Lyudmila Pavlichenko
Lyudmila Pavlichenko | |
|---|---|
Pavlichenko in 1943 | |
| Native name |
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| Birth name | Lyudmila Mikhailovna Belova |
| Nickname | Lady Death |
| Born | 12 July 1916 Belaya Tserkov, Russian Empire |
| Died | 10 October 1974 (aged 58) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Service years | 1941–1953 |
| Rank |
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| Unit |
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| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
| Spouses | Alexei Pavlichenko
(m. 1932, divorced)Alexei Kitsenko
(m. 1941; died 1942) |
| Children | Rostislav Pavlichenko |
| Other work | Soviet Committee of the Veterans of War |
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (née Belova; 12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1916 – 10 October 1974) was a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II. She is the deadliest female sniper, one of the deadliest snipers in history, with 309 confirmed kills. She 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.
After she was injured in battle by a mortar shell, she was evacuated to Moscow. After she recovered from her injuries, she trained other Red Army snipers and was a public spokeswoman for the Red Army. In 1942, she toured the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. 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.