Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941–45 by Henry Sakaida

Author:Henry Sakaida
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Heroines of the Soviet Union: 1941 – 45
ISBN: 9781780966519
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2012-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

Maj Lyudmila Pavlichenko in Naval uniform. Although she served in the Army, she worked for the Navy after the war. (Paul McDaniel)

The art of sniping took tremendous self-control and patience. Working in a two-person team, the frigid cold, biting insects, stress, hunger, and thirst constantly plagued them. However, worst of all, German snipers were also lying in wait for them.

When the Germans gained control of Odessa, the Independent Maritime Army was pulled out and sent to Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula of the Black Sea. In the fierce fighting, Pavlichenko was wounded by mortar shells in June 1942. With a record score of 309 kills, her sniping skills were invaluable. She was ordered to board a submarine and evacuate Sevastopol.

The Soviet High Command saw the propaganda value of Lt Lyudmila Pavlichenko and she was sent on motivational and fund raising tours. In August 1942, she was received by President and Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House in Washington, DC. Afterwards, she toured various American cities and Canada. The Winchester Firearms Co. presented her with a specially engraved rifle.

The HSU title was bestowed upon Maj Lyudmila Pavlichenko on October 25, 1943. She never returned to the fighting and helped train hundreds of snipers until war’s end.

After the hostilities, Pavlichenko returned to Kiev State University to continue where she had left off. She graduated in late 1945 and went straight to work as a research assistant for the Soviet Navy Headquarters. She continued to be a popular role model and speaker for Soviet youth and was also very active in veterans’ affairs.

Pavlichenko never showed remorse for the men she killed and stated that it was all in the line of duty. She died on October 10, 1974, aged 58 and is buried at the Novodevichiye Cemetery in Moscow.

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