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| birth_place = [[Bila Tserkva]], [[Russian Empire]]<br><small>(present-day [[Ukraine]])</small> |
| birth_place = [[Bila Tserkva]], [[Russian Empire]]<br><small>(present-day [[Ukraine]])</small> |
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| death_place = [[Moscow]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], Soviet Union |
| death_place = [[Moscow]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], Soviet Union |
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| nickname = |
| nickname = |
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| spouse = Aleksey Pavlichenko {{sfn|Simonov|Chudinova|2017|p=160}} |
| spouse = Aleksey Pavlichenko {{sfn|Simonov|Chudinova|2017|p=160}} |
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| children = Rostislav Pavlichenko {{sfn|Simonov|Chudinova|2017|p=160}} |
| children = Rostislav Pavlichenko {{sfn|Simonov|Chudinova|2017|p=160}} |
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| awards = [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] |
| awards = [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko''', ({{lang-ru|Людми́ла Миха́йловна Павличе́нко}}; [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]: Людмила Михайлівна Павличенко, {{nee|'''Belova'''}}; {{OldStyleDate|12 July|1916|30 May}}{{spaced ndash}}10 October 1974) was a [[snipers of the Soviet Union|Soviet sniper]] in the [[Red Army]] during [[World War II]], who |
'''Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko''', ({{lang-ru|Людми́ла Миха́йловна Павличе́нко}}; [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]: Людмила Михайлівна Павличенко, {{nee|'''Belova'''}}; {{OldStyleDate|12 July|1916|30 May}}{{spaced ndash}}10 October 1974) was a [[snipers of the Soviet Union|Soviet sniper]] in the [[Red Army]] during [[World War II]], who has been credited with unverified claims of having 309 sniper kills.{{efn|name=kills|Most sources credit her with 309 kills based on her claims and official Soviet accounts, but modern historians have begun to question the tally as being a product of Soviet Propaganda. The Russian historian Oleg Kaminsky called into question many feats attributed to her by analyzing her contradictory claims and timelines of events.}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3F3DAAAQBAJ|title=Avenging Angels: Young Women of the Soviet Union's WWII Sniper Corps|last=Vinogradova|first=Lyuba|date=2017|publisher=Quercus|isbn=9781681442839|pages=37–47|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Time2">[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773683,00.html Lady Sniper], [[TIME Magazine]] (Monday, 28 September 1942)</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OPxNvgAACAAJ|title=Sniping: An Illustrated History|last1=Farey|first1=Pat|last2=Spicer|first2=Mark|date=2009-05-05|publisher=Voyageur Press|isbn=9780760337172|pages=129|language=en}}</ref> Pavlichenko served in the Red Army during the [[Siege of Odessa (1941)|siege of Odessa]] and the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|siege of Sevastopol]], during the early stages of the fighting on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. In 1942, she toured the [[United States]], [[Canada]], and [[Great Britain]]. After the war ended in 1945, she was reassigned as a Senior Researcher for the [[Soviet Navy]]. She died of a [[stroke]] at the age of 58. |
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Pavlichenko was called "Lady Death" for her ability with a [[sniper rifle]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/565151/retrobituaries-lyudmila-pavlichenko|title=Lady Death: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Greatest Female Sniper of All Time|date=2018-12-06|website=mentalfloss.com|language=en|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref> She served in the Red Army during the [[Siege of Odessa (1941)|siege of Odessa]] and the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|siege of Sevastopol]], during the early stages of the fighting on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. |
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After she was injured in battle by a mortar shell, she was evacuated to [[Moscow]].<ref name=":02" /> After she had recovered from her injuries she trained other Red Army snipers and was a public spokesperson for the Red Army. In 1942, she toured the [[United States]], [[Canada]], and [[Great Britain]]. After the war ended in 1945, she was reassigned as a Senior Researcher for the [[Soviet Navy]]. She died of a [[stroke]] at the age of 58.<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":22">{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2018/05/12/soviet-girl-sniper-had-309-kills-and-a-best-friend-in-eleanor-roosevelt/|title=Soviet 'girl sniper' had 309 kills — and a best friend in the White House|last=Linge|first=Mary Kay|date=2018-05-12|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref> |
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== Early life and education == |
== Early life and education == |
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Lyudmila Belova was born to Russian parents in [[Bila Tserkva]], [[Kiev Governorate]] in the [[Russian Empire]] (now in [[Kyiv Oblast]], [[Ukraine]]) on {{OldStyleDate|12 July|1916|30 May}}, to Mikhail Belov, a locksmith from [[Petrograd]] and his wife Elena Trofimovna Belova (1897–1972).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-06-28|title=Велика Вітчизняна Війна|url=http://www.peremoga.gov.ua:80/index.php?4601000126510000010|access-date=2020-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628111614/http://www.peremoga.gov.ua:80/index.php?4601000126510000010|archive-date=28 June 2009}}</ref> |
Lyudmila Belova was born to Russian parents in [[Bila Tserkva]], [[Kiev Governorate]] in the [[Russian Empire]] (now in [[Kyiv Oblast]], [[Ukraine]]) on {{OldStyleDate|12 July|1916|30 May}}, to Mikhail Belov, a locksmith from [[Petrograd]] and his wife Elena Trofimovna Belova (1897–1972).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-06-28|title=Велика Вітчизняна Війна|url=http://www.peremoga.gov.ua:80/index.php?4601000126510000010|access-date=2020-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628111614/http://www.peremoga.gov.ua:80/index.php?4601000126510000010|archive-date=28 June 2009}}</ref> |
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The family moved to [[Kyiv|Kiev]] when Lyudmila was aged 14.<ref name="smithsonian2">{{cite news|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eleanor-roosevelt-and-the-soviet-sniper-23585278/|title=Eleanor Roosevelt and the Soviet Sniper|last1=King|first1=Gilbert|date=February 21, 2013|work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]|access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref> |
The family moved to [[Kyiv|Kiev]] when Lyudmila was aged 14.<ref name="smithsonian2">{{cite news|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eleanor-roosevelt-and-the-soviet-sniper-23585278/|title=Eleanor Roosevelt and the Soviet Sniper|last1=King|first1=Gilbert|date=February 21, 2013|work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]|access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref>. As a child, Lyudmila was a self-described tomboy, who was fiercely competitive at athletic activities. In Kiev, she joined an [[DOSAAF|OSOAVIAKhIM]] shooting club, developed into an amateur [[marksman|sharpshooter]] and earned her [[Voroshilov Sharpshooter]] badge and a [[marksman]] certificate. |
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As a child, Lyudmila was a self-described tomboy, who was fiercely competitive at athletic activities. In Kiev, she joined an [[DOSAAF|OSOAVIAKhIM]] shooting club, developed into an amateur [[marksman|sharpshooter]] and earned her [[Voroshilov Sharpshooter]] badge and a [[marksman]] certificate. |
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In 1932, she married Alexei Pavlichenko, and gave birth to a son, Rostislav (1932–2007). However, the marriage was soon dissolved, and Lyudmila returned to live with her parents. |
In 1932, she married Alexei Pavlichenko, and gave birth to a son, Rostislav (1932–2007). However, the marriage was soon dissolved, and Lyudmila returned to live with her parents. During the day, she worked as a [[grinder (milling)|grinder]] at the [[Kyiv Arsenal factory]].<ref name="propbook2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8XlOJplQRgC&pg=PA31 Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45] by Henry Skaida, Osprey Publishing, 2003, {{ISBN|1841765988}}/{{ISBN|978-1841765983}}, page 31</ref> |
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She attended night school as well as performing household chores.<ref name=":02" /> During the day, she worked as a [[grinder (milling)|grinder]] at the [[Kyiv Arsenal factory]].<ref name=":02" /><ref name="propbook2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8XlOJplQRgC&pg=PA31 Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45] by Henry Skaida, Osprey Publishing, 2003, {{ISBN|1841765988}}/{{ISBN|978-1841765983}}, page 31</ref> |
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She enrolled at [[Kyiv National University|Kyiv University]] in 1937, where she studied history and intended to be a scholar and teacher. There, she competed on the university's track team as a sprinter and pole vaulter.<ref name="smithsonian2"/><ref name=" |
She enrolled at [[Kyiv National University|Kyiv University]] in 1937, where she studied history and intended to be a scholar and teacher. There, she competed on the university's track team as a sprinter and pole vaulter.<ref name="smithsonian2"/><ref name="Sisters in Arms">[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5LrLDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Pavlichenko&f=false Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from Antiquity to the New Millenium] by Julie Wheelwright, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020, {{ISBN|1472838017}}/{{ISBN|9781472838018}} </ref> |
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It is thought by Julie Wheelwright that some biographical details may have been changed or omitted altogether.<ref name="Sisters in Arms">[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5LrLDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Pavlichenko&f=false Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from Antiquity to the New Millenium] by Julie Wheelwright, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020, {{ISBN|1472838017}}/{{ISBN|9781472838018}} </ref> |
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==World War II== |
==World War II== |
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[[File:Pavlichenko in a trench.jpg|thumb|Pavlichenko in a trench (1942).]]In June 1941, Pavlichenko was aged 24 in her fourth year studying history at [[Kyiv University]] when [[Nazi Germany]] began its [[Operation Barbarossa|invasion of the Soviet Union]].<ref name="propbook2"/> Pavlichenko volunteered at the [[Odessa]] recruiting office to join the [[infantry]] and was assigned to the [[Red Army]]'s [[25th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|25th Rifle Division]]. Pavlichenko fought for about two-and-a-half months during the [[siege of Odessa]]. <ref name="WatWar2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=lyZYS_GxglIC&pg=PT557 Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present originally from Ukraine] by [[Arthur Bernard Cook]], [[ABC-CLIO]], 2006, {{ISBN|1851097708}}/{{ISBN|978-1851097708}}, page 457</ref> She was promoted to Senior Sergeant in August 1941. When the [[Romanian Army]] gained control of Odessa on 15 October 1941, her unit was withdrawn by sea to [[Sevastopol]], on the [[Crimean Peninsula]],<ref name="WatWar2" /> to fight in the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|siege of Sevastopol]]. |
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[[File:Pavlichenko in a trench.jpg|thumb|Pavlichenko in a trench (1942).]] |
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In June 1941, Pavlichenko was aged 24 in her fourth year studying history at [[Kyiv University]] when [[Nazi Germany]] began its [[Operation Barbarossa|invasion of the Soviet Union]].<ref name="propbook2"/> Pavlichenko was among the first round of volunteers at the [[Odessa]] recruiting office, where she requested to join the [[infantry]]. The registrar pushed Pavlichenko to be a nurse, but she refused. After seeing that she had completed multiple training courses, it finally let her in the army as a sniper, and she was assigned to the [[Red Army]]'s [[25th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)|25th Rifle Division]].<ref name="propbook2"/> There, she became one of 2,000 female [[snipers]] in the Red Army,<ref name=":02" /> of whom about 500 survived the war.<ref name="smithsonian2"/><ref name=":02" /> Although she was assigned a combat role, she was issued with just a [[fragmentation grenade]] because of weapons shortages. On 8 August 1941, a fallen comrade handed her his [[Mosin–Nagant]] model 1891 bolt-action rifle. Pavlichenko then shot her first two enemies and proved herself to her comrades. She described the event as her "baptism of fire" because that was when she officially became a sniper.<ref name=":02" /> |
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Pavlichenko fought for about two-and-a-half months during the [[siege of Odessa]] and recorded 187 kills.<ref name="WatWar2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=lyZYS_GxglIC&pg=PT557 Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present originally from Ukraine] by [[Arthur Bernard Cook]], [[ABC-CLIO]], 2006, {{ISBN|1851097708}}/{{ISBN|978-1851097708}}, page 457</ref> She was promoted to Senior Sergeant in August 1941, when she reached 100 confirmed kills. At 25, she married a fellow sniper, Alexei Kitsenko.<ref name=":02" /> Soon after the marriage, Kitsenko was mortally wounded by a mortar shell and died from his injuries a few days later in the hospital.<ref name="smithsonian2"/> |
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When the [[Romanian Army]] gained control of Odessa on 15 October 1941, her unit was withdrawn by sea to [[Sevastopol]], on the [[Crimean Peninsula]],<ref name="WatWar2" /> to fight in the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|siege of Sevastopol]].<ref name="propbook2"/><ref name=":22" /> There, she trained other snipers, who killed over 100 Axis soldiers during the battle.<ref name=":22" /> In May 1942, newly-promoted Lieutenant Pavlichenko was cited by the Southern Army Council for killing 257 Axis soldiers. Her total of confirmed kills during [[World War II]] was 309,<ref name="FareySpicer20092">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l1a-kB-1MMAC|title=Sniping: An Illustrated History|author1=Pat Farey|author2=Mark Spicer|date=5 May 2009|publisher=MBI Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-7603-3717-2|page=129|access-date=18 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="propbook2" /> including 36 Axis snipers. |
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In June 1942, Pavlichenko was hit in the face with shrapnel from a [[mortar (weapon)|mortar shell]]. When she was injured, the Soviet High Command ordered for her to be evacuated from Sevastopol via submarine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soviet-awards.com/digest/pavlichenko/pavlichenko1.htm|title=Mankiller: Major Lyudmila Pavlichenko by Henry Sakaida 1 of 2|website=soviet-awards.com|access-date=2019-10-28}}</ref> |
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She spent around a month in the hospital.<ref name="smithsonian2"/> Once she had recovered from her injuries, instead of being sent back to the front, she became a [[propagandist]] for the Red Army.<ref name=":02" /> Her high kill count gave her the nickname "Lady Death."<ref name=":4">{{cite book|title=Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper|last1=Pavlichenko|first1=Lyudmila|last2=Pegler|first2=Martin|date=5 February 2018|publisher=Greenhill Books|id={{ASIN|1784382701|country=uk}}}}</ref><ref name=":02" /><ref name=":3" /> She also trained snipers for combat duty until the end of the war, in 1945.<ref name=":3" /> |
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==Visits to Allied countries== |
==Visits to Allied countries== |
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[[File:Justice Robert Jackson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Liudmila Pavlichenko (cropped).jpg|thumb|300x300px|Pavlichenko (center) with [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|Justice]] [[Robert H. Jackson|Robert Jackson]] (left) and [[US First Lady]] [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] in Washington DC in September 1942.]]<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Aldrich-Pavlichenkojpg.jpg|thumb|left|Pavlichenko greeting USMC Donald Aldrich]] --> |
[[File:Justice Robert Jackson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Liudmila Pavlichenko (cropped).jpg|thumb|300x300px|Pavlichenko (center) with [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|Justice]] [[Robert H. Jackson|Robert Jackson]] (left) and [[US First Lady]] [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] in Washington DC in September 1942.]]<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Aldrich-Pavlichenkojpg.jpg|thumb|left|Pavlichenko greeting USMC Donald Aldrich]] --> |
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In 1942, Pavlichenko was sent to [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] for a publicity visit as part of the [[Soviet Union]]'s attempts to convince the other [[Allies of World War II]] to open a second front against [[Nazi Germany]]. |
In 1942, Pavlichenko was sent to [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] for a publicity visit as part of the [[Soviet Union]]'s attempts to convince the other [[Allies of World War II]] to open a second front against [[Nazi Germany]]. When she visited the United States, she became the first [[Soviet citizen]] to be received by a [[US president]], as [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] welcomed her to the [[White House]].<ref name="Time2"/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jTg1xacTjhEC&pg=PT294 The World War Two Reader] by Gordon Martel, [[Routledge]], 2004, {{ISBN|0415224039}}/{{ISBN|978-0415224031}}, page 268</ref> |
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Pavlichenko appeared before the International Student Assembly being held in Washington, D.C., attended the meetings of the [[Congress of Industrial Organizations]], and made appearances and speeches in [[New York City]] and [[Chicago]]. In New York City, she was given a raccoon fur coat by Mayor [[Fiorello H. La Guardia]].<ref name="smithsonian2"/> |
Pavlichenko appeared before the International Student Assembly being held in Washington, D.C., attended the meetings of the [[Congress of Industrial Organizations]], and made appearances and speeches in [[New York City]] and [[Chicago]]. In New York City, she was given a raccoon fur coat by Mayor [[Fiorello H. La Guardia]].<ref name="smithsonian2"/> . The United States government presented her with a [[Colt's Manufacturing Company#Semi-automatic pistols|Colt semi-automatic pistol]]. In Toronto, Ontario, she was presented a Model 70 [[Winchester rifle]] equipped with a Weaver [[telescopic sight]], now on display at the [[Central Armed Forces Museum]] in [[Moscow]].<ref>The Music of World War II: War Songs and Their Stories by Sheldon Winkler [[Merriam-Webster|Merriam]], 2019, {{ISBN|9780359647798}}, page 83</ref> While visiting Canada, along with fellow sniper [[Vladimir Pchelintsev]] and Moscow fuel commissioner Nikolai Kravchenko, she was greeted by thousands of people at [[Toronto]]'s [[Union Station (Toronto)|Union Station]].<ref name="smithsonian2"/> |
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On Friday 21 November 1942, Pavlichenko visited [[Coventry]], [[England]], accepting donations of £4,516 from local workers to pay for three [[X-ray]] units for the Red Army. She also visited the ruins of [[Coventry Cathedral]], then the [[Alfred Herbert (company)|Alfred Herbert]] works and [[Standard Motor Company|Standard Motor Factory]], from where most funds had been raised. She had inspected a factory in [[Birmingham]] earlier in the day.<ref>The Coventry Evening Telegraph, Saturday November 21st 1942</ref> |
On Friday 21 November 1942, Pavlichenko visited [[Coventry]], [[England]], accepting donations of £4,516 from local workers to pay for three [[X-ray]] units for the Red Army. She also visited the ruins of [[Coventry Cathedral]], then the [[Alfred Herbert (company)|Alfred Herbert]] works and [[Standard Motor Company|Standard Motor Factory]], from where most funds had been raised. She had inspected a factory in [[Birmingham]] earlier in the day.<ref>The Coventry Evening Telegraph, Saturday November 21st 1942</ref> |
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==Later life== |
==Later life== |
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When the war ended, Pavlichenko finished her education at [[Kyiv University]] and began a career as a [[historian]]. |
When the war ended, Pavlichenko finished her education at [[Kyiv University]] and began a career as a [[historian]].<ref name="smithsonian2"/> From 1945 to 1953, she was a research assistant at [[Soviet Navy]] headquarters. She was later active in the Soviet Committee of the Veterans of War.<ref name="propbook2" /> In 1957, [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] visited Pavlichenko in Moscow during a visit to the Soviet Union.<ref name="smithsonian2"/> |
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==Death and legacy== |
==Death and legacy== |
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Pavlichenko was a subject of the 2015 film, ''[[Battle for Sevastopol]]'' (original Russian title, "Битва за Севастополь"). A joint Russian-Ukrainian production, it was released in both countries on 2 April 2015.<ref>{{Citation|title=Battle for Sevastopol|date=2 April 2015|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4084744/|access-date=2018-09-29}}</ref> Its international premiere took place two weeks later at the [[Beijing International Film Festival]]. It is a heavily romanticized version of her life, with several fictitious characters and many departures from the events related in her memoirs. |
Pavlichenko was a subject of the 2015 film, ''[[Battle for Sevastopol]]'' (original Russian title, "Битва за Севастополь"). A joint Russian-Ukrainian production, it was released in both countries on 2 April 2015.<ref>{{Citation|title=Battle for Sevastopol|date=2 April 2015|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4084744/|access-date=2018-09-29}}</ref> Its international premiere took place two weeks later at the [[Beijing International Film Festival]]. It is a heavily romanticized version of her life, with several fictitious characters and many departures from the events related in her memoirs. |
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The first English language edition of her memoirs, ''Lady Death'', was published by Greenhill Books in February 2018. |
The first English language edition of her memoirs, ''Lady Death'', was published by Greenhill Books in February 2018. It has a foreword by Martin Pegler and is part of the [[Lionel Leventhal]]'s Greenhill Sniper Library series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenhillbooks.com/snipers|title=Greenhill Books|website=www.greenhillbooks.com|access-date=9 June 2018}}</ref> |
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Pavlichenko's story was featured in the fourth season of ''[[Drunk History]],'' where she was played by [[Mae Whitman]].<ref>{{Citation|title="Drunk History" The Roosevelts|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6144198/}}</ref> |
Pavlichenko's story was featured in the fourth season of ''[[Drunk History]],'' where she was played by [[Mae Whitman]].<ref>{{Citation|title="Drunk History" The Roosevelts|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6144198/}}</ref> |
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* [[List of female Heroes of the Soviet Union]] |
* [[List of female Heroes of the Soviet Union]] |
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* [[Roza Shanina]] – World War II female sniper |
* [[Roza Shanina]] – World War II female sniper |
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* [[Lydia Litvyak]] – World War II female flying ace |
* [[Lydia Litvyak]] – World War II female flying ace |
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* [[Snipers of the Soviet Union]] |
* [[Snipers of the Soviet Union]] |
Revision as of 20:26, 14 November 2021
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko | |
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Native name | Людмила Михайлівна Павличенко |
Birth name | Lyudmila Mikhailovna Belova |
Born | 12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1916[1] Bila Tserkva, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) |
Died | 10 October 1974 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | (aged 58)
Allegiance | Soviet Union |
Service/ | Red Army |
Years of service | 1941–1953 |
Rank | Lieutenant in the Army Senior Researcher with rank of Major in the Soviet Navy |
Unit | 54th Stenka Razin Rifle Regiment in 25th Rifle Division Soviet Navy General Staff |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Spouse(s) | Aleksey Pavlichenko [1] |
Children | Rostislav Pavlichenko [1] |
Other work | Soviet Committee of the Veterans of War |
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko, (Russian: Людми́ла Миха́йловна Павличе́нко; Ukrainian: Людмила Михайлівна Павличенко, née Belova; 12 July [O.S. 30 May] 1916 – 10 October 1974) was a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II, who has been credited with unverified claims of having 309 sniper kills.[a][2][3][4] Pavlichenko served in the Red Army during the siege of Odessa and the siege of Sevastopol, during the early stages of the fighting on the Eastern Front. In 1942, she toured the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. After the war ended in 1945, she was reassigned as a Senior Researcher for the Soviet Navy. She died of a stroke at the age of 58.
Early life and education
Lyudmila Belova was born to Russian parents in Bila Tserkva, Kiev Governorate in the Russian Empire (now in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine) on 12 July [O.S. 30 May] 1916, to Mikhail Belov, a locksmith from Petrograd and his wife Elena Trofimovna Belova (1897–1972).[5] The family moved to Kiev when Lyudmila was aged 14.[6]. As a child, Lyudmila was a self-described tomboy, who was fiercely competitive at athletic activities. In Kiev, she joined an OSOAVIAKhIM shooting club, developed into an amateur sharpshooter and earned her Voroshilov Sharpshooter badge and a marksman certificate.
In 1932, she married Alexei Pavlichenko, and gave birth to a son, Rostislav (1932–2007). However, the marriage was soon dissolved, and Lyudmila returned to live with her parents. During the day, she worked as a grinder at the Kyiv Arsenal factory.[7]
She enrolled at Kyiv University in 1937, where she studied history and intended to be a scholar and teacher. There, she competed on the university's track team as a sprinter and pole vaulter.[6][8]
World War II
In June 1941, Pavlichenko was aged 24 in her fourth year studying history at Kyiv University when Nazi Germany began its invasion of the Soviet Union.[7] Pavlichenko volunteered at the Odessa recruiting office to join the infantry and was assigned to the Red Army's 25th Rifle Division. Pavlichenko fought for about two-and-a-half months during the siege of Odessa. [9] She was promoted to Senior Sergeant in August 1941. When the Romanian Army gained control of Odessa on 15 October 1941, her unit was withdrawn by sea to Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula,[9] to fight in the siege of Sevastopol.
Visits to Allied countries
In 1942, Pavlichenko was sent to Canada and the United States for a publicity visit as part of the Soviet Union's attempts to convince the other Allies of World War II to open a second front against Nazi Germany. When she visited the United States, she became the first Soviet citizen to be received by a US president, as Franklin D. Roosevelt welcomed her to the White House.[3][10]
Pavlichenko appeared before the International Student Assembly being held in Washington, D.C., attended the meetings of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and made appearances and speeches in New York City and Chicago. In New York City, she was given a raccoon fur coat by Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia.[6] . The United States government presented her with a Colt semi-automatic pistol. In Toronto, Ontario, she was presented a Model 70 Winchester rifle equipped with a Weaver telescopic sight, now on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.[11] While visiting Canada, along with fellow sniper Vladimir Pchelintsev and Moscow fuel commissioner Nikolai Kravchenko, she was greeted by thousands of people at Toronto's Union Station.[6]
On Friday 21 November 1942, Pavlichenko visited Coventry, England, accepting donations of £4,516 from local workers to pay for three X-ray units for the Red Army. She also visited the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, then the Alfred Herbert works and Standard Motor Factory, from where most funds had been raised. She had inspected a factory in Birmingham earlier in the day.[12]
Having been made an officer, Pavlichenko never returned to combat, instead becoming an instructor and training snipers until the war's end.[7] In 1943, she was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union,[13] as well as the Order of Lenin twice.[6]
Later life
When the war ended, Pavlichenko finished her education at Kyiv University and began a career as a historian.[6] From 1945 to 1953, she was a research assistant at Soviet Navy headquarters. She was later active in the Soviet Committee of the Veterans of War.[7] In 1957, Eleanor Roosevelt visited Pavlichenko in Moscow during a visit to the Soviet Union.[6]
Death and legacy
She died from a stroke on 10 October 1974 at 58 and was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Her son, Rostislav, is buried next to her.[citation needed]
A second Soviet commemorative stamp featuring her portrait was issued in 1976.[6]
In popular culture
The American folk singer Woody Guthrie composed a song ("Miss Pavlichenko") as a tribute to her war record and to memorialize her visits to the United States and Canada.[14] It was released as part of The Asch Recordings.[15][16]
Pavlichenko was a subject of the 2015 film, Battle for Sevastopol (original Russian title, "Битва за Севастополь"). A joint Russian-Ukrainian production, it was released in both countries on 2 April 2015.[17] Its international premiere took place two weeks later at the Beijing International Film Festival. It is a heavily romanticized version of her life, with several fictitious characters and many departures from the events related in her memoirs.
The first English language edition of her memoirs, Lady Death, was published by Greenhill Books in February 2018. It has a foreword by Martin Pegler and is part of the Lionel Leventhal's Greenhill Sniper Library series.[18]
Pavlichenko's story was featured in the fourth season of Drunk History, where she was played by Mae Whitman.[19]
In Call of Duty: Vanguard, protagonist Lt. Polina Petrova (voiced by Laura Bailey) was inspired by Pavlichenko.[20]
Awards and honors
- Hero of the Soviet Union (25 October 1943)
- Two Orders of Lenin (16 July 1942 and 25 October 1943)
- Two Medals "For Military Merit" (26 April 1942 and 13 June 1952)
- Campaign medals[21]
See also
- List of female Heroes of the Soviet Union
- Roza Shanina – World War II female sniper
- Lydia Litvyak – World War II female flying ace
- Snipers of the Soviet Union
- Mosin–Nagant
Notes
- ^ Most sources credit her with 309 kills based on her claims and official Soviet accounts, but modern historians have begun to question the tally as being a product of Soviet Propaganda. The Russian historian Oleg Kaminsky called into question many feats attributed to her by analyzing her contradictory claims and timelines of events.
References
- ^ a b c Simonov & Chudinova 2017, p. 160.
- ^ Vinogradova, Lyuba (2017). Avenging Angels: Young Women of the Soviet Union's WWII Sniper Corps. Quercus. pp. 37–47. ISBN 9781681442839.
- ^ a b Lady Sniper, TIME Magazine (Monday, 28 September 1942)
- ^ Farey, Pat; Spicer, Mark (5 May 2009). Sniping: An Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780760337172.
- ^ "Велика Вітчизняна Війна". 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h King, Gilbert (21 February 2013). "Eleanor Roosevelt and the Soviet Sniper". Smithsonian. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45 by Henry Skaida, Osprey Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1841765988/ISBN 978-1841765983, page 31
- ^ Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from Antiquity to the New Millenium by Julie Wheelwright, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020, ISBN 1472838017/ISBN 9781472838018
- ^ a b Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present originally from Ukraine by Arthur Bernard Cook, ABC-CLIO, 2006, ISBN 1851097708/ISBN 978-1851097708, page 457
- ^ The World War Two Reader by Gordon Martel, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0415224039/ISBN 978-0415224031, page 268
- ^ The Music of World War II: War Songs and Their Stories by Sheldon Winkler Merriam, 2019, ISBN 9780359647798, page 83
- ^ The Coventry Evening Telegraph, Saturday November 21st 1942
- ^ Henry Sakaida; Christa Hook (2003), Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45, vol. 90, Osprey Publishing, p. 21, ISBN 978-1-84176-598-3, OCLC 829740681, retrieved 3 December 2011
- ^ "Miss Pavlichenko" dated to 1942 at [1]
- ^ Hard Travelin': The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3,
- ^ {{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SEWBAK%7Ctitle=Amazon.com: Miss Pavlichenko: Woody Guthrie: MP3 Downloads|work=amazon.com}0
- ^ Battle for Sevastopol, 2 April 2015, retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ "Greenhill Books". www.greenhillbooks.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ "Drunk History" The Roosevelts
- ^ "New 'Call of Duty: Vanguard' trailer has wild WWII gunfights". maxim.com. 20 August 2021.
- ^ Simonov & Chudinova 2017, p. 164.
Bibliography
- Simonov, Andrey; Chudinova, Svetlana (2017). Женщины - Герои Советского Союза и России. Moscow: Russian Knights Foundation, Museum of Technology V. Zadorozhny. ISBN 9785990960701. OCLC 1019634607.
- Pavlichenko, Lyudmila; Pavlichenko (2018). Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper. Greenhill Books, London. ISBN 9785990960701.