num_pages: 272
description: The wartime memoir of Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a remarkable document: the publication of an English language edition is a significant coup. Pavlichenko was World War II's best scoring sniper and had a varied wartime career that included trips to England and America.In June 1941 when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa she left her university studies ignored the offer of a position as a nurse to become one of Soviet Russia's 2000 female snipers.Less than a year later she had 309 recorded kills including 29 enemy sniper kills. She was withdrawn from active duty after being injured. She was also regarded as a key heroic figure for the war effort.She spoke at rallies in Canada and the US and the folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song 'Killed By A Gun' about her exploits. Her US trip included a tour of the White House with FDR. In November 1942 she visited Coventry and accepted donations of 4516 from Coventry workers to pay for three X-ray units for the Red Army. She also visited a Birmingham factory as part of her fundraising tour.She never returned to combat but trained other snipers. After the war she finished her education at Kiev University and began a career as a historian. She died on October 10 1974 at age 58 and was buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery.
language: English
title: Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper
publisher: Greenhill Books