Meet the world's deadliest female sniper who terrorized Hitler's Nazi army
In early 1941, Lyudmila Pavlichenko was studying history at Kiev University, but within a year, she had become one of the best snipers of all time, credited with 309 confirmed kills, 36 of which were German*snipers.
Pavlichenko was born in 1916 in a small town in Ukraine. She was described as an independent, opinionated tomboy who was "unruly in the classroom," as the Smithsonian*notes. At the age of 14, Pavlichenko's family had relocated to Kiev, where she worked as a metal grinder in a munitions factory. Like many young people in the Soviet Union at that time, Pavlichenko participated in OSOAVIAKhIM, a paramilitary sporting organization which taught youths weapons skills and etiquette.*
“When a neighbor’s boy boasted of his exploits at a shooting range,” said Pavlichenko according to*the Smithsonian. “I set out to show that a girl could do as well. So I practiced a lot.”
On June 22, 1941, Hitler broke ties with Joseph Stalin and German troops poured into the Soviet Union. Pavlichenko rushed to join the Soviet army and defend her homeland, but she was initially denied entry into the army due to gender. "She looked like a model, with well-manicured nails, fashionable clothes, and hairstyle. Pavlichenko told the recruiter that she wanted to carry a rifle and fight. The man just laughed and asked her if she knew anything about rifles," Soviet-Awards.com*wrote of Pavlichenko's effort to join the*military.
Even after Pavlichenko presented her* marksman certificate and a sharpshooter badge from OSOAVIAKhIM, officials still urged her to work as a nurse.* “They wouldn’t take girls in the army, so I had to resort to all kinds of tricks to get in,”*explained*Pavlichenko. Eventually, the Red Army gave her an "audition" by giving her*a rifle and showed her two Romanians downrange who were working with the Germans. She shot down the two soldiers with ease, and was then accepted into the Red Army’s 25th Chapayev Rifle Division.
Pavlichenko then shipped out to the battle lines in Greece and Moldova. In very little time she distinguished herself as a fearsome sniper, killing 187 Germans in her first 75 days at war.
Snipers in these battles fought between the enemy lines, often far from their companies. It was extremely dangerous and careful work, as she had to sit perfectly still for hours on end to avoid detection from enemy snipers. After making a name for herself in Odessa and Moldova, Pavlichenko was moved to Crimea to fight in the battle of Sevastopol.
Her reputation earned her more dangerous assignments, eventually facing off one on one with enemy snipers. The Smithsonian reports that she dueled and killed 36 enemy snipers, some of whom were highly decorated themselves. “That was one of the tensest experiences of my life,” Pavlichenko*reportedly said.
She spent eight months fighting in Stevastopol, where she earned a praise from the Red Army and was promoted. On several occasions she was wounded, but she was only removed from battle after taking shrapnel to the face when her position was bombed by Germans who were desperate to stem the tide of her mounting kill count. She had become a well known figure in the war, as a protagonist in the Red Army's domestic propaganda, and the scourge of German soldiers all over the Eastern front. The Germans even went so far as to address her over loud speakers, offering her comfort and candy should she defect and join their ranks.
Pavlichenko became a sniper instructor and was soon invited to the White House.
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