Lyudmila Nicknamed “Lady Death” is One of The Most Successful Snipers in Recorded History
With 309 confirmed kills Lyudmila Pavlichenko became a heroic figure to the Soviets and the most successful female sniper in recorded history.
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko, was a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II, credited with 309 confirmed kills. She became a heroic figure to the Soviets and the most successful female sniper in recorded history. Her skills earned her the nickname, “Lady Death.”
Or rather like Suzanne Raga highlighted in the online magazine Mental Floss, Pavlichenko wasn’t only the most successful female sniper in history but one of the most successful snipers, period.
Pavlichenko fought in the Red Army during the siege of Odessa and Sevastopol, during the early battles of the fighting on the Eastern Front.
During a battle, Pavlichenkoin was evacuated by helicopter to a Moscow hospital after shrapnel from a mortar shell struck her in the face.
Following her recovery, Pavlichenko began training Red Army snipers and became a spokesperson for the Red Army.
In 1942 while touring Great Britain, Canada and the United States, she befriended First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
During the same North American tour, she would on occasion discuss gender equality following provocation from American journalists. “I set out to show that a girl could do as well, so I practiced a lot,” Pavlichenko.
After the war, she was reassigned as a Senior Researcher for the Soviet Navy. She died of a stroke on 10 October 1974, at the age of 58.
Pavlichenko was among the first round of volunteers at the Odessa recruiting office, where the registrar urged Pavlichenko to be a nurse but she refused. After debating with the registrar, she was assigned to the Red Army’s 25th Rifle Division as a sniper.
Asked how she felt about killing, Pavlichenko explained: “Every German who remains alive will kill women, children and old folks. Dead Germans are harmless. Therefore, if I kill a German, I am saving lives.”
