Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Lyudmila Mykhailivna Pavlichenko Людмила Михайлівна Павліченко
Lyudmila Pavlichenko
Born	July 12, 1916(1916-07-12) Belaya Tserkov, Russian Empire (now Bila Tserkva, Ukraine)
Died	October 10, 1974(1974-10-10) (aged 58) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russian Federation)
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Red Army
Years of service	1941–1953
Rank	Major
Unit	25th Rifle Division
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Odessa Battle of Sevastopol
Awards	Order of Lenin Hero of the Soviet Union
Other work	Soviet Committee of the Veterans of War

Lyudmila Mykhailivna Pavlichenko (Ukrainian: Людмила Михайлівна Павліченко; Russian: Людмила Михайловна Павличенко Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko) (July 12, 1916 – October 10, 1974) was a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with 309 kills, and is regarded as the most successful female sniper in history.^[1][2]

Early life

Born in the Ukrainian town of Belaya Tserkov (Bila Tserkva) on July 12, 1916, Pavlichenko moved to Kiev with her family at the age of fourteen. There she joined a shooting club and developed into a sharpshooter, while working as a grinder at the Kiev Arsenal factory.^[3] In 1937 as a student of Kiev University she successfully defended her master-thesis on Bohdan Khmelnytsky.^[4]

World War II

In June 1941, 24-year old Pavlichenko was in her fourth year of studying history at the Kiev University when Nazi Germany began its invasion of the Soviet Union.^[3] Pavlichenko was among the first round of volunteers at the recruiting office, where she requested to join the infantry and subsequently she was assigned to the Red Army's 25th Rifle Division;^[3] Pavlichenko had the option to become a nurse but refused; "I joined the army when woman were not yet accepted".^[3] There she became one of 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army, of whom about 500 ultimately survived the war. As a sniper, she made her first two kills near Belyayevka,^[4] using a Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle with a P.E. 4-power scope.

1943 postage stamp featuring Pavlichenko

Pvt. Pavlichenko fought for about two and a half months near Odessa, where she recorded 187 kills.^[4] When the Germans gained control of Odessa, her unit was pulled to be sent to Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula,^[4] where she fought for more than 8 months.^[3][5] In May 1942, Lieutenant Pavlichenko was cited by the Southern Army Council for killing 257 German soldiers. Her total confirmed kills during World War II was 309,^[2][3] including 36 enemy snipers.

In June 1942, Pavlichenko was wounded by mortar fire. Because of her growing status, she was pulled from combat less than a month after recovering from her wound.

Second USSR-issued postage stamp dedicated to Pavlichenko

Pavlichenko was sent to Canada and the United States for a publicity visit and became the first Soviet citizen to be received by a U.S. President when Franklin Roosevelt welcomed her at the White House. Later, Pavlichenko was invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to tour America relating her experiences. While meeting with reporters in Washington, D.C. she was dumbfounded about the kind of questions put to her. "One reporter even criticized the length of the skirt of my uniform, saying that in America women wear shorter skirts and besides my uniform made me look fat".^[1][6] Pavlichenko appeared before the International Student Assembly being held in Washington, D.C., and later attended CIO meetings and made appearances and speeches in New York City. The United States gave her a Colt automatic pistol, and in Canada, she was presented with a sighted Winchester rifle, the latter of which is now on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow. While visiting in Canada along with Vladimir Pchelintsev (fellow sniper) and Nikolai Krasavchenko (Moscow fuel commissioner), they were greeted by thousands at Toronto's Union Station.

Having attained the rank of major, Pavlichenko never returned to combat but became an instructor and trained Soviet snipers until the war's end.^[3] In 1943, she was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and was commemorated on a Soviet postage stamp.

After the war

After the war, she finished her education at Kiev University and began a career as a historian. From 1945 to 1953, she was a research assistant of the Chief HQ of the Soviet Navy. She later was active in the Soviet Committee of the Veterans of War.^[3] Pavlichenko died on October 10, 1974 at age 58, and was buried in the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow.^[3]

A second Soviet commemorative stamp featuring Lyudmila Pavlichenko's portrait was issued in 1976.

Soviet and international recognition

Pavlichenko’s war record was recognized in the Soviet Union by two commemorative stamps with her portrait (see images above)^[7] and, in the United States, by a song composed during World War II by folk singer Woody Guthrie as a tribute to her war record and to memorialize her visits to the United States and Canada.^[8] It was released as part of the Asch Recordings.^[9][10].

See also

• Soviet sniper

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Lady Sniper, TIME Magazine (Monday, September 28, 1942)
2. ^ ^{a b} Pat Farey; Mark Spicer (5 May 2009). Sniping: An Illustrated History. MBI Publishing Company. p. 129. ISBN 9780760337172. http://books.google.com/books?id=l1a-kB-1MMAC. Retrieved 18 March 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45 by Henry Skaida, Osprey Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1841765988/ISBN 978-1841765983, page 31
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present by Arthur Bernard Cook, ABC-CLIO, 2006, ISBN 1851097708/ISBN 978-1851097708, page 457
5. ^ 1Павличенко Людмила Михайловна, Country's Heroes (warheroes.ru) (Russian)
6. ^ The World War Two Reader by Gordon Martel, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0415224039/ISBN 978-0415224031, page 268
7. ^ Sakaida, Henry "Mankiller: Major Lyudmila Pavlichenko."http://www.soviet-awards.com/digest/pavlichenko/pavlichenko1.htm http://www.soviet-awards.com/digest/pavlichenko/pavlichenko2.htm
8. ^ "Miss Pavlichenko" dated to 1942 at http://www.woodyguthrie.de/pavil.html
9. ^ Hard Travelin': The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3,
10. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SEWBAK

External links

• Ship Lyudmila Pavlichenko photographed lying on a Turkish beach prior to demolition on February 15, 1996 at WellandCanal.ca

Persondata
Name	Pavlichenko, Lyudmila
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 12, 1916
Place of birth	Bila Tserkva, Ukraine (then Russian Empire)
Date of death	October 10, 1974
Place of death	Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR