Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Soviet sniper known as ‘Lady Death’ who single-handedly took down 309 enemies
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Katie Serena
For most snipers, receiving threats from the enemy would be terrifying. For Lyudmila Pavlichenko, however, it was delightful. When the Germans threatened to tear her into 309 pieces, the exact number of Axis troops she had killed, she reveled in it. “They even knew my score!” she exclaimed.
Delight in her opponents’ failures was how Lyudmila Pavlichenko lived her life. As a sniper for the Soviet Union during World War II, she killed 309 enemy soldiers. At 24 years old, she had joined a group of 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army, only 500 of whom would survive until the end of the war. To this day, Pavlichenko is considered the deadliest female sniper of all time. She’s also among one of the best snipers in history, sharing the leaderboard with Chuck Mawhinney, Adelbert Waldron, and even Simo Häyhä, Finland’s “White Death.”
How Lyudmila Pavlichenko Became A Red Army Sniper
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (née Belova) was born in 1916 in Bila Tserkva, which is now part of Ukraine. Her father, Mikhail Belov, was a Communist Party member who had served in the Red Army.
As a child, Pavlichenko was a self-described tomboy. When she was 14, her family moved to Kyiv, where she enrolled in a sharpshooter class and earned a marksmanship badge. Even in her youth, she was outspoken about the role of women in society and was constantly trying to one-up her male counterparts. In fact, her competitive spirit was how she ended up training as a sniper.
“When a neighbor’s boy boasted of his exploits at a shooting range,” she recalled during a speech in 1942, “I set out to show that a girl could do as well. So I practiced a lot.”
Deadliest Female Sniper : In 1932, when she was just 16, Pavlichenko got married and had a son. However, the relationship was not successful, and she returned home to her parents. She started working at a local factory while studying to become a teacher. In June 1941, during her fourth year of school, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the USSR. Lyudmila Pavlichenko jumped at the opportunity to serve her country. She rushed to the recruiting office in Odessa and volunteered to join the infantry.
“They wouldn’t take girls in the army, so I had to resort to all kinds of tricks to get in,” Pavlichenko said in 1942. The registrars urged her to become a nurse, but she refused. After listing the sharpshooter courses she’d successfully completed, she was ultimately assigned to the Red Army’s 25th Rifle Division. Still, her fellow soldiers were wary. To test her, they had her perform an impromptu audition: shoot two Romanians who were working for the Nazis from a distance of a quarter-mile. “When I picked off the two, I was accepted,” she said, quipping, “They are not figured in my score total because they were test shots.” Pavlichenko soon threw herself into battle — and she quickly began proving her worth.
History’s Deadliest Female Sniper Earns The Nickname ‘Lady Death’ : Over the next few months, Lyudmila Pavlichenko remained as steady and true as ever. During the Siege of Odessa from August to October 1941, she recorded 187 confirmed kills. That number rose to 257 between October 1941 and May 1942 as she picked off enemy after enemy while the Siege of Sevastopol raged on. During this time, she married her second husband, who was also a sniper — but he was killed in battle shortly after they wed. As the war went on, Pavlichenko began accepting risky counter-sniping assignments in which she essentially engaged in deadly duels with enemy snipers. She won all 36, even one that lasted three days.
“It was a hunt to the death,” she later recalled. “That was one of the tensest experiences of my life. Finally he made one move too many.” Less than a year after joining the Red Army, Pavlichenko had killed 309 enemies, including the 36 Axis snipers. The Nazis were beginning to take notice of her. They shouted into loudspeakers at the front lines, “Lyudmila Pavlichenko, come over to us. We will give you plenty of chocolate and make you a German officer.” Soon, those bribes turned into threats: “You will not escape us. When we catch you we will tear you into 309 pieces.” The Germans also began referring to her as “the Russian bitch from Hell.”
Then, in June 1942, she was injured and evacuated to a hospital. When she recovered, she wasn’t sent back to the front lines but instead to the United States, where she was assigned to rally support for a second European front to take pressure off the Red Army.
For most snipers, receiving threats from the enemy would be terrifying. For Lyudmila Pavlichenko, however, it was delightful. When the Germans threatened to tear her into 309 pieces, the exact number of Axis troops she had killed, she reveled in it. “They even knew my score!” she exclaimed.
Delight in her opponents’ failures was how Lyudmila Pavlichenko lived her life. As a sniper for the Soviet Union during World War II, she killed 309 enemy soldiers. At 24 years old, she had joined a group of 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army, only 500 of whom would survive until the end of the war. To this day, Pavlichenko is considered the deadliest female sniper of all time. She’s also among one of the best snipers in history, sharing the leaderboard with Chuck Mawhinney, Adelbert Waldron, and even Simo Häyhä, Finland’s “White Death.”
How Lyudmila Pavlichenko Became A Red Army Sniper
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (née Belova) was born in 1916 in Bila Tserkva, which is now part of Ukraine. Her father, Mikhail Belov, was a Communist Party member who had served in the Red Army.
As a child, Pavlichenko was a self-described tomboy. When she was 14, her family moved to Kyiv, where she enrolled in a sharpshooter class and earned a marksmanship badge. Even in her youth, she was outspoken about the role of women in society and was constantly trying to one-up her male counterparts. In fact, her competitive spirit was how she ended up training as a sniper.
“When a neighbor’s boy boasted of his exploits at a shooting range,” she recalled during a speech in 1942, “I set out to show that a girl could do as well. So I practiced a lot.”
Deadliest Female Sniper : In 1932, when she was just 16, Pavlichenko got married and had a son. However, the relationship was not successful, and she returned home to her parents. She started working at a local factory while studying to become a teacher. In June 1941, during her fourth year of school, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the USSR. Lyudmila Pavlichenko jumped at the opportunity to serve her country. She rushed to the recruiting office in Odessa and volunteered to join the infantry.
“They wouldn’t take girls in the army, so I had to resort to all kinds of tricks to get in,” Pavlichenko said in 1942. The registrars urged her to become a nurse, but she refused. After listing the sharpshooter courses she’d successfully completed, she was ultimately assigned to the Red Army’s 25th Rifle Division. Still, her fellow soldiers were wary. To test her, they had her perform an impromptu audition: shoot two Romanians who were working for the Nazis from a distance of a quarter-mile. “When I picked off the two, I was accepted,” she said, quipping, “They are not figured in my score total because they were test shots.” Pavlichenko soon threw herself into battle — and she quickly began proving her worth.
History’s Deadliest Female Sniper Earns The Nickname ‘Lady Death’ : Over the next few months, Lyudmila Pavlichenko remained as steady and true as ever. During the Siege of Odessa from August to October 1941, she recorded 187 confirmed kills. That number rose to 257 between October 1941 and May 1942 as she picked off enemy after enemy while the Siege of Sevastopol raged on. During this time, she married her second husband, who was also a sniper — but he was killed in battle shortly after they wed. As the war went on, Pavlichenko began accepting risky counter-sniping assignments in which she essentially engaged in deadly duels with enemy snipers. She won all 36, even one that lasted three days.
“It was a hunt to the death,” she later recalled. “That was one of the tensest experiences of my life. Finally he made one move too many.” Less than a year after joining the Red Army, Pavlichenko had killed 309 enemies, including the 36 Axis snipers. The Nazis were beginning to take notice of her. They shouted into loudspeakers at the front lines, “Lyudmila Pavlichenko, come over to us. We will give you plenty of chocolate and make you a German officer.” Soon, those bribes turned into threats: “You will not escape us. When we catch you we will tear you into 309 pieces.” The Germans also began referring to her as “the Russian bitch from Hell.”
Then, in June 1942, she was injured and evacuated to a hospital. When she recovered, she wasn’t sent back to the front lines but instead to the United States, where she was assigned to rally support for a second European front to take pressure off the Red Army.