Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko
Pavlichenko in 1943
Native name
  • Людмила Михайловна Павличенко
Birth nameLyudmila Mikhailovna Belova
Nickname(s)Lady Death
Born12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1916[1]
Bila Tserkva, Russian Empire
(now Bila Tserkva, Ukraine)
Died10 October 1974(1974-10-10) (aged 58)
Moscow, Soviet Union
Buried
AllegianceSoviet Union
Service / branchRed Army
Years of service1941–1953
Rank
Unit
  • 25th Rifle Division
  • 54th Stenka Razin Rifle Regiment
  • Soviet Navy General Staff
  • Battles / wars
    AwardsHero of the Soviet Union
    Spouse(s)
    Alexei Pavlichenko
    (m. 1932, divorced)
    [1]
    Alexei Kitsenko
    (m. 1941; died 1942)
    ChildrenRostislav Pavlichenko[1]
    Other workSoviet Committee of the Veterans of War

    Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (Russian: Людмила Михайловна Павличенко; Ukrainian: Людмила Михайлівна Павличенко, romanizedLyudmyla Mykhailivna Pavlychenko, née Belova; 12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1916 – 10 October 1974) was a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II. She is credited with killing 309 enemy combatants.[2][3] She served in the Red Army during the siege of Odessa and the siege of Sevastopol, during the early stages of the fighting on the Eastern Front.

    Her score of 309 kills likely places her within the top five snipers of all time, but her kills may be significantly more numerous, as a confirmed kill has to be witnessed by a third party.[4]

    After she was injured in battle by a mortar shell, she was evacuated to Moscow.[5] After she recovered from her injuries, she trained other Red Army snipers and was a public spokeswoman for the Red Army. In 1942, she toured the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. After the war ended in 1945, she was reassigned as a senior researcher for the Soviet Navy. She died of a stroke at the age of 58.[2]

    1. ^ a b c Simonov & Chudinova 2017, p. 160.
    2. ^ a b Lockie, Alex. "Meet the world's deadliest female sniper who terrorized Hitler's Nazi army". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
    3. ^ Vinogradova, Lyuba (2017). Avenging Angels: Young Women of the Soviet Union's WWII Sniper Corps. Quercus. pp. 37–47. ISBN 9781681442839.
    4. ^ "Meet the world's deadliest female sniper who terrorized Hitler's Nazi army". Business Insider.
    5. ^ "Lady Death: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Greatest Female Sniper of All Time". mentalfloss.com. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2019.