Snipers were one of the most prominent heroes of World War II.. And Soviet women snipers attracted a lot of attention to themselves, as in the war years, so in the postwar period. They aroused the admiration of the allies and spread fear among the enemies. The most famous female sniper in the Soviet Union is Lyudmila Pavlichenko, she is considered the most productive. On the account of Lyudmila officially appears 309 destroyed enemy soldiers and officers. The glory of Lyudmila Pavlichenko went far beyond the borders of the USSR, the brave woman was well known in the USA and throughout the West.
The feat of brave women was actively covered in the Soviet press. Just the fact that fragile girls are at the forefront, where they risked their lives every minute, spending hours ambushed in the heat, cold, rain and snow blizzard, inspires genuine admiration and immeasurable respect for their feat. In total, during the years of World War II, more than two thousand Soviet women underwent special training in sniper courses and subsequently went to the front.
Unfortunately, the most famous and productive female sniper in domestic history passed away early - 27 October 1974 years of age 58 years. However, later 45 years after her death, the memory of this brave woman is still alive.
The path of a student of the history faculty to sniper business
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (in Belov's virginity) was born in the Ukrainian city of Bila Tserkva 29 June 1916 years in a family of ordinary workers. The father of the future heroine of the war was an ordinary locksmith Mikhail Belov. During the Civil War in Russia, he supported the Bolsheviks and was able to build a notable military career, having risen to the regimental commissar. After the end of the Civil War he continued his service, but already in the internal affairs bodies of the young Soviet republic.
To 14 years Lyudmila lived the life of an ordinary Soviet teenager and studied at school number 3 in her hometown, until the family moved to live in Kiev. Graduated 9 secondary school classes, the girl began to work, getting a job at the famous Kiev Arsenal plant as a grinder. At the same time as Lyudmila, she continued to study at evening school., to get a complete education.
AT 1932 year Lyudmila fell in love with Alexei Pavlichenko. The girl met her future husband at a dance. Fast enough, the couple got married, married a newly-born son - Rostislav. Despite the birth of a child, the marriage soon broke up, after which Lyudmila Mikhailovna returned to live with her parents, leaving the name of his ex-husband, under which she became famous throughout the world.
AT 1937 21-year-old Lyudmila Pavlichenko decided to get higher education and successfully entered Kiev State University. Studied future female sniper at the Faculty of History. Like many girls and boys of the 1930s Lyudmila went in for sports, gliding and shooting. Glider and shooting sports in those years were especially common throughout the Soviet Union.
Lyudmila was seriously fond of shooting and when visiting the shooting gallery she surprised her friends with accuracy. In one of the OSOAWIAHIM shooting ranges, they even drew attention to her, recommending admission to the Kiev school of snipers. Likely, father taught the girl to shoot, who fought back in the Civil War and worked in the internal affairs bodies.
Anyway, Lyudmila was in no hurry to leave the university and try on a military uniform. She wanted to finish her education.. Before the outbreak of the war, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a fourth-year student, went to graduate practice on the Black Sea at the Odessa Museum, where she was going to seriously engage in historical research. During the trip, she left her son with her parents. It was on the Black Sea coast that the news about the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union was caught by the museum work of Lyudmila.
Already in the first days of the war Lyudmila Pavlichenko, which even before the start of the war managed to take short-term sniper courses, without thinking twice, volunteered for the front. Trained snipers were needed even then, therefore, quite quickly, the newly-minted fighter of the Red Army ended up in the 25th Chapaev Rifle Division.
The combat path of Lyudmila Pavlichenko
Together with the soldiers and commanders of the 25th Infantry Division, Lyudmila participated in battles in the territory of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and in southern Ukraine, took part in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. AT 1941 year, the girls were reluctant to take into the army and Lyudmila was first planned to be recorded as a nurse, but she managed to confirm her accuracy, in addition, behind her were courses of snipers in Kiev. The girl had an initial training and natural accuracy, so she was entrusted with a sniper rifle and the opportunity to participate in real battles.
It is worth noting, that already 8 August 1941 Romanian troops reached the Dniester estuary, where they were temporarily stopped by the 12th army, despite the heroic defense of the Soviet troops to 13 August 1941 Odessa was completely surrounded by fascists from land. As part of the Primorsky Army, the city was defended by the famous 25th rifle division named after Chapaev.
For ten weeks of fighting near Odessa, Lyudmila Pavlichenko officially chalked up 187 Romanian and German soldiers and officers. And the girl opened the bill to her well-aimed shots on the far approaches to Odessa, in the first battle, she destroyed two Romanian soldiers in the vicinity of the town of Belyaevka.
By October 1941 years, the Soviet command decided, that the defense of Odessa is no longer practical, from 1 by 16 October garrison was evacuated. In Sevastopol managed to transport approximately 86 thousands of soldiers and officers, and 15 thousand civilians, artillery and ammunition, in addition, earlier in August-September, they removed from the city 125 thousand citizens.
Troops exported from Odessa strengthened the garrison of Sevastopol, taking part in the heroic defense of the city. At the same time, the 25th Infantry Division was evacuated by one of the last. The division managed to take part in repelling the first assault on Sevastopol, which ended for the Nazis failure.
It was near Sevastopol that Lyudmila Pavlichenko officially brought the account of the killed enemies to 309 soldiers and officers, among them was 36 enemy snipers, who intensified their work under the city, after the front stabilized and the fighting became positional.
In the battles near Sevastopol, Lyudmila suffered a severe personal shock. December 1941 years she met with junior lieutenant Alexei Kitsenko, who was also a sniper. The couple became close and started a relationship, snipers went on missions together. Finally, the couple filed a marriage command report, but fate decreed otherwise. In March 1942 years during mortar shelling of a sniper position Kitsenko was mortally wounded, a fragment of a mortar shell tore his hand. 36-summer Alex died in front of his beloved 4 Martha 1942 of the year.
And in early June, Pavlichenko herself was seriously injured., which saved her life. Lyudmila was evacuated from the besieged city to the Caucasus among the last wounded after the start of the next offensive by German and Romanian troops. Started 7 June 1942 years, the last assault on Sevastopol ended for the Nazis a success. Across 10 days of continuous fighting, the enemy captured a number of important artillery positions, heights and went to the approaches to the dominant terrain - Sapun mountain.
1 July, organized defense in Sevastopol ceased, resistance to the enemy was provided only by isolated groups and blocked garrisons. 25-I am a rifle division, in which Ludmila Pavlichenko served, ceased to exist. The fall of the city became a tragic page in the history of the Great Patriotic War, only the highest and part of the middle command staff could evacuate from Sevastopol, tens of thousands of Soviet soldiers captured by the Nazis. At the same time, the troops of the invaders suffered very heavy losses under the city. During the final assault, advanced German companies often left no more 25 active fighters.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko gives a speech in London
Lyudmila Pavlichenko and Eleanor Roosevelt
After prolonged treatment in the Caucasus, Lyudmila Pavlichenko was summoned to the Main Political Administration in Moscow (GPU) red Army. Moscow decided to make a brave woman a symbol of the fight against invaders, and also include Lyudmila in the Soviet delegation, which will go to the UK, USA and Canada. In the West, the delegation was supposed to talk about the situation on the Eastern Front, the struggle waged by the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany.
anticipated, that the members of the Soviet delegation will meet not only with journalists and the public of countries, but also with politicians. It was an important advocacy and educational mission., whose main goal was to open to the western man in the street, primarily Americans, eyes on the horrors of war, which unfolded on the territory of the Soviet Union.
It was in the United States that Pavlichenko uttered the phrase at one of the speeches, which went down in history. Turning to American viewers, Lyudmila stated:
«To me 25 years, at the front I managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don't you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?»
The hall after this phrase first froze, then exploded with a standing ovation. The trip was very successful., much was written about the Soviet heroes in the newspapers, and journalists competed in epithets, which was awarded to Lyudmila Pavlichenko. In the Western press she was called "Miss Colt", "Bolshevik Valkyrie" and "Lady Death". It was a recognition and world fame., however, many Americans took a fresh look at the war in the Soviet Union, about which before that they had very distant ideas.
Members of the USSR delegation: senior lieutenant V.N. Пчелинцев, junior lieutenant L.M. Pavlichenko and the secretary of the Komsomol MGK N.P. Krasavchenko in Washington, 1942 year
During a trip to the USA Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who knew English well, met the wife of American President Eleanor Roosevelt and even lived for some time in the White House. The first lady and the most famous Soviet woman sniper became real friends and carried this friendship through their whole lives. Despite, that they lived in different countries, which, after the war ended, again became irreconcilable ideological opponents already in the framework of the Cold War that had begun, they maintained friendly relations and corresponded with each other for a long time. AT 1957 the year they met again in Moscow during the visit of Eleanor Roosevelt to the USSR.
Feat is not measured by the score of killed enemies
Today a lot of talk about: whether Lyudmila Pavlichenko really chalked up 309 killed enemy soldiers and officers. Indirect evidence casts doubt on this figure, as in 1941 year, soldiers and officers of the Red Army were presented to government medals and for lesser exploits, at the same time Pavlichenko received the first award only 24 April 1942 years - it was a medal "For Military Merit". And already after the evacuation from Sevastopol, she was presented to the Order of Lenin.
The title Hero of the Soviet Union, the famous woman sniper was awarded in October 1943 of the year, after almost 1,5 years as the fighting near Sevastopol died down. At the same time, they were represented for the similar rank of Soviet snipers for much less merit.
The dispute over the number of murdered Pavlichenko Nazis will continue further. But quite obvious, that this brave woman deserves all respect, no matter, what image did the soviet make of it during the war years, and then western propaganda. This work during the difficult war years was also of great importance for victory., the country needed heroes and leaders, who could be followed, and on which one could equal.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko in Odessa, 1971 year
Regardless of the number of enemies killed, Pavlichenko earned her fame and fame with courage and courage, manifested at the front during very difficult battles for the entire Red Army 1941-1942 years. The brave girl voluntarily went to the front in 1941 year, which in itself was a serious challenge, at 1941 year women were taken into the army in almost exceptional cases, especially in combat units. Lyudmila Pavlichenko with honor carried out heavy battles on her fragile shoulders during the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol and never sat out in the rear.
During her time at the front, she was seriously shocked four times and was injured three times.. Injured, shell shocks and hard trials, who fell to her lot, led to the early death of Lyudmila - at the age of 58 years. Today we can only bow to courage, courage, this woman’s self-sacrifice, which in difficult times for the country took on its fragile shoulders the task of protecting our Motherland and did everything, what was in her power, to bring victory over the enemy closer.
Everlasting memory.
/Sergey Yuferev, topwar.ru/
