Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko is a sniper, whose biography contains a huge number of facts proving her invaluable contribution to the victory over the Nazis in the Great Patriotic War. She is responsible for the destruction of 309 German soldiers and officers. Moreover, among the eliminated opponents there were 36 enemy snipers.

Childhood and youth

Date of birth: July 12, 1916. Place of birth is the Ukrainian city of Bila Tserkva. She studied at school No. 3, located near her house. And when Lyudmila was 14 years old, the family moved to live in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.

From childhood, the girl was distinguished by her fighting character and courage. She did not like games for girls, communicating mainly with boys. The father of Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko (nee Belova), who always dreamed of a son, was glad that his daughter was in no way inferior in strength and endurance to her peers - boys.

After finishing ninth grade, Lyudmila went to work at the Arsenal plant, where she worked as a grinder. She managed to successfully combine labor activity and studying in 10th grade.

Lyudmila got married early. At the time of marriage she was only 16 years old. Soon the young couple had a son, Rostislav (died in 2007). But family life did not work out: after living together for several years, the couple divorced. But Lyudmila did not give up her husband’s surname. Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko's husband died at the beginning of the war.

First training

While working at the Arsenal plant, L. M. Pavlyuchenko began to often visit the shooting range. More than once she heard the boastful conversations of the neighboring boys who talked about their exploits at the training ground. At the same time, they argued that only boys could shoot well, and girls could not do it. The story of Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko as a shooter began precisely with the fact that she wanted to prove to these boastful guys that girls can shoot just as well, or even better...

In 1937, L. Pavlyuchenko went to study at Kiev University. Having entered the history department, she dreamed of becoming a teacher or scientist.

When the war broke out

At the time of the invasion of the USSR by the Germans and Romanians, Lyudmila, future hero USSR, lived in Odessa, where she arrived to undergo graduate internship. She decided to join the army, but girls were not accepted. To get into the army, she had to prove her courage and willingness to fight enemies. One day, the officers gave Lyudmila a strength test. They gave her a gun and pointed to two Romanians who collaborated with the Nazis. She was filled with anger at these people, bitterness for those whom they had taken the lives of. Then she shot them both. After this impromptu mission, she was finally accepted into the army.

With the rank of private Pavlyuchenko, Lyudmila Mikhailovna was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division named after. Vasily Chapaeva. She wanted to get to the front as quickly as possible. Realizing that there she would have to shoot to kill, Lyudmila did not yet know how she would behave when faced with the enemy face to face. But there was no time to think and reflect. On the first day she had to pick up her weapon. Fear paralyzed her, the Mosin rifle (caliber 7.62 mm) with 4x magnification trembled in her hands.

Specifications rifles sniper rifle mod. 1930:

· caliber: 7.62 mm;

· weight: 4.27 kg;

· initial bullet speed: 865 m/s;

· length: 1230 mm;

· magazine capacity: 5 rounds;

· sighting range: 1300-2000 m;

· rate of fire: 10 rounds per minute;

· loading type: manual.

Sight characteristics:

· magnification: 3.5x;

· exit pupil diameter: 6 mm;

· field of view: 4° 30′;

removal of the exit pupil from the surface of the eyepiece lens

· is 72 mm;

· resolving power: 17″;

· sight length: 169 mm;

· sight weight: 0.270 kg.

But when she saw a young soldier fall dead next to her, struck by a German bullet, she gained confidence and fired. Now nothing could stop her.

First tasks

Lyudmila firmly decided to take a sniper course. Having successfully completed them, junior lieutenant Pavlyuchenko opened her combat account. Then, near Odessa, she had to replace a platoon commander who had fallen in battle. She, sparing no effort, destroyed the hated fascists until she received a concussion from a shell that exploded nearby. Even the hellish pain did not break her fighting spirit. She continued to fight on the battlefield...

In October 1941, the Primorsky Army was transferred to Crimea, where Lyudmila, together with her colleagues, began to defend Sevastopol.

Day after day, as soon as the sun began to rise, Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, a sniper whose biography is filled with events proving her loyalty to her Motherland, went out “hunting.” For hours on end, in both heat and cold, she was in ambush, waiting for the “target” to appear. There were cases when it was necessary to enter into duels with venerable and cruel German snipers. But thanks to endurance, endurance, and lightning-fast reactions, she again and again emerged victorious even from the most difficult situations.

The snipers of the Great Patriotic War are poetically called the angels of death, and one glamor magazine recently ranked them among the bloodiest killers. But you peer into Pavlichenko’s face - beautiful, feminine, looking for the stamp of death, and you come across the soft gaze of large and seemingly luminous eyes.

In addition to amazing vision, sniper Pavlichenko had a keen ear and developed intuition. She learned to feel the forest as if she were an animal. Time after time she returned unharmed from no man's land, escaping from under the very noses of the Krauts. They chatted that the sniper had been charmed from death by a healer and that he could hear everything within a radius of half a kilometer. And she memorized ballistic tables, accurately calculated the distance to the object and the correction for wind.

Uneven fight

Lyuda often went on combat missions with Leonid Kutsenko. They began serving in the division almost simultaneously. Some of their colleagues said that Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko was Leonid Kutsenko’s front-line wife. Her personal life before the war did not work out. It is quite possible that these two heroic men were indeed close.

One day, having received an order from the command to destroy an enemy command post discovered by scouts, they quietly made their way into the indicated area, lay down in a dugout and began to wait for an opportune moment. Finally, the unsuspecting German officers appeared in the field of view of the snipers. They did not have time to approach the dugout when they were hit by two accurate shots. But the noise from the fall was heard by other soldiers and officers of Hitler’s army. There were quite a lot of them, but Lyudmila and Leonid, changing positions, destroyed them all one after another. Having killed many enemy officers and signalmen, the Soviet snipers forced the enemy to leave their command post.

Death of Leonid Kutsenko

German intelligence systematically reported to the command about the activities Soviet snipers. A fierce hunt was carried out for them, and numerous traps were set.

One day, a couple of brave Russian snipers, who were in an ambush at that moment, were discovered. Hurricane mortar fire was opened on Pavlyuchenko and Kutsenko. A mine exploded nearby and Leonid’s arm was torn off. Lyudmila carried out her seriously wounded friend and made her way to her family. But, no matter how hard the field doctors tried, Leonid Kutsenko died from severe wounds.

Bitterness from loss loved one further strengthened Lyudmila in her desire to exterminate her sworn enemies. She not only took on the most difficult combat missions, but also taught shooting to young soldiers, trying to give the maximum of her invaluable sniper experience.

During the defensive battles, she raised more than a dozen good shooters. They, following the example of their mentor, stood up to defend their Motherland.

In the mountains

Winter was coming on the rocky area near Sevastopol. Operating in the conditions of a mountain war, L. Pavlyucheno went into ambush under the cover of darkness. From three o'clock in the morning she hid either in thick fog, or in mountain ledges, or in damp hollows. Sometimes the wait dragged on for many hours, or even days. But there was no hurry. It was necessary to walk the road of patience, calculating each step in advance. If you discover yourself, there will be no salvation.

It somehow happened that on Bezymyannaya she found herself alone against six machine gunners. Noticing her the day before, when Pavlyuchenko destroyed many of their soldiers in an unequal battle, the Germans settled over the road. It would seem that Lyudmila was doomed, because there were six fascists, and at any moment they could notice her and destroy her. But even the weather stood up for her. A thick fog descended on the mountains, which allowed our sniper to find a convenient place for an ambush. But we still had to get there. Moving on her belly, Lyudmila Mikhailovna crawled towards her cherished goal. But the Germans did not lose their persistence and persistently fired at her. One bullet almost hit his temple, the other went through the top of his cap. After this, having quickly assessed the location of the opponents, Pavlyuchenko fired two accurate shots. She answered both the one who almost hit her in the temple and the one who almost put a bullet in her forehead. The surviving four Nazis continued hysterical shooting. They pursued her, but as she crawled away, she killed three more one after another. One of the Germans escaped. She saw the bodies of the dead, but, fearing that one of them was pretending to be dead, she did not dare to immediately crawl to them. At the same time, Lyudmila realized that the one who ran away might be about to bring other machine gunners. And the fog thickened again. She nevertheless decided to crawl to the enemies she had struck. They were all dead. Having picked up the weapons of the dead (a machine gun and a light machine gun), she disappeared into an ambush in time. Several more German soldiers approached. They started firing randomly again, and she fired back with several types of weapons at once. Thus, the Soviet sniper tried to convince the enemies that more than one person was fighting them. Gradually moving away, she was able to hide from her opponents and survive in this unequal battle.

Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko - Hero of the USSR

TTD SVT40

• rifle caliber - 7.62;
• the weapon weighs 3.8 kg without a bayonet and cartridges;
• cartridge caliber - 7.62x54 mm;
• rifle length - 1 m 23 cm;
• standard rate of fire is from 20 to 25 rounds per minute;
• initial bullet speed - 829 meters per second;
• sight range - up to 1.5 km;
• The magazine holds 10 rounds of ammunition.

PU sight

Magnification factor: 3.5x
Field of view: 4°30′
Exit pupil diameter: 6mm
Aperture: 36
Eye relief: 72mm
Length: 169 mm
Weight: 270 g
Resolving power: 17′′

Pavlyuchenko was soon transferred to a neighboring regiment. A Nazi sniper operated on its territory, killing many Soviet soldiers and officers. Also, two snipers of the regiment were killed by his bullet. There was a silent battle between a German marksman and a Soviet sniper for more than a day. But the Nazi fighter, accustomed to sleeping in a dugout, was exhausted faster than Lyudmila. And although her whole body ached from the cold and dampness, she turned out to be more agile, literally a split second ahead of the enemy aiming at her.

Having hit him with a fatal bullet, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna crawled up and took a sniper book from the fascist’s pocket. From it she learned that it was the famous “Dunkirk”, which killed more than 500 English, French and Soviet soldiers.

By that time, numerous wounds and concussions had worsened Lyudmila’s condition so much that she was forcibly sent by submarine to the mainland.

Since October 25, 1943 Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko - Hero Soviet Union. Later, at the direction of the Main Political Directorate, she visited with the Soviet delegation in Canada and the United States of America.

During her visit overseas, Pavlichenko attended a reception with the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt and even lived in the White House for some time at the invitation of his wife Eleanor Roosevelt.

The women became friends. One remarkable fact. Not knowing English, Lyudmila always performed in Russian. But for the sake of communicating with Eleanor Roosevelt, she learned English. Then there was many years of correspondence. In 1957, an American woman came to visit Pavlichenko.

In the meantime, the president’s wife, as the first lady of America, organized a trip around the country for Soviet representatives. Lyudmila performed in Washington and New York.

The delegation was received by President Roosevelt. At the press conference, Lyudmila made a splash. "What colour underwear you prefer?" - the journalists' questions were one more provocative than the other. The sniper was not taken aback: “In our country you can get a slap in the face for asking such a question. Come on, come closer...” The next day, all the US newspapers wrote about her.

But most of all she is remembered in Chicago. It must be said that by that time the Soviet Union, more than ever, needed the opening of a Second Front. Western partners in the anti-fascist coalition were in no hurry to open it. Pavlichenko spoke about this. “Gentlemen,” she said, “I am twenty-five years old. At the front, I managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don’t you think you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?!” The crowd of thousands froze, and then exploded with applause and shouts of approval.

In America she was given a Colt, and in Canada a Winchester.

"Lady Death"- Americans called her admiringly, and country singer Woody Guthrie wrote the song “Miss Pavlichenko” about her.

IN summer heat, cold snowy winter
In any weather you hunt down the enemy
The world will love your sweet face just like I do
After all, more than three hundred Nazi dogs died from your weapons...

In Canada, the Soviet military delegation was welcomed by several thousand Canadians who gathered at the Toronto Joint Station.

Having returned, Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, a sniper whose biography has become an example for many brave fighters, serves as an instructor at the Shot sniper school.

Post-war years

After the war, having graduated from Kiev University, this legendary Soviet woman works as a research assistant at the General Staff Navy. She worked there until 1953.

Later, her work was related to helping war veterans. She was also one of the members of the Association for Friendship with the Peoples of Africa, visiting many African countries more than once.

Memory

Until the end of her life, Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko was the symbol of heroism, perseverance and courage of the Russian woman. The children from the pioneer organization, with whom she often communicated, loved to listen to her stories about the war. They gave her a slingshot, which was kept in the small museum of L. Pavlyuchenko for many years. In addition to this memorable gift, awards and souvenirs given to Lyudmila on numerous business trips were kept there.

The grave of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlyuchenko, who passed away on October 27, 1974, is located in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.

As a rule, every publication dedicated to Soviet snipers of the Great Patriotic War mentions the legendary female sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Well, of course - Hero of the Soviet Union! She has 309 destroyed fascist invaders! It would seem that there can be no doubt about her exploits. However, upon careful examination of her combat biography, many things will seem, to put it mildly, rather strange. However, let's start in order.

So, according to biographical descriptions Pavlichenko, she began to fight near Odessa on August 6 or 10, 1941 as part of the 54th Razinsky Rifle Regiment of the famous 25th Chapaevsky Rifle Division, and killed her first two enemies in the battle near Belyaevka. True, already here doubts arise about the reliability of the information, since the 54th regiment from August 6, throughout the entire month, acted as part of the battle group of Colonel Monakhov in the Eastern sector of the defense of Odessa, mainly in the Gildendorf area (where the village of Kotovsky is now located ).

It is curious that, according to some articles on the Internet, Pavlichenko fought not in a simple unit, but as part of a sniper platoon, whose commander was 23-year-old Lieutenant Vasily Kovtun. In the same platoon there was allegedly another female sniper from Odessa, Genya Golovataya, who was also “famous for her well-aimed shots.” As some sources report, one day “the Germans sent their sniper platoon against Kovtun’s platoon. Apparently, they decided to quickly deal with the Soviet riflemen. The massive duel lasted for several hours, Kovtun’s platoon lost more than half.” At the same time, our snipers, naturally, “killed” most of the “German snipers.” However, this “mass duel” raises great doubts, since only Romanian units took part in the battles near Odessa, and on the German side - only one infantry regiment and several small artillery units. In addition, neither the Germans nor the Romanians had snipers at all at that time, much less sniper units.

In general, as it was customary to say then, “the fame of our snipers thundered along the entire front,” and the most famous one, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, “who shot 187 fascists on the outskirts of Odessa,” was known not only to the defenders of the city, but also to the enemies who “ They were terribly afraid of her.” However, despite such great fame, Pavlichenko for a long time, for some reason, were not awarded, although several Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR were issued on awarding the defenders of Odessa with orders and medals.

In all Decrees, in the long lists of those awarded, there are many actual heroes of battles - commanders, pilots, artillerymen, machine gunners, anti-aircraft gunners, Red Army soldiers, Red Navy men... Let us note, however, that orders and medals were also awarded to many persons who clearly did not go into bayonet attacks and even never not holding weapons. Among them are cooks and bakers, production managers, clerks and draftsmen of headquarters, translators, propaganda instructors, executive secretaries of divisional party committees, editors and deputy editors of newspapers, typists and telephone operators, artists of front-line brigades, military lawyers and NKVD investigators (well, how could we be without them!)... However, , V in this case we are of little interest in how, for example, the artist Steinberg received the Order of the Red Star, how the telephone operator Kulchitskaya and the bread delivery man Blyakher earned medals “For Military Merit,” or how and for what many others received awards. Who knows, maybe they really accomplished some feats? However, we are extremely interested in why the name of sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko is not on the list of awardees. After all, by all means mass media it is alleged that in the battles for Odessa, Pavlichenko destroyed as many as 187 enemy soldiers and officers! And this - in just two and a half months! No Soviet sniper had such a fantastic achievement at that time. Yes, for such a combat score, any sniper would have been nominated for the title of Hero long ago! However, we repeat, neither the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, nor any order, nor even the medal “For Military Merit”, which sometimes was awarded even for such dubious “feats” as “hardworking to the point of illness for one’s work” or “takes part in the social and political life of the unit”, Pavlichenko did not receive it then. In the Decrees on awards there is neither the name of the deceased sniper platoon commander Vasily Kovtun, nor Marchenko who replaced him, nor the “legendary” Genya Golovataya, nor anyone else from the “sniper platoon” in which Pavlichenko served. Naturally, the question arises - why? After all, some of the distinguished snipers of other units received their well-deserved awards. Thus, Red Army soldier V.F. Shapovalov and Red Navy soldier N.I. Shvaronok were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The award documents also describe the exploits of these snipers. For example, it is said about Shapovalov that he “doesn’t throw a single cartridge without hitting the target and kills from 27 to 40 fascists every day.” So, in the battles of September 13, 1941, Shapovalov destroyed 80 enemy soldiers, and on September 15 - another 50 (although, to be honest, these figures raise very serious doubts!). Apparently, Shvaronok also shot accurately: for example, on September 18 he shot 40 enemies...

The medal "For Courage" was awarded to Red Navy sniper A.P. Terin. Sniper Corporal P. M. Tutashvili was also nominated for the same medal, although for some reason he did not receive it. The sniper of the 25th division N.D. Suchkov, who, having fired 95 shots, destroyed 85 fascists, was also nominated for an award. Why, after all, did not the political instructors and commanders present the “thunderstorm of the fascists” Pavlichenko for the award? Is it because few people believed in the 187 fascist soldiers and officers she “killed”?

When leaving Odessa, on October 16, 1941, the 25th division, in which Pavlichenko served, was transferred to Crimea. Here, defending Sevastopol, Pavlichenko “killed 72 more fascists” with her sniper rifle by March 16, 1942, i.e. Pavlichenko's combat tally had already reached 260 killed enemies, including almost 30 German snipers. Incredible record! The successes of many famous Soviet snipers who have already been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, such as I. D. Vezhlivtsev, P. I. Golichenkov, A. A. Kalinin, S. P. Loskutov, V. N. Pchelintsev, F. A Smolyachkov and others were much more modest: only 100 to 155 fascist warriors were destroyed. And Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who far surpassed all other Soviet snipers, “Symbol of the Defense of Sevastopol”, still has no awards. How so? Strange, very strange...

And only on April 24, 1942 she was given... no, not the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but... just a medal “For Military Merit”! Together with her, this medal was awarded to several other Sevastopol snipers, whose combat count did not exceed 20-30 incapacitated enemies. How so? Her, the most productive of the Soviet snipers, “with whose name soviet soldiers went into battle,” so they depersonalized and “equalized” them to novice shooters?!

Apparently, there were serious doubts about the veracity of Pavlichenko’s combat account, for example, regarding her success in the fight against enemy snipers. And, by the way, she herself involuntarily confirms this with one of her statements: “...German snipers taught me a lot, and their science was beneficial. Sometimes they would catch me and pin me to the ground. Well, I shout: “Machine gunners, save me!” And until they fire a couple of bursts from a machine gun, I cannot get out of the fire. And the bullets are whistling above my ear all the time and land literally next to me, but not at me.

What did I learn from the German snipers? They taught me, first of all, how to put a helmet on a stick so that you could think that it was a person. I used to do this: I see a Fritz standing there. “Well,” I think, “mine!” I shoot, but it turns out I only hit the helmet. It even got to the point where she fired several shots and still didn’t realize that it wasn’t a person. Sometimes I even lost all self-control. And while you’re shooting, they discover you and start giving a “concert.” Here we had to be patient. They also set up mannequins; standing just like a living Fritz, you also open fire. There were cases here that not only snipers, but also artillerymen were subjected to this.”

Well, as they say, no comments. In fairness, it should be noted that the number of “enemy soldiers and officers destroyed” by other Sevastopol snipers was also highly doubtful. The declared successes of snipers amazed every imagination, reaching 100 or more per day (a record number - “173 shot fascists” - was counted to snipers on May 2). And, for example, in April 1942, the snipers of Sevastopol were credited with 1,492 fascists killed by them. However, in reality, the German 11th Army lost only 458 people killed and 50 missing, as well as 1,865 wounded in the entire Crimea this month. Let us note, by the way, that enemy troops suffered losses mainly from artillery and mortar fire, and losses from snipers, according to statistics, amounted to no more than 5-10 percent...

In addition to the description of Pavlichenko’s combat activities, we will mention some more very important facts in the life of a female sniper: about her wounds, concussions and other cases of “temporary incapacity for combat.” So, she received her first concussion at the very beginning of her time at the front, in August 1941, during an air raid. Fortunately, the concussion was minor and Pavlichenko remained in the regiment. The second concussion from a shell explosion, around August 10-11, turned out to be more serious with partial hearing loss, and Pavlichenko ended up in the Odessa hospital for three weeks. And Pavlichenko received her first wound in the head (the shrapnel went tangentially) in a battle near the village of Tatarka on October 12, 1941, after which she ended up in the medical battalion of the 25th Infantry Division. Together with the medical battalion, Pavlichenko was evacuated to Crimea on the motor ship “Jean Zhores”. After treatment, she returned to the regiment only on November 9, 1941, that is, she did not take part in battles for almost a month. Pavlichenko received a second, more serious wound and concussion near the Mekenzia farmstead near Sevastopol, approximately on December 19, 1941. Then a shell fragment hit her in the right shoulder near the shoulder blade and another sniper, 36-year-old junior lieutenant Alexei Kitsenko, who later became her front-line husband, pulled her out of the battlefield. This serious injury cost Pavlichenko at least another month in the hospital. But at the most longer period She was incapacitated by the death of her beloved, whose arm was torn off by a shrapnel before Pavlichenko’s eyes, after which he died on March 4, 1942. The nervous shock experienced by Pavlichenko was so strong that her hands began to tremble, and there could be no talk of using her as a sniper. Taking all this into account, the command sent Pavlichenko on a long leave to improve her health, where she remained until the very end of May 1942, that is, she was not on the front line for three months. She received a third wound and another concussion on June 16, 1942, when she was at the headquarters of the 54th regiment, which was targeted by German heavy artillery. At the same time, a shell fragment cut Pavlichenko right cheek on his cheekbone and tore off his right earlobe. Once again in the medical battalion, she, along with other wounded, was taken on June 19 on the L-4 submarine from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk. Pavlichenko never had the chance to go to the front again.

It is not difficult to calculate that out of the eleven months of service as a sniper Pavlichenko, she spent almost half of them not in sniper ambushes, but in a hospital bed. In addition, let’s not forget that Pavlichenko was a woman and, like any other woman, was out of action for several days every month, as they say, for purely “female reasons.” It turns out that she destroyed three hundred enemy soldiers and officers in just 5 - 6 months. How such a fantastic result could be achieved in such an extremely short period of time cannot be explained by any sane person even slightly knowledgeable in military affairs.

In total, as we see, Pavlichenko was wounded three times and shell-shocked four times, that is, she repeatedly “shed blood for the Motherland.” But even for this, none of the male commanders, for some reason, considered it necessary to present Pavlichenko, at that time another of the rare female snipers, for a worthy reward.

The defense of Sevastopol ended in a huge disaster for the city’s defenders: almost one hundred thousand people were killed or captured. This tragedy was a huge moral shock for everything Soviet people. In order to somehow smooth out the unpleasant impression of defeat, all the media of that time began to talk about the “massive and unprecedented heroism of the defenders of Sevastopol,” which inflicted “enormous losses on the Nazi troops.”

It should be noted here that by that time, not only in the Sevastopol area, but also on the entire Soviet-German front, the Red Army had suffered catastrophically huge losses in manpower and, naturally, was in dire need of replenishment. However, there were no longer enough men, so it was decided to recruit women into the army en masse. The country needed heroines whose exploits would inspire Soviet women voluntarily join the ranks of the Active Army. The image of the martyr Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya had already faded considerably by that time. In addition, her burning of stables and residential buildings (with all the ensuing consequences for civilians and unfortunate horses!), from the point of view of universal morality, was, to put it mildly, not very attractive. We needed the names of new heroines. It was then that they finally remembered the “thunderstorm of the fascists” and, two weeks after the fall of Sevastopol, on July 16, 1942, Senior Sergeant Pavlichenko was awarded the Order of Lenin.

Let us recall that at that time Pavlichenko had 309 enemies “shot” by her, and, as we calculated, in less than six months! Let us especially emphasize that none of the Soviet snipers had such effectiveness, neither before nor after Pavlichenko. Why wasn’t she given the Hero’s Gold Star for this phenomenal record? After all, they awarded another Sevastopol sniper, Sergeant Major N.P. Adamiya, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, although he had about 200 fascists in his combat record? By the way, Adamia not only shot accurately, but also trained more than 80 soldiers in sniper work. And for some reason, the platoon commander, senior sergeant Pavlichenko, never taught any of her subordinates the art of a sniper. Another Sevastopol sniper, Corporal I. I. Bogatyr, had only about 75 enemies, however, he also received the title of Hero. What about Pavlichenko?! Apparently, the command believed that she had not yet “earned” the Gold Star. However, the career of the “best Soviet sniper” was just beginning...

Already being treated in a hospital in Novorossiysk, she received a sudden call to Moscow, to the GPU of the Red Army. The Main Political Directorate, having far-reaching propaganda plans, began to actively “work” with the newly minted candidate for heroine. Soon, after appropriate processing, Pavlichenko was sent to England, the USA and Canada as a member of the “people's embassy” in August 1942, where she began to publicly shame our allies for not wanting to open a second front. It is curious that Pavlichenko, like another member of the delegation, also our famous sniper Hero of the Soviet Union V.N. Pchelintsev (by that time he had 144 killed Germans) was constantly asked to show his skill in shooting. And, if Pchelintsev willingly demonstrated his skill, Pavlichenko always stubbornly refused to shoot. Of course, one could attribute this to female coquetry, but, most likely, Pavlichenko was terrified of simply “missing the mark”...

It is interesting that Western reporters, greedy for the sensational headlines of their articles, called Pavlichenko nothing more than “Miss Colt”, “Lady Death”, “Bolshevik Valkyrie” and endowed her with other loud epithets. Already in our time, after the release of the pretentious film “Unbroken” (“Battle for Sevastopol”), our writers and journalists, no less susceptible to exalted headlines, began to call Pavlichenko nothing more than “The Woman Who Changed the Course of History.” Apparently, out of great intelligence, they believe that if Pavlichenko had not made her crowning speech in America about the gentlemen hiding behind her back, then the second front in Europe would never have opened. In general, in their opinion, it turns out that it was not such leaders as Stalin, Hitler, Roosevelt and Churchill who changed the course of history, but a simple senior sergeant...

Soviet political leaders were satisfied with Pavlichenko's almost year-long tour of the Allied countries as an agitator. First, on June 3, 1943, she was awarded the rank of lieutenant, and soon after returning from abroad, by a separate Order to the troops of the North Caucasus Front dated October 23, 1943 (almost a year and a half after the end of the battles for Sevastopol!), she was finally , awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (“Golden Star” No. 1218). Then, on May 15, 1944, another promotion in rank followed and Pavlichenko became a senior lieutenant. In general, the career was made and Pavlichenko’s reputation as the best sniper among women was firmly established...

Perhaps the oddities in Pavlichenko’s combat biography are an exception? Well, let’s remember that, as they write on the Internet, along with Pavlichenko, the 25th Chapaev Division included sniper Genya Golovataya, as they say, “originally from Odessa.” Now Genya Solomonovna (Samoilovna) under the surname Peretyatko lives in the United States of America. It is very interesting what they write about her on many Internet sites: “...Having gone to the front at the age of 18 as a professional sniper and taking part in fierce battles, Genya made an invaluable contribution to the victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany. During the war years, she destroyed one and a half hundred reptiles. Recipient of many orders. Now she is one of the most honored veterans of the Great Patriotic War in the Russian-speaking community of New York.” Although, we note, there are absolutely no documentary details about her combat activities in the battles for Odessa. And, most importantly, despite the 148 “bastards she killed,” which Genya likes to talk about in her numerous interviews, there are no award documents for the “holder of many orders” either. Apparently, this is why, as one of her fellow tribesmen in Brighton Beach writes, “at the end of the 70s, Genya Peretyatko left a not very grateful country” and moved to the States for permanent residence. She was probably offended that there were no award documents for her...

Many Internet sites also mention the mysterious female sniper Libo Rugo or Lyuba Rugova. Who is she, where did she come from, where did she fight, in what units? Nothing is known! There is only scanty information that she was only 20 years old, and she “destroyed” neither more nor less - 242 or as many as 275 fascists! However, it is in vain to look for her name among the Heroes of the Soviet Union, among those awarded orders or at least medals. And in numerous literature devoted to the events of the Great Patriotic War, a sniper with that name is also not mentioned. And all because this is an obvious myth, or someone’s outright lie.

No less mysterious are the female snipers Ekaterina Zhdanova and Tari Vutchinnik, who have exactly 155 “killed” each. As with Libo Rugo, there is absolutely no other information about them. So where did they come from? It turns out that these names were named by a certain Hasso G. Stakhov in his book “Tragedy on the Neva. An eyewitness account", published in Munich in 2001. Is it possible to believe the opus of this “eyewitness” “Herr Hasso G. Stakhov”, especially considering that among the thousands of books about the war published in our country, these names are not mentioned anywhere and, of course, no award documents for these female snipers either No?

We must honestly admit that serious doubts are raised not only by the successes of some famous female snipers, but also by male snipers. For example, the successes of the most successful Soviet sniper Mikhail Ilyich Surkov, who accounted for as many as 702 (!) killed fascists, but who, for some reason, was never awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But this is a topic for a separate study...

During the war, the Nazis called our fellow countrywoman, the famous sniper, the Bolshevik Valkyrie, and American, Canadian and British journalists called the Queen of Fire, Lady Death and Sniper No. 1

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Victory over fascism, Russian and Ukrainian filmmakers gave our veterans and everyone who is currently Time of Troubles is partial to the heroic past of the Fatherland, the gift is the feature film “Nezlamna” about the legendary sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who destroyed 309 fascist soldiers and officers during the war and trained dozens of new marksmen for the army.

The Ukrainian viewer is also interested in Lyudmila Mikhailovna because she is our fellow countrywoman, originally from Bila Tserkva, who lived and studied in Kyiv in the pre-war years, and left Odessa for the front. Why did a fragile girl choose the unfeminine profession of a sniper? How did the war affect her future fate? On the eve of the anniversary, he told a FACTS correspondent about this doctor historical sciences Vladimir Fedorovsky.

“The war prevented me from divorcing my unloved first husband and returning the Belov surname.”

— Luda’s youth passed in the 30s last century, — says Vladimir Fedorovsky. — As they say, the smoke of the civil war has not yet cleared, but preconditions have appeared in the socio-political life of our and other countries new war. So that young people could master military specialties even before being drafted into the army, Osoaviakhim was created in the Soviet Union - the Society for the Promotion of Defense, Aviation and Chemical Construction. In its schools, flying clubs, and courses, young men and women learned to drive cars, fly gliders and airplanes, wield weapons, and studied radio engineering...

One day, while walking with fellow students in Shevchenko Park, Lyudmila (at that time a student at the Faculty of History at Kyiv University) looked into the shooting range to shoot with a small-caliber rifle. When the guys shot, the elderly owner of the shooting range asked whose fourth target was. “Mine,” Luda said embarrassedly. She had not yet seen her results and was afraid that she would be scolded. “For excellent shooting, Osoaviakhim will reward you with the right to take an additional free shot!” — the man said and handed the cartridge to the girl. Luda almost made it into the top ten again.

Soon she became a cadet at the Kyiv Osoaviakhim sniper school. The senior instructor of the school was the same shooting range employee - Alexander Vladimirovich Potapov, a former non-commissioned officer of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment tsarist army, and during the Civil War - a red commander who was dismissed from service after being seriously wounded. By the way, Lyudmila’s father was also a participant in the civil war. He fought together with Vasily Chapaev, was awarded the order Red Banner.

Alexander Potapov turned out to be good teacher. He taught Luda and her comrades how to move correctly on the battlefield, camouflage themselves, watch the enemy for hours, who also knows how to be invisible, how to detect the enemy by the smallest changes in the situation and terrain, and how to remember all the details. To do this, he forced girls and boys to observe, for example, a construction site, and then tell how many workers there were, who was doing what, and what they did that day. After such a tiring lesson, Potapov went with his charges to the forest, to Pushcha-Voditsa, where the cadets practiced shooting. One day, a teacher showed the kids a mind-blowing trick. It’s called “knock out the bottom of the bottle.” He placed a lemonade bottle on the stump so that the opening of the neck was facing the shooter, and fired from a fairly decent distance from an ordinary three-line Mosin rifle of the 1891/1930 model. The bullet passed through the hole and knocked out the bottom of the bottle so that the bottle itself remained intact. Pavlichenko soon also learned to repeat this trick.

In June 1941, Lyuda graduated from her fourth year and wanted to write a study about Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Immediately after the exams, she went to Odessa, where she lived in a student dormitory and worked in a public library.

Her nine-year-old son asked to go to the city by the sea with her. By the way, the film does not mention that the 25-year-old student had a child. The fact is that Lyudmila’s personal life was not easy. At the age of fifteen, when Lyuda was in the eighth grade and lived with her parents in Bila Tserkva, the schoolgirl met at a dance a student at the Agricultural Institute - handsome and a favorite of women, Alexei Pavlichenko, who was much older than her. The girl fell in love at first sight and soon became pregnant. Lyuda's father (at that time an NKVD officer) Mikhail Belov found Alexei and forced him to marry. Lyudmila gave birth to a boy, whom she named Rostislav, Rostik. But Pavlichenko turned out to be a dishonest person and their life together did not work out.

Mikhail Belov was soon transferred to serve in Kyiv. Here the girl went to work at the Arsenal plant, graduated evening school. Perhaps this is what made it possible to then write in questionnaires that her origin was from workers. The family tried not to advertise the fact that Lyudmila’s mother was from a noble family, was a highly educated woman, and instilled in her daughter a love of knowledge, foreign languages. In fact, it was the grandmother who raised her grandson, Lyuda’s son, in whom she doted on.

Lyudmila hated the father of her child so much that when he tried to repent, she turned him away and didn’t even want to say his name. I was going to get rid of the Pavlichenko surname, but the war prevented me from filing for divorce. Already at the front, near Sevastopol, she met a new, true love - her commander and sniper, also Alexei, Kitsenko. Luda only called him Lesha or Lenya.

Kitsenko died soon after. Having covered Lyudmila with himself during artillery shelling, he was mortally wounded. The profession of a sniper is very dangerous. It happened that after the very first shots the enemy opened targeted return fire. If the sniper did not have time to change position in time, it could cost him his life.

“The Nazis often shouted: “Lyudmila, come to us!” With us you will not need anything..."

— In 1942 (at that time Lyudmila was already famous), Pavlichenko and another sniper, Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Pchelintsev, were sent to America as part of a delegation of Soviet youth to an international student forum,- continues the historian. — There's a fragile girl in military uniform Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the US President, really liked it. The First Lady invited Lyudmila to stay for a few days in the White House - she wanted to get to know a Soviet woman better. And one day, when Lyuda was changing clothes, seeing four terrible scars on her back, the first lady of the country began to cry quietly. Pavlichenko had several wounds and a concussion. Enemy snipers were hunting for her.

*Pavlichenko, who came to America with the Soviet delegation in 1942, really liked Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the US President. And the first lady invited Lyudmila to live for a few days in the White House

One day, none of our snipers and observers could determine for a long time where the enemy shooter was hiding. And only Lyudmila managed to detect him. In such cases, she often resorted to a rather risky method - she called fire on herself: she lifted a helmet or a rag doll wearing a commander’s cap over the parapet of the trench on a shoulder blade. After the Nazi shot, she or her observer partner spotted the target and returned fire. But then Pavlichenko discovered a completely incomprehensible tactic: the enemy skillfully camouflaged himself and, having found a victim, left his hiding place, approached the target, ending up where no one was waiting for him, then shot and just as quickly disappeared. Of course, he did not escape Lyudmila’s bullet. From his documents we learned that this fascist fought in Western Europe since 1939, he accounted for more than five hundred (!) killed officers and soldiers.

During the first months of the war and the defense of Odessa (and Luda came to the military registration and enlistment office on June 22), she destroyed 179 fascists. By July 1942, that is, within a year, she brought the count to 309. Unfortunately, there are no official documents confirming this achievement. this moment No.

But the fact that the young woman really fought bravely is a fact. Often, together with other snipers or scouts, she went to enemy lines and destroyed the enemy there. One day, thanks to her accurate shooting, her comrades defeated the headquarters of a German military unit and captured valuable documents. The fame of her exploits spread on many fronts. The commander of the Primorsky Army, General Ivan Efimovich Petrov, gave Lyudmila a personalized semi-automatic rifle SVT-40 (Tokarev self-loading rifle) with an optical sight. It had a ten-round magazine; there was no need to jerk the bolt after each shot, which made it possible to significantly increase the rate of fire. We see Pavlichenko with this rifle in most newspaper photographs. But on combat missions, Lyudmila and other experienced snipers took the good old “three-line” - simpler and more reliable, with greater destructive power. This weapon was not afraid of sand and dirt that got into the mechanism.

By the way, in the Central Museum of the Russian Armed Forces, among the personal belongings of the famous sniper, there is a Canadian hard drive with an optical sight and even an ordinary boy’s slingshot, which the Sevastopol pioneers gave to Lyudmila with the words: “Aunt Lyuda, if you suddenly run out of cartridges...”

Not only our people knew about Lyudmila Pavlichenko, but also those who could become her new victims. The Nazis often shouted to the sniper: “Lyudmila, come to us! With us you won’t need anything...” But they received bullets in response...

In the summer of 1942, after a failure on the Kerch Peninsula, the Soviet command surrendered Sevastopol to the enemy, which our soldiers, sailors and officers defended for 250 days and nights. Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who by that time had received another wound, was ordered by General Petrov to be evacuated by submarine. After treatment, she was no longer allowed to go to the front; she worked in the rear.

“Gentlemen, don’t you think you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?”

— The United States, as you know, was in no hurry to open a second front, says the scientist. — Volunteers were sent to the UK - pilots, sailors, and air defense specialists. And America helped the Soviet Union only with material resources, supplying tanks, planes, cars, and food products under Lend-Lease. Despite this, Soviet country it was very difficult to fight: Hitler, for whom the industry of occupied Europe worked, reached Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Therefore, the Soviet government sent both diplomats and representatives of various organizations to the United States, who were supposed to form public opinion about the need to provide military assistance to the USSR.

The Americans received Soviet guests mostly friendly. But there were also those who considered the Union exclusively a breeding ground for Bolshevism. They tried to shorten the program of meetings and speeches of our delegations. “Miss Pavlichenko,” said the mayor of Chicago to Lyudmila, who came to the United States in 1942. “You are so young, you should enjoy life, and not waste time on long and fruitless conversations.” You will have time when you get old. Three minutes will be enough for you...” “Even one minute will be enough for me, Mr. Mayor,” the girl smiled. “Gentlemen! - Luda addressed the crowd of thousands from the podium. “I’m 25 years old, and I’ve already managed to destroy 309 fascists at the front. Don’t you think you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?” The crowd froze, and a minute later burst into applause.

...In 1944, Lyudmila continued her studies at the university. But even after graduation she remained in the army for some time. She rose to the rank of major. Taught sniper fire tactics to the military educational institutions. After being transferred to the reserve, she switched to public work: she was a member of the presidium of the Soviet Women's Committee and the Soviet Peace Committee.

She got married and raised a son. True, in the film the boy is shown as the son of her husband, Alexei Kitsenko, who died near Sevastopol. To emphasize the optimistic, life-affirming idea of ​​the picture, its creators in this case resorted to artistic fiction.

Hero of the Soviet Union Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko died early - in 1974, at 58 years old. The health of a fragile woman was undermined by lying in the cold for a long time damp earth, stress, wounds and concussions. And in Peaceful time- numerous meetings and receptions. No, war is still not a woman’s business.

The image of Lyudmila Pavlichenko was idealized by the Soviet media. Few knew that the famous female sniper in the West was called “Miss Colt.” Soviet censors excluded mistakes and mistakes from Pavlichenko’s combat biography. And, according to modern historians, they exaggerated her achievements.

Childhood and youth

Pavlichenko became the most productive not only among Soviet snipers. A girl from a simple working-class family broke the world record for the number of enemies destroyed. Among Belova's relatives, this is maiden name sniper, there were no military personnel. My father worked as a mechanic. True, he took part in the Civil War.

Pavlichenko’s small homeland is Bila Tserkva. In the early 30s, the family moved to Kyiv. Lyudmila dreamed of becoming a history teacher. After school I entered the university, but while still a high school student, I worked at a factory. Lyudmila went to work at the insistence of her father, who believed that work history compensates for the shortcomings of origin: Pavlichenko’s mother had noble roots.

Lyudmila made a career at the plant. At first she did menial work, then she learned to be a turner, and then became a draftswoman. Among young people in those years, it was fashionable to acquire military specialties. Aviation sports were especially popular. Pavlichenko with early years I was afraid of heights, and therefore decided to try my hand at shooting.

At the very first lesson, yesterday's schoolgirl hit the target. The first success inspired me. Lyudmila began training in a shooting club and successfully fulfilled the standards. Pavlichenko did not give up her sniper activities even while studying at the Faculty of History. Later, Lyudmila was invited to a sniper school. Here she was among the best.

Pavlichenko was in Odessa when the war began. In the seaside city, which soon found itself in the hands of German and Romanian military forces, Lyudmila did an internship, and in her free time she visited the local scientific library: she wrote her thesis on the Pereyaslav Rada.

Having heard an announcement on the radio about the beginning of war, a student at Kyiv University went to the military registration and enlistment office. There, just by looking at the girl, they said that doctors would be called in later. Nobody wanted to hear the explanation that she was not a doctor at all, but a sniper. But five days later an order was issued to recruit graduates of sniper circles. Pavlichenko took the oath on June 28.

War

Lyudmila carefully kept the badge she received after graduating from shooting school. When the war began, I decided that I would become a sniper and would certainly use the acquired skills in real combat. However, at the front she found herself without a rifle.

Weapons were not issued to recruits. He simply wasn't there. One day, a soldier was killed in front of 25-year-old Pavlichenko. The deceased's rifle became the first military weapon. According to Pavlichenko’s biographers, she shot accurately, and already in the first battles she demonstrated amazing results. Soon she was given a sniper rifle.

Each rifle company had two snipers. Pavlichenko went on a mission with Leonid Kitsenko. At the beginning of August, German-Romanian troops were already approaching Odessa. In the first days of the defense of the city, Pavlichenko accomplished a feat that for some reason was not noted by the Soviet command. On the mission, she destroyed 16 fascists in 15 minutes. The second time Lyudmila made ten successful shots. Among the dead were two German officers.

How did a young woman manage to make so many cold-blooded shots? This is the most frequently asked question, which foreign journalists asked Pavlichenko. The woman, who accounted for 309 deaths, once told a story that was later replicated by the Soviet media. A soldier for whom she had developed sympathy died before her eyes. This event gave rise to hatred for the enemy in Lyudmila, for which later, in the foreign press, she was nicknamed “Lady Death.”

Pavlichenko's achievements are controversial today. Some historians argue that the effectiveness of an attractive female sniper, a favorite, is exaggerated. Others believe that Pavlichenko did not enjoy the attention of the opposite sex, and therefore was able to realize herself in the war.

Lyudmila spent eight months in Sevastopol. She took part in battles and destroyed as many enemies as any sniper who participated in the defense of the Crimean city could not. According to official information, Lyudmila spent a year at the front, and after that she trained young snipers.

In her autobiographical book, Pavlichenko tried to reveal the origins of her rare sniper gift. Lyudmila was taught accuracy, intuition and other qualities by hatred of the enemies who came to attack her. native land and those who violated peaceful life. In the villages that were recaptured from the enemy, Pavlichenko saw the dead bodies of children and adults. What she saw affected the young woman’s consciousness. There is an assumption that Pavlichenko had an unusual structure of the eyeball.

The exploits of "Miss Colt" are now questioned. In the first months of the war, Pavlichenko shot and killed 187 Germans and Romanians. Photos of the 25-year-old woman with slogans and calls were distributed at the front to raise morale. But having killed more than 200 enemies, Pavlichenko did not even receive a medal. And in 1941, even representatives of non-military specialties who had not been on the front line were awarded.

Not a single experienced sniper could boast of Pavlichenko’s achievements. However, her name did not appear on the list of awards until April 1942. Only then did Pavlichenko receive a medal. She became a Hero of the Soviet Union later, in 1943.

The army was suffering losses and, of course, needed serious replenishment. There weren't enough men at the front. To attract girls to the front, a heroic female image was required. The exploits of the young partisan, who burned houses with Germans and stables belonging to civilians, impressed few people in 1943. New heroes and heroines were needed.

In 1942 Pavlichenko visited the USA. Here I met and even became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. And most importantly, she made an appeal to the Americans who “have been hiding behind her back for too long.” Lyudmila was warmly applauded. This scene was used in the 2015 film and, with the light hand of the filmmakers, it turned out to be so effective that many TV viewers believed that Senior Sergeant Pavlichenko managed to change the course of the war.

The delegation included Vladimir Pchelintsev. The sniper already had the highest military award. Although in 1942 his results were much more modest than Lyudmila’s (114 killed soldiers). Pchelintsev willingly satisfied the curiosity of the Americans, demonstrating his skill in shooting. Pavlichenko, a more experienced sniper, refused.

Personal life

Ten years before the start of the war, 15-year-old Lyudmila met Alexei Pavlichenko. The young man was older than her. The romantic relationship has gone too far. Soon Lyudmila found out that she was expecting a child. Rumors about the pregnancy of a 15-year-old schoolgirl quickly spread throughout the area. Later, Pavlichenko did not like to talk about this fact from her biography.

Pavlichenko’s father was by that time working in the NKVD. Fearing troubles in the service, he insisted on registering the marriage. In 1932, a son, Rostislav, was born. However family life it didn’t work out, and soon the girl returned to the bosom of her family. Pavlichenko did not like to remember her first husband.

In 1941, Lyudmila met Lieutenant Kitsenko. She was going to marry him. But Kitsenko died at the beginning of 1942. Lyudmila received severe injuries and severe nervous shock.

Soon after the vacation I received a second concussion. Numerous injuries and mental shock are facts cited by supporters of the version of the exaggerated achievements of the female sniper.

Little details are known about Pavlichenko’s personal life after the war. Lyudmila Mikhailovna married Konstantin Shevelev, but she had no more children.

Post-war years and death

Pavlichenko completed her studies and became a historian. However, she did not go to work at school. She spent eight years as a research assistant at the military headquarters. She was involved in social activities.

She died in 1974. She was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Memory

• In the city of Bela Tserkov, a school was named in honor of Lyudmila Pavlichenko.
• A street in Sevastopol was named after the famous sniper.
• American singer Woody Guthrie sang the song “Miss Pavlichenko” in 1946.

• The film “Battle for Sevastopol”, the role of the famous female sniper was performed by. The script was written using the memories of Eleanor Roosevelt.
• The Lyuda rifle is named after Pavlichenko in the computer game Borderlands 2.

Awards

• 1942 – medal “For Military Merit”
• 1943 – title “Hero of the Soviet Union”
• Medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War"
• Award weapon - Colt pistol

Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko family children

Lyudmila Pavlichenko (Belova)

The famous sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko in fierce battles destroyed 309 enemy soldiers and officers, one - almost an entire battalion!

Born on July 1, 1916 in the village of Belaya Tserkov, now a city in the Kyiv region, in the family of an employee. After graduating from school, she worked for 5 years at the Arsenal plant in Kyiv. Then she graduated from 4 courses at Kyiv State University. While still a student, she graduated from sniper school.

In July 1941, she volunteered for the army. She fought first near Odessa, and then near Sevastopol.
By July 1942, the sniper of the 2nd company of the 54th Infantry Regiment (25th Infantry Division, Primorsky Army, North Caucasus Front) Lieutenant L. M. Pavlichenko destroyed 309 enemy soldiers and officers with a sniper rifle, including 36 snipers.
On October 25, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In 1943, Coast Guard Major L.M. Pavlichenko completed the Shot course. She no longer took part in hostilities.
In 1945 she graduated from Kiev State University. In 1945 - 1953 she was a research fellow at the General Staff of the Navy. She participated in many international congresses and conferences and did a lot of work in the Soviet War Veterans Committee. Author of the book "Heroic Reality". She died on October 27, 1974. She was buried in Moscow.
Awarded orders: Lenin (twice), medals. The name of the Heroine is given to a vessel of the Marine River Economy.

In fighting Sevastopol, the name of the sniper of the 25th Chapaev Division, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was well known. Her enemies also knew her, with whom Sergeant Pavlichenko had his own scores to settle. She was born in the city of Belaya Tserkov, Kyiv region. After graduating from school, she worked for several years at the Kiev Arsenal plant, then entered the history department of Kyiv State University. As a student, she mastered the skill of a sniper in special school Osoaviakhima.
She came from Kyiv to Odessa to complete her thesis here on Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Worked in city scientific library. But the war broke out and Luda volunteered for the army.
She received her first baptism of fire near Odessa. Here, in one of the battles, the platoon commander was killed. Lyudmila took command. She rushed to the machine gun, but an enemy shell exploded nearby, and she was shell-shocked. However, Lyudmila did not go to the hospital, she remained in the ranks of the city’s defenders, and boldly defeated the enemy.

In October 1941, the Primorsky Army was transferred to Crimea. For 250 days and nights, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet, she heroically fought with superior enemy forces and defended Sevastopol.
Every day at 3 o'clock in the morning Lyudmila Pavlichenko usually went out into ambush. She either lay for hours on the wet, damp ground, or hid from the sun so that the enemy would not see. It often happened that in order to shoot for sure, she had to wait a day, or even two.
But the girl, a courageous warrior, knew how to do it. She knew how to endure, knew how to shoot accurately, knew how to camouflage herself, and studied the habits of the enemy. And the number of fascists destroyed by her grew all the time...
The sniper movement developed widely in Sevastopol. Marksmanship specialists were assigned to all parts of the SOR (Sevastopol Defensive Region). With their fire they destroyed many fascist soldiers and officers.
On March 16, 1942, a rally of snipers was held. Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky and General Petrov spoke at it. The report was made by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General - Major Vorobev. Present at this meeting were: member of the Military Council of the Fleet, divisional commissar I. I. Azarov and member of the Military Council of the Primorsky Army, brigade commissar M. G. Kuznetsov.

Snipers, well known in Sevastopol, made heated speeches. Among them was Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, who had 187 exterminated fascists in Odessa and already 72 in Sevastopol. She pledged to bring the number of killed enemies to 300. They also spoke famous sniper Noah Adamia, sergeant, 7th Marine Brigade, and many others. They all took obligations to destroy as many fascist invaders as possible and help train new snipers.
The Nazis suffered heavy losses from sniper fire. In April 1942, 1,492 enemies were destroyed, and in just 10 days of May - 1,019.
One day in the spring of 1942, on one of the sectors of the front, a German sniper caused a lot of trouble. It was not possible to eliminate him. Then the command of the unit instructed Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who by that time was already a recognized shooter, to destroy him. Lyudmila established: the enemy sniper acts like this: he crawls out of the trench and approaches, then hits the target and retreats. Pavlichenko took a position and waited. I waited for a long time, but the enemy sniper showed no signs of life. Apparently, he noticed that he was being watched and decided not to rush.
In the evening, Pavlichenko ordered her observer. leave The night has passed. The German was silent. When dawn broke, he began to approach cautiously. She raised the rifle and saw his eyes in the scope. Shot. The enemy fell down dead. She crawled towards him. It was written in his personal book that he was a high-class sniper and during the battles in the west he destroyed about 500 French soldiers and officers.
“A historian by education, a warrior by mentality, she fights with all the fervor of her young heart” - this is what the Krasny Chernomorets newspaper wrote about her on May 3, 1942.
One day Lyudmila entered into single combat with 5 German machine gunners. Only one managed to escape. Next time brave girl- warrior and sniper Leonid Kitsenko was instructed to get to the German command post and destroy the officers there. Having suffered losses, the enemies fired mortars at the area where the snipers were located. But Lyudmila and Leonid, having changed their position, continued to fire accurately. The enemy was forced to abandon his command post.

While snipers carried out combat missions, the most unexpected incidents often happened. Lyudmila Pavlichenko spoke about one of them:
- One day, 5 snipers went on a night ambush. We passed the enemy's front line and camouflaged ourselves in the bushes near the road. In 2 days we managed to exterminate 130 fascist soldiers and 10 officers. The angry Nazis sent a company of machine gunners against us. One platoon began to go around the height on the right, and the other on the left. But we quickly changed our position. The Nazis, not understanding what was going on, began shooting at each other, and the snipers safely returned to their unit.
In the fall of 1942, a delegation of Soviet youth consisting of the Secretary of the Komsomol Committee N. Krasavchenko, L. Pavlichenko and V. Pchelintsev, at the invitation of youth organizations, went to the USA and then to England. At that time, the Allies were greatly concerned about the need to conduct not only military training, but also the spiritual mobilization of youth. The trip was intended to further this goal. At the same time, it was important to establish connections with various foreign youth organizations.
The Soviet people were greeted with extraordinary enthusiasm. Everywhere they were invited to rallies and meetings. Newspapers wrote about our snipers on the front pages. There was a stream of letters and telegrams addressed to the delegation. In the United States, Pavlichenko met with the president's wife. Eleanor Roosevelt was very attentive to Lyudmila.
Both in the USA and in England, the trip of the delegation of Soviet youth received a very big response. For the first time during the war years, the British met representatives of the youth of the fighting Soviet people. Our envoys carried out their high mission with dignity. The speeches of the delegates were full of confidence in victory over fascism. The people who raised such young people cannot be defeated - was the unanimous opinion of the British...

The mayor of Beatmingham presents Lyudmila Pavlichenko with a personalized rifle.

Lyudmila Mikhailovna was distinguished not only by her high sniper skill, but also by her heroism and dedication. She not only destroyed hated enemies herself, but also taught other warriors the art of sniper. She was injured. Her combat score - 309 destroyed enemy soldiers and officers - is the best result among female snipers.
In 1943, the brave girl was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (the only one among female snipers awarded this title during her lifetime. Others were awarded posthumously).
And so Pavlichenko arrived in Moscow from Sevastopol, straight from the firing position. She was dressed in military style: a tunic tied with a belt, a skirt, and boots on her feet.
War changes people's psychology. Love for the Motherland leads a person to conscious self-denial in the name of victory. The most difficult art of a sniper, it would seem, is not a woman’s job at all. But the Kyiv University student became a threat to enemies in Sevastopol.
Lyudmila talked about the battles calmly, without drama. She recalled in detail how she chose the most convenient firing positions - those from which the enemy could least expect fire. And the story turned out as if it was led by a born warrior, and not by yesterday’s student. It was noticeable that she was tired, and at the same time it seemed unusual and strange for her to suddenly leave Sevastopol. It was felt that Lyudmila felt awkward in front of the comrades whom she left behind; they continued to live amid the roar of explosions and the flames of fires.

When I went to fight, at first I felt only anger that the Germans had violated our peaceful life. But everything that I saw later gave me a feeling of such unquenchable hatred that it is difficult to express it with anything other than a bullet in the heart of a Hitlerite.
In a village recaptured from the enemy, I saw the corpse of a 13-year-old girl. She was killed by the Nazis. Scoundrels - this is how they demonstrated their ability to wield a bayonet! I saw brains on the wall of the house, and next to it was the corpse of a 3-year-old child. The Germans lived in this house. The child was capricious and crying. He interfered with the rest of these animals. They didn't even allow the mother to bury her child. The poor woman has gone crazy.
I saw a teacher who was shot. Her body lay at the side of the road along which the Krauts were running away from us. The officer wanted to rape her. A proud Russian woman chose death over shame. She hit the fascist pig in the face. The officer shot her, then violated the corpse.

They do not disdain anything, German soldiers and officers. Everything human is alien to them. There is no word in our language that would define their vile essence. What can you say about the German in whose bag I saw a doll and a toy watch taken from our child? Can you really call him a man, a warrior? No! This is a mad jackal that must be destroyed to save our children.
There are still many fighters among us who fiercely hate the Krauts, but they have not yet fully mastered the fighting technique and their weapons. This is inactive hatred. It contributes nothing to our cause of struggle for the independence of the Motherland. Destroy the fascist! Then the people will tell you: you really hate the enemy. If you don't know how to destroy enemies yet, learn. This is now your sacred duty to the Motherland, mother, wife and children.
Hate teaches you a lot. She taught me how to kill my enemies. I'm a sniper. Near Odessa and Sevastopol, I destroyed 309 fascists with a sniper rifle. Hatred sharpened my vision and hearing, made me cunning and dexterous; hatred taught me to disguise myself and deceive the enemy, to unravel his various tricks and tricks in time; hatred taught me to patiently hunt for enemy snipers for several days. Nothing can quench the thirst for revenge. As long as at least one invader walks on our land, I will mercilessly beat the enemy.
In everyday life, Lyudmila was simple and did not boast of her merits. In the museum Armed Forces There is an exhibition dedicated to Lyudmila Pavlichenko. There are gifts for the famous female sniper: a rifle, an optical sight and much more. But the most touching gift is an ordinary slingshot from the children.

How I “hunted” in Sevastopol

"...In Sevastopol, I came back to my unit. Then I was wounded in the head. I was always wounded only by fragments of long-range shells, everything else somehow passed me by. But the Krauts sometimes gave such “concerts” to snipers that pure horror. As soon as they detect sniper fire, they start to sculpt you, and so they sculpt you for three hours straight. There is only one thing left: lie down, be silent and don’t move. Either they will kill you, or you have to wait until they shoot back.
The German snipers also taught me a lot, and their science was beneficial. It used to be that they would catch me and pin me to the ground. Well, I shout: “Machine gunners, save me!” And until they fire a couple of bursts from a machine gun, I cannot get out of the fire. And the bullets are constantly whistling above your ear and landing literally next to you, but not at me.
What did I learn from the German snipers? They taught me, first of all, how to put a helmet on a stick so that you could think that it was a person. I used to do this: I see a Fritz standing there. “Well,” I think, “mine!” I shoot, but it turns out I only hit the helmet. It even got to the point where she fired several shots and still didn’t realize that it wasn’t a person. Sometimes I even lost all self-control. And while you are shooting, they will discover you and begin to give a “concert”. Here we had to be patient. They also set up mannequins; standing just like a living Fritz, you also open fire. There were cases here that this was carried out not only by snipers, but also by artillerymen.

Snipers have different techniques. I usually lie in front of the front line, or under a bush, or tear off a trench. I have several firing points. I am at one point for no more than two or three days. I always have an observer with me who looks through binoculars, gives me directions, and keeps an eye on the dead. Intelligence checks the dead. Lying in one place for 18 hours is quite a difficult task, and you cannot move, and therefore there are simply critical moments. You need hellish patience here. During the ambush, they took with them dry rations, water, sometimes soda, sometimes chocolate, but in general snipers were not allowed chocolate...
My first rifle was destroyed near Odessa, the second - near Sevastopol. In general, I had one so-called exit rifle, and my working rifle was an ordinary three-line rifle. I had good binoculars.

Our day went like this: no later than 4 o’clock in the morning you go to the battlefield and sit there until the evening. I call my firing position combat. If not to the battlefield, then they went behind enemy lines, but then they left no later than 3 o’clock in the morning. It also happened that you would lie there all day, but not kill a single Kraut. And if you lie like this for 3 days and still don’t kill a single person, then probably no one will talk to you later, because you are literally furious.
I must say that if I didn’t have the physical skills and training, I wouldn’t be able to lie in an ambush for 18 hours. I felt this especially at first; as they say, “a bad head gives no rest to your feet.” I got into such trouble that I had to lie down and wait until either the Krauts stopped shooting or the machine gunners came to the rescue. And it happens that the machine gunners are far away, because you won’t shout to them: “Help me out!”
Near Sevastopol, the Germans complained loudly about our snipers, they knew many of our snipers by name, and often said: “Hey, come over to us!” And then they said: “Damn you! You’ll disappear anyway.”
But there was not a single case of snipers surrendering. There were cases that at critical moments snipers killed themselves, but did not surrender to the Germans..."