Lyudimila Pavlichenko

            In a time when there wasn’t just one nation at war with another, but the entire world at war; there weren’t enough men to do all of the fighting.  The women warriors of World War II came in many forms; from taking on the jobs that men had to leave behind, to nurses on the battlefront.  But some women wanted to help the war effort even further, fighting alongside the thousands of men in combat.  One soldier from the Soviet Union didn’t just want to fight amongst men, but wanted to be the best fighter on the battlefield.  Lyudimila Pavlichenko is one of the top five snipers of all time and regarded as the most successful female sniper in history (2).

Pavlichenko in her decorated Soviet uniform.

            Pavlichenko was born July 12, 1916 in today’s Ukraine, but she moved with her family at the age of 14 to Kiev (2).  Growing up, she was described as an extremely competitive tomboy which led her to join the Soviet paramilitary youth group, where she developed into an armature sharpshooter (2).  She wanted to show that a girl could shoot just as well as a boy so, “I practiced a lot,” said Pavlichenko (3).  Her practice paid off as she earned her Voroshilov sharpshooter badge and marksman certificate (2). However, before her military career began, she was married to a doctor, Alexei Pavlichenko, at the age of 16 and gave birth to their son Rostislav (2).  The two did not have a happily ever after as they divorced shortly after Rostislav was born.  She then enrolled at Kiev University to study history, but while she was there, she completed a military sniping course (2).

Pavlichenko amongst the men of the Red Army.

            When Germany began to invade the Soviet Union in 1941, our woman warrior wanted to fight, though her sharpshooter badge and marksman certificate were not enough for the Red Army to accept a women into their ranks(3).  Originally, the red army would not enlist her as anything other than a nurse (1). Pavlichenko is quoted saying “I had to try all kinds of tricks to get in.” And it was her persistence that gave her chance to prove herself (3).  After taking out two Romanian workers helping the German’s just across the border, Pavlichenko was accepted into the Chapayev Rifle Division of the Red Army (3). 

Pavlichenko with her rifle.

            In her first seventy-five days of service she had 187 confirmed German kills.  She quickly rose through the ranks of the Red Army but also rose to be the number one target for the Germans.  Eventually, she was taken out of active duty after suffering mortar shell shrapnel to the face from German munitions (1).  Now off the battlefield however, the Germans now turned their attention to broadcasting recruiting messages to her.  They requested that she defect to their side; offering her comfort and candy (3).  They German’s clearly didn’t know Pavlichenko very well.  Instead, Pavlichenko decided to use her skills to train new snipers for the Red Army to continue to help win the war (3). 

Pavlichenko Sharpshooting from a tree.

            By the end of the war Pavlichenko was one of about 500 snipers remaining in the Red Army out of 2,400 (3).  She had 309 confirmed kills, 36 of witch were highly decorated German marksman, making her one of the top military snipers of all time (1).  She was likely even more deadly as a third party had to whiteness a confirmed kill (3).  She exited the Red Army at the rank of Lieutenant and the rank of Major in the Soviet Navy (2).  Once home, she received several awards, including the Gold Star Medal which is the highest award a country can give (women).   After her time serving, she finished her education at Kiev University, graduating with her master’s degree in History (3).  A soldier, a mother, and a scholar; Lyudmilla Pavlichenko is a true warrior woman.

Works Cited

1. Kelly, Erin. “The 8 Most Bad-Ass Women of World War II.” All That's Interesting, All That's

Interesting, 10 July 2019, https://allthatsinteresting.com/women-in-world-war-2.

2. “Lyudmila Pavlichenko.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2019,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko.

3. Winston, George. “Lady Assassin Lyudmila Pavlichenko Deadliest Female Sniper of All

Time.” WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 1 Oct. 2019, https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/lady-death-lyudmila-pavlichenko.html.