The deadliest female sniper to ever live, 1940's – world history and facts

The deadliest female sniper to ever live, 1940's 




Lyudmila Pavlichenko was a sniper who served in the Soviet Union's Red Army during WW2 and got the name "Lady Death" for her high kill count. Born in Ukraine, she was described as a tomboy and was fiercely competitive in athletic activities in her youth. She also took part in amateur shooting groups, in which she earned a marksman certificate. 

In 1941, Pavlichenko was 24 and in her 4th year in university when the Germans began their invasion of the USSR. She volunteered to join the infantry but was pressured to become a nurse. However, she refused and became a sniper. She joined the 25th rifle division, which had 2,000 female snipers, of which 500 would survive the war. After experiencing a dying comrade handing her his rifle in the Siege of Odessa, she shot and killed two enemy troops. This moment began her everlasting determination to fight and end the German Regime. 

During her time in Odessa, she killed 187 enemies. During this time, she met another sniper, Alexei Kitsenko and fell in love with him. They got married, but he was killed after being struck by a mortar bomb. 

Pavlichenko was then transferred to Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. To an unknowing 257 more enemy troops, they would be marked by death as soon as she set foot in Sevastopol. Her final enemy kill count was 309 kills, including 36 enemy snipers.

After the war, she toured America and Canada as part of Soviet attempts to improve relations with the west. She graduated from university with a degree in history.

Pavlichenko died an early death in 1974 of a stroke. She was only 58. After the war, she suffered from depression and PTSD due to her husband's death. She suffered from alcoholism, which contributed to her stroke. She received the hero of the soviet Union award and others for her bravery. 

The Soviet Union produced some of the best snipers in WW2. Many of them being women. Women were exceptional snipers as women tend to be more patient, are better at multitasking and pay attention to small details in their surroundings more than men usually do. 


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