Lyudmila Pavlichenko by Nancy J. Farrier

Lyudmila Pavlichenko, 1944
Wikimedia Commons

Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born in 1916 in Ukraine. Her family moved to Kyiv when Lyudmila was 14. Lyudmila was described as a tomboy, competitive in athletics, and she received a sharp sharp-shooter badge and a marksman certificate as a teenager.

 

In 1937, she was accepted at Kyiv University where she had her sights set on being a teacher and studying history. She competed with the track team and was also enrolled in a military style sniping school.

 

In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Lyudmila was in her fourth year of study at the university and left to join the infantry. Despite being urged to become a nurse, she presented her credentials for her shooting, and joined the infantry as a sniper. There were about 2000 women snipers in the red army, only 500 of them making it through the war.

 

Pavlichenko in a trench, 1942
Photo by Израиль Абрамович Озерский 
Wikimedia Commons

At the Siege of Odessa, Lyudmila was credited with killing 187 enemy soldiers. She received a promotion to Senior Sergeant in August 1941, only two and a half months after she joined the red army.

 

When the Romanian army invaded Odessa, Lyudmila and her team were sent to Sevastopol. The fighting in Sevastopol was intense and Lyudmila’s kill count rose. In May 1942, Lyudmila was promoted to Lieutenant after her kill count rose to 257.

 

Because of Lyudmila’s success, she was assigned to take out enemy snipers. This was a very dangerous assignment, but Lyudmila won every duel she fought, ending the lives of 36 enemy snipers. One of the duels lasted three days.

 

In June 1942, a shrapnel from a mortar round, struck her face. She was removed from fighting to recover. By this time, she’d received several bribes from the German army, trying to entice her over to their side. When the bribes did not work, the Germans resorted to threats. One of those threats stated, “If we catch you, we will tear you in 309 pieces and scatter them to the winds!” By this time her kill count had risen to 309.

 

Lyudmila with Justice Robert Jackson and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
Photo by Jack Delano - Library of Congress

These threats gave the Soviets an idea. They changed Lyudmila from a sniper to sharing propaganda with other countries. Lyudmila became the first Soviet citizen welcomed to the White House. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt welcomed Lyudmila, and they became friends. They even toured the United States so that Lyudmila could speak to Americans about her combat experience.

 

While Lyudmila was serious in her efforts to encourage women to be more active in the war, the American press made fun of her. They mocked her skirts and her uniform as unflattering. When asked by a reporter, if women were allowed to wear make up on the front lines, she replied, “Who had time to think of her shiny nose when there is a battle going on?”

 

Lyudmila questioned the fact that women in America were doing men’s jobs in the factories but not getting paid the same. In Chicago, Lyudmila stated, “Gentleman, I am 25 years old and I have killed 309 fascist occupants by now. Don’t you think, gentleman, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?”

 

When Lyudmila went back to the Soviet Union, she didn’t continue as a sniper, but instead trained upcoming snipers. When the war ended, she went back to Kyiv university and completed her studies.

 

In 1957, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Moscow. She insisted that she see her friend Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Lyudmila was living in a small apartment in Moscow and they weren’t allowed to visit unsupervised, but they did manage to have some time to laugh and catch up.

 

1976 Commemorative Stamp
By Post of the USSR, Wikimedia Commons

Lyudmila passed away after suffering a stroke in 1974. There were two commemorative Soviet postage stamps made in her honor one in 1943 and another in 1976. She is remembered as a Soviet military hero and the most successful female sniper in history.

 

The well-known Woody Guthrie, wrote a song about Lyudmila Pavlichenko, titled Miss Pavlichenko. You can hear that song here. 

 

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.