDWAS
Pavlichenko poses with her semi-automatic
SVT-40 and Amoeba-pattern hooded camoulage AWARDEDTHESOVIETUNION’SORDEROFLENIN”
smock issued to scouts and snipers

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