On July 12, 1916, in the city of Belaya Tserkov (Kyiv region, Ukrainian SSR), the most successful female sniper in world history was born, who had 309 confirmed fatal hits on enemy soldiers and officers, a sniper of the 25th Chapaev Rifle Division of the Red Army, Hero Soviet Union, major Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941, volunteer. Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1945. As part of the Chapaev division, she participated in defensive battles in Moldova and in southern Ukraine. For good preparation, she was sent to a sniper platoon. Since August 10, 1941, as part of the division, she participated in the defense of Odessa. In mid-October 1941, the troops of the Primorsky Army were forced to leave Odessa and evacuate to the Crimea to strengthen the defense of the city of Sevastopol - the naval base of the Black Sea Fleet.

After leaving school, Lyudmila Pavlichenko worked for 5 years at the Arsenal plant in Kyiv. Then she graduated from the 4th year of Kyiv State University. While still a student, she graduated from the school of snipers.

In July 1941, she volunteered for the army. Fought first near Odessa, and then near Sevastopol.

By July 1942, the sniper of the 2nd company of the 54th rifle regiment (25th rifle division, Primorskaya army, North Caucasus Front) Lieutenant L. M. Pavlichenko from a sniper rifle destroyed 309 enemy soldiers and officers, including 36 snipers.

On October 25, 1943, she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies.

In 1943, Coast Guard Major L. M. Pavlichenko graduated from the Shot course. She did not participate in the hostilities any more.

In 1945 she graduated from Kyiv State University. In 1945 - 1953 she was a researcher at the Main Staff of the Navy. A participant in many international congresses and conferences, she did a lot of work in the Soviet Committee of War Veterans. Author of the book "Heroic Reality". Died October 27, 1974. Buried in Moscow.

Awarded with orders: Lenin (twice), medals. The name of the Heroine is carried by the vessel of the Marine River Economy.

In the fighting Sevastopol, the name of the sniper of the 25th Chapaev division, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was well known. The enemies, with whom Sergeant Pavlichenko had his own scores, also knew her. She was born in the city of Belaya Tserkov, Kyiv region. After graduating from school, she worked for several years at the Kiev plant "Arsenal", then entered the history department of Kyiv State University. As a student, she mastered the skill of a sniper at the Osoaviakhim special school.

She came from Kyiv to Odessa to complete her thesis on Bogdan Khmelnitsky here. Worked in the 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 leader 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, boldly smashing the enemy.

In October 1941, the Primorsky Army was transferred to the Crimea. For 250 days and nights, she, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet, heroically fought against superior enemy forces, defended Sevastopol.

Every day at 3 o'clock in the morning, Lyudmila Pavlichenko usually went into an ambush. She either lay for hours on wet, damp ground, or hid from the sun so that the enemy would not see. It often happened: 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 disguise herself, studied the habits of the enemy. And the number of fascists destroyed by it grew all the time ...

In Sevastopol, a sniper movement was widely deployed. In all parts of the SOR (Sevastopol defensive region), specialists in marksmanship were allocated. With their fire, they destroyed many fascist soldiers and officers.

On March 16, 1942, a rally of snipers was held. Vice-Admiral Oktyabrsky, General Petrov spoke at it. The report was made by the chief of staff of the army, Major General Vorobyov. This rally was attended by: a member of the Military Council of the Fleet, Divisional Commissar I. I. Azarov and a member of the Military Council of the Primorsky Army, Brigadier Commissar M. G. Kuznetsov.

Hot speeches were made by snipers, well known in Sevastopol. Among them was Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, who had 187 exterminated fascists in Odessa and already 72 in Sevastopol. She undertook to bring the number of killed enemies to 300. The well-known sniper Noy Adamia, sergeant of the 7th Marine Brigade, and many other. All of them undertook obligations to destroy as many fascist invaders as possible and to help train new snipers.

From the fire of snipers, the Nazis suffered heavy losses. In April 1942, 1492 enemies were destroyed, and only in 10 days of May - 1019.

Once, in the spring of 1942, a German sniper brought a lot of trouble on one of the sectors of the front. It was not possible to liquidate it. Then the command of the unit instructed Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who by that time was already a recognized shooter, to destroy him. Lyudmila established that the enemy sniper acts like this: he crawls out of the trench and moves closer, then hits the target and retreats. Pavlichenko took a position and waited. I waited 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 cautiously approach. She raised her rifle and saw his eyes in the scope. Shot. The enemy dropped dead. She crawled up to him. In his personal book it was recorded that he was a high-class sniper and during the fighting in the west he destroyed about 500 French soldiers and officers.

“A historian by education, a warrior by her mindset, she fights with all the fervor of her young heart,” wrote the Krasny Chernomorets newspaper about her on May 3, 1942.

Once Lyudmila entered into combat with 5 German machine gunners. Only one managed to escape. Another time, a brave girl - a warrior and sniper Leonid Kitsenko was instructed to get to the German command post and destroy the officers who were there. Having suffered losses, the enemies fired mortars at the place where the snipers were located. But Lyudmila and Leonid, having changed their position, continued to conduct well-aimed fire. The enemy was forced to leave his command post.

During the execution of combat missions by snipers, the most unexpected incidents often happened. Lyudmila Pavlichenko spoke about one of them like this:

“Once 5 snipers went into a night ambush. We passed the front line of the enemy and disguised ourselves in the bushes by the road. In 2 days we managed to exterminate 130 fascist soldiers and 10 officers. Angry Nazis sent a company of submachine gunners against us. One platoon began to bypass the height on the right, and the other on the left. But we quickly changed our position. The Nazis, not understanding what was happening, began to shoot at each other, and the snipers safely returned to their unit.

In the autumn 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, left for the USA and then for England. At that time, the Allies were greatly concerned about the need to carry out not only military training, but also the spiritual mobilization of youth forces. The trip should have contributed to this goal. At the same time, it was important to establish links with various foreign youth organizations.

Hero of the Soviet Union sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko (third from right) among workers at a small arms factory in Liverpool. 1942

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. The delegation received a stream of letters and telegrams.

In the United States, Pavlichenko met with the president's wife. Eleanor Roosevelt was very attentive to Lyudmila.

Both in the United States and in England, the trip of the delegation of Soviet youth received a very great response. For the first time during the war years, the British met representatives of the youth of the struggling Soviet people. Our envoys carried out their lofty mission with dignity. The speeches of the delegates were full of confidence in the victory over fascism. The people who brought up such youth cannot be defeated - there was a unanimous opinion of the British ...

Lyudmila Mikhailovna was distinguished not only by high sniper skills, but also by heroism and selflessness.

She not only destroyed the hated enemies herself, but also taught other warriors the art of sniping. Was wounded. 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 Hero of the Soviet Union(The only one among female snipers who was awarded this title during her lifetime. Others were awarded posthumously).

And so Pavlichenko arrived in Moscow from Sevastopol, right from the firing position. She was dressed in military style: a tunic tied with a belt, a skirt, boots on her feet.

War changes the psychology of people. 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 business at all. But a student of Kyiv University became a thunderstorm for 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 where the enemy could least expect fire. And the story turned out as if it was led by a born warrior, and not 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 had left, they continued to live amid the roar of explosions, the flames of fires.

How I “hunted” in Sevastopol.

“... In Sevastopol, I came back to my unit. Then I had a head wound. I was always wounded only by fragments of long-range shells, everything else somehow passed me by. But the Fritz sometimes gave such "concerts" to snipers, which is downright terrible. As soon as they detect sniper fire, they begin to sculpt on you, and now they sculpt for three hours in a row. There is only one thing left: lie down, be silent and do not 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 went in favor. They used to catch me, put me to the ground. Well, I'm screaming

"Machine gunners, save!"

And until they give a couple of bursts from a machine gun, I can’t get out of the shelling. And the bullets whistle over your ear all the time and land literally next to you, but not at me.

What did I learn from the German snipers? First of all, they taught me how to put a helmet on a stick so that you could think that it was a person. I used to be like this: I see a Fritz standing. “Well, I think, mine!” I shoot, but it turns out that I only hit the helmet. It even got to the point that she fired several shots and still did not realize that this was not a person. Sometimes even lost all self-control. And during the time you are shooting, they will find you and begin to ask a “concert”. I had to be patient here. They put more mannequins; just like a living Fritz stands, you also open fire. There were cases here that not only snipers, but also artillerymen were carried out.

Snipers have different methods. I usually lie in front of the front line, or under a bush, or tear off a trench. I have several firing points. I stay 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, watches the dead. The dead are checked by intelligence. Lying in one place for 18 hours is a rather difficult task, and you can’t move, and therefore there are simply critical moments. Patience is required here. During the ambush, they took with them dry rations, water, sometimes soda, sometimes chocolate, but in general snipers are not supposed to have chocolate ...

My first rifle was destroyed near Odessa, the second - near Sevastopol. In general, I had one so-called exit rifle, and the working rifle was an ordinary three-line rifle. I had good binoculars.

Our day went like this: no later than at 4 o'clock in the morning you go out to the battlefield, you sit there until the evening. Combat is what I call my firing position. If not to the place of battle, then they went behind enemy lines, but then they set off no later than at 3 o'clock in the morning. It also happened that you would lie down all day, but you would not kill a single Fritz. And if you lie like this for 3 days and still don’t kill a single one, then no one will probably talk to you later, because you are literally furious.

I must say that if I did not have physical skills and training, then I would not have been able to lie in an ambush for 18 hours. I felt this especially at first; as they say, "a bad head does not give rest to the legs." I got into such bindings that I had to lie down and wait until either the Fritz 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:

"Rescue!"

Near Sevastopol, the Germans complained about our snipers, they knew many of our snipers by name, they often said:

"Hey you, come to us!"

And then they said:

“Damn you! You'll still be lost."

But there was not a single case of snipers giving up. There were cases that at critical moments the snipers killed themselves, but did not surrender to the Germans ... "

Lyudmila Pavlichenko at a meeting with compatriots

Ludmila Pavlichenko She completed her military service with the rank of Major. After the war, she completed her studies at Kiev University, then worked for many years as a researcher at the Main Staff of the Navy, and worked in the Soviet Committee of War Veterans.

She raised her son, remarried, lived a full life. She won the right to this life for herself, for her loved ones and for all Soviet people, having stood in the way of the enemy and won an unconditional victory over him.

But the incredible strain of forces during the war years, wounds and shell shock made themselves felt. Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko died on October 27, 1974, at the age of 58. Her last resting place was the columbarium of the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

In the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia, a special stand is dedicated to the feat of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, where her weapons and personal belongings are exhibited. The feat is not "Lady Death", but an ordinary woman who brought her youth to the altar of Victory - one for all. -12

From me:

The enemies of the Soviet people produced, in my opinion, a deceitful hood saturated with psychological poison. a film about the life of Lyudmila Pavlichenko. This is thin. a film from the category of such fakes as. Therefore, I do not recommend watching these brain slops.

His sister, Anastasia, went the same way. The girl was brought to the court at the age of 6, and there she realized that this was her life. Nastya's mother cannot imagine her life without swimming, her grandmother is a professional basketball player, her grandfather was a member of a group of referees in this sport in her younger years, and her older brother chose for himself.

First steps on the road of life

At the age of 13, Pavlyuchenkova began her professional sports career. She made her debut in competitions in Poland and even managed to reach the semi-finals. Of course, I wanted to do more, but this result already proved the talent of the Russian athlete. After there were victories and defeats, tears and smiles, but be that as it may, all these events gave an additional incentive to the novice athlete to go further and hone her skills.

In 2005, together with Solonitskaya, the ITF title was won, and in 2006 Pavlyuchenkova won her first independent victory, which not only she, but her whole family is proud of. From that moment on, she was recognized as the best junior in the world according to the ITF. At only 15 years old, Anastasia won the title of the first racket of the world in the junior ranking, and this means a lot, a lot.

She has since won three junior Grand Slams in the singles category and five junior Grand Slams in the doubles category. Soon the athlete decided to move into and began to fight for the ball with even greater zeal. And in just one year, from 2007 to 2008, she won 10 ITF matches. Another reason for joy and pride is the certificate of honor of the President of the Russian Federation, given to her for sports achievements in the XXVII World Universiade held in Kazan in the summer of 2013.

Noticing the aggressive, energetic game of Pavlyuchenkova, sports journalists became interested in her thoughts about the future. According to the athlete, she will make every effort to play better, trying not to make mistakes. During the game, the tennis player tries to keep the back line, where she feels most comfortable. Her favorite and most practiced kick is, and, the most preferred during the match, is ground.

The athlete trains a lot not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine, as well as in rainy London, where she tries to go to court from early morning, until the weather deteriorates. Over the years, Anastasia has been trained by several wonderful coaches, now, since 2013, she has moved to Martina Hingis, a long-time coach, a former Swiss tennis player, champion of many important international tournaments.

Hobbies and dreams

Anastasia has a very busy training schedule, which forces her to spend most of her time on the court. However, when there is free time, she prefers to spend it richly and as interesting as possible. Of course, such a sociable girl has many friends, reliable and understanding. And so I would like to wish that only worthy people are always nearby, ready to support in a difficult hour, able to direct on a good, right path. One of Pavlyuchenkova's hobbies is football, she always tries to watch important matches and gets very upset when her favorite team loses. She also loves good cinema, and the genre can be different: a funny comedy, and a mysterious exciting fantasy and just a melodrama.

Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (née Belova) is the best female sniper in world history. During the first year of the Great Patriotic War, she destroyed 309 Nazis from a sniper rifle.

Biography of Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Lyudmila Belova was born on July 12, 1916 in the city of Belaya Tserkov, Kyiv province of the Russian Empire (now the Kyiv region of Ukraine). When she was 15, the family moved to Kyiv. At that time, Lyudmila was already married and bore her husband's surname - Pavlichenko.
Here is what Vladimir Yakhnovsky, a senior researcher at the Kyiv Memorial Complex "National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", says in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of Fakty:
“At the age of fifteen, when Luda was in the eighth grade and lived with her parents in Belaya Tserkov, the schoolgirl met at a dance with a student of the Agricultural Institute, a handsome and favorite of women, Alexei Pavlichenko, who was much older than her. The girl fell in love at first sight and soon became pregnant. Luda's father (at that time an NKVD officer) Mikhail Belov tracked down Alexei and forced him to marry.Lyudmila gave birth to a boy whom she named Rostislav, Rostik.But Pavlichenko turned out to be a dishonorable 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 from evening school. Perhaps this is what made it possible then to write in the questionnaires that her origin was from the workers. The family tried not to advertise the fact that Lyudmila's mother, from a noble family, was a highly educated woman, instilled in her daughter a love of knowledge and foreign languages. In fact, it was the grandmother who raised her grandson, the son of Lyuda, in whom she did not have a soul.
Lyudmila hated the father of her child so much that when he tried to repent, she gave him a turn from the gate, did not even want to pronounce his name. I was going to get rid of the Pavlichenko surname, but the war prevented filing for divorce.

In 1937, when her son was 5 years old, Pavlichenko entered the Faculty of History of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University. During her studies, she was engaged in gliding and shooting sports.

Ludmila Pavlichenko. student photo

When the war began, Lyudmila volunteered for the front.
To make sure of her ability to wield weapons, the army gave her an impromptu test not far from the hill, which was defended by Soviet soldiers. Lyudmila was handed a gun and pointed out two Romanians who were working with the Germans. "When I shot them both, they finally accepted me." Pavlichenko did not include these two shots in her list of victorious ones - according to her, they were just trial shots.
Private Pavlichenko was enrolled in the 25th Infantry Division named after Vasily Chapaev.
On her first day at the front, she faced the enemy face to face. Paralyzed with fear, Pavlichenko was unable to raise her rifle. Next to her was a young soldier whose life was instantly taken by a German bullet. Lyudmila was shocked, the shock prompted her to action. "He was a wonderful happy boy who was killed right in front of my eyes. Now nothing could stop me."

As part of the Chapaev division, she participated in defensive battles in Moldova and in southern Ukraine. For good preparation, she was sent to a sniper platoon. Since August 10, 1941, as part of the division, she participated in the defense of Odessa.
In mid-October 1941, the troops of the Primorsky Army were forced to leave Odessa and evacuate to the Crimea to strengthen the defense of the city of Sevastopol - the naval base of the Black Sea Fleet. Lyudmila Pavlichenko spent 250 days and nights in heavy and heroic battles near Sevastopol.

Lyudmila's partner was Alexei Kitsenko, whom she met before the war, in Kyiv. At the front, they filed a marriage registration report.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko and her lover Alexei Kitsenko. The photo was taken in February 1942 in Sevastopol, shortly before the death of Alexei

However, their happiness was short-lived, in February 1942 he was mortally wounded by fragments of a shell that exploded nearby during an artillery raid. Alexei sat with his hand on Lyudmila's shoulders. When a shell exploded nearby, he got all the fragments - seven wounds. And one fragment almost cut off the arm, the very one that lay on Lyudmila's shoulder. Alexei had not hugged her at that moment, and a fragment would have broken Lyudmila's spine.
After the death of her beloved, Pavlichenko's hands began to tremble, for some time she could not shoot.

Among the 309 Nazis destroyed by Lyudmila were 36 Nazi snipers. Among them is Dunkirk, which destroyed 400 French and British, as well as 100 Soviet soldiers. A total of 500 people - more than Pavlichenko herself killed. It is worth noting that the achievements of Lyudmila surpassed several dozen male snipers of the Second World War. However, for a woman, her results were simply fantastic, especially considering that she spent only a year at the front, after which she was wounded, was evacuated from Sevastopol and never returned to the front, training other snipers.

There is a version that Lyudmila Pavlichenko had a special structure of the eyeball. In addition to stunning eyesight, she had a keen ear and excellent intuition. She learned to feel the forest as if she were a beast. They said that she was charmed from death by a healer and that she heard everything within a radius of half a kilometer. And she remembered the ballistic tables by heart, calculated the distance to the object and the correction for the wind in the most accurate way.

Many foreigners wondered how such a smiling woman could kill more than three hundred people in cold blood. In her autobiography "Heroic Reality", Lyudmila gives an answer to this:
"Hate teaches a lot. She taught me how to kill enemies. I am a sniper. Near Odessa and Sevastopol, I destroyed 309 Nazis with a sniper rifle. Hatred sharpened my sight 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 enemy snipers for several days. Nothing can quench the thirst for revenge. As long as at least one invader walks our land, I will mercilessly beat the enemy.

In 1942, Lyudmila Pavlichenko went to the United States as part of the Soviet delegation. The Soviet Union needed at that time the Allies to open a Second Front in Europe. In her most famous speech, Pavlichenko, addressing the Americans, said: "Gentlemen! I am twenty-five years old. At the front, I have already managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don't you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long ?!"
From another American speech by Pavlichenko: "I want to tell you that we will win! That there is no force that can prevent the victorious march of the free peoples of the world! We must unite! As a Russian soldier, I offer you, the great soldiers of America, my hand."

Video of Lyudmila Pavlichenko's speech in the USA:

American country singer Woody Guthrie wrote the song "Miss Pavlichenko" about her. It sings:
Miss Pavlichenko, her fame is known
Russia is your country, battle is your game
Your smile shines like the morning sun
But more than three hundred Nazi dogs fell to your weapons.

Pavlichenko always performed in Russian, knowing only a few phrases in English. However, during a visit to the United States, she became friends with the wife of American President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt. For the sake of communicating with her (they corresponded for many years, and in 1957 Mrs. Roosevelt came to visit Pavlichenko in Moscow), Lyudmila learned English.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko during a meeting with Eleanor Roosevelt. On the left is US Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson.

After the war, in 1945, Lyudmila Mikhailovna graduated from Kyiv University and remarried. Husband - Shevelev Konstantin Andreevich (1906-1963). From 1945 to 1953, Lyudmila Mikhailovna was a researcher at the Main Staff of the Navy. Later she worked in the Soviet Committee of War Veterans. She was a member of the Association of Friendship with the Peoples of Africa, and repeatedly visited African countries.
Lyudmila Mikhailovna passed away in Moscow on October 27, 1974. She was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

a stele on the grave of L. Pavlichenko, her mother Elena Belova, her husband and son are buried next to her

Lyudmila Pavlichenko in the movie "Battle for Sevastopol"

In April 2015, the joint Russian-Ukrainian film "Battle for Sevastopol" dedicated to Lyudmila Pavlichenko was released. The Ukrainian side financed the film by 79%, the Russian side - the remaining 21%. Filming took place from late 2013 until June 2014. Due to the annexation of Sevastopol to Russia in 2014, Ukrainian distributors abandoned the name "Battle for Sevastopol" and chose the name "Nezlamna" (Unbreakable), which more closely matches the spirit of the film, because only part of the plot takes place in Sevastopol and the scale of hostilities for this city is not disclosed in the film.

Russian movie poster

Ukrainian movie poster

The role of Lyudmila Pavlichenko in the film is played by Russian actress with Estonian roots Yulia Peresild. This choice can hardly be considered successful. Firstly, Lyudmila Pavlichenko was far from being of a fragile physique, unlike Peresild. Secondly, the actress showed the character of Lyudmila Pavlichenko exactly the opposite of what he was in reality. This was noted by the relatives of Lyudmila Mikhailovna. The granddaughter of Lyudmila Pavlichenko Alena Rostislavovna said about the heroine Peresild like this: " The actress, of course, does not look like a grandmother. Julia showed her very silent and cold. Lyudmila Mikhailovna was bright and temperamental. It can be seen that the actress is difficult to play.".
The widow of Pavlichenko's son, Lyubov Davydovna Krasheninnikova, a retired major of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also noted the dissimilarity of Yulia Peresild to her legendary mother-in-law. " Lyudmila Mikhailovna was a sniper, but this does not mean that in life she is harsh and restrained. On the contrary, he was a kind-hearted man. And the actress showed Pavlichenko silent and the same everywhere". Most of all, Lyubov Krasheninnikova was struck by the cold relationship of the on-screen Lyudmila Pavlichenko with her family -" as if she did something wrong". "She loved her family very much and treated them with tenderness.".

Yulia Peresild as Lyudmila Pavlichenko in the film "Battle for Sevastopol"

There are many historical inaccuracies in the film. For example, the picture says that Lyudmila's father had the surname Pavlichenko, thereby turning Lyudmila into an ethnic Ukrainian (in the film she sings a song in Ukrainian), although she was Russian and called herself a "Russian soldier". Not a word is said about Lyudmila's first marriage and the birth of her child before entering the university. From the film, we can conclude that Lyudmila went to the front, remaining a virgin.
In the film, Lyudmila speaks fluent English during her visit to America, while she did not know English at that time.
At the same time, the film is undoubtedly recommended for viewing by those who are interested in the Great Patriotic War and the personality of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko.

Clip of Polina Gagarina "Cuckoo" with frames from the film "Battle for Sevastopol"

She was so sweet and welcoming. Looking at Lyudmila Pavlichenko, it was impossible to imagine that this was an experienced shooter - a female sniper, who accounted for hundreds of killed soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht.

Once on the front line, Lyudmila Pavlichenko could not bring herself to shoot a man. How is that even possible?! All sentiment was removed by the first fight.

The young neighbor, who was sitting next to him in the trench, suddenly twitched, spreading his arms, and fell on his back. “He was a wonderful happy boy who was killed right in front of my eyes,” Lyudmila later admits. “Now nothing could stop me.”

Pavlichenko Lyudmila Mikhailovna biography: it all started with a shooting range

Historians and experts who have studied the military exploits of Lyudmila Pavlichenko tend to think that she owes her military victories to her amazing abilities. It is believed that the girl had a special structure of the eye, which allowed her to see a little more than others.

In addition, Pavlichenko had a subtle ear and amazing intuition, she somehow incomprehensibly felt the forest, wind, rain. And also - she knew the ballistic tables by memory, with the help of which she calculated the distance to the object.

But how could a history student and mother of a nine-year-old child become a professional sniper?! The answer is simple - the war is to blame. A year before it began, the girl graduated with honors from the OSOAVIAKhIM courses in sniper business. No one doubted that a clash with Germany was inevitable, so the Soviet youth was preparing to repulse the enemy.

Everything was decided on a pre-war sunny day. Pavlichenko in the company of friends walked in the Kiev park. Seeing the shooting gallery, the guys offered to have some fun. When the shots died down, the shooting gallery manager examined the targets and asked: “Who had the third target ?!” Lyudmila smiled embarrassedly: "Mine." Raising his eyebrows in surprise, the man grunted: “For excellent shooting, OSOAVIAKHIM rewards you with the right to fire an additional shot. For free".

True, the case was not limited to an additional shot. Information about a capable girl came "where necessary", and Pavlichenko ended up in the courses of the Kyiv school of snipers. There was no opportunity to refuse, and she herself liked the shooting business. Although the idea that she would have to shoot at living people had not yet occurred to her head. This is how the sniper biography of a pretty young woman began - Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Her life was like a roller coaster - up and down. Lyudmila was born in the Kyiv region in the city of Belaya Tserkov in 1916. Having met at the age of 15 at a dance with 25-year-old student Alexei Pavlichenko, the naive schoolgirl simply lost her head. And when the tall handsome man departed in an unknown direction, she still did not suspect what it would turn out for her.

The rounded belly was the first to be noticed by my mother. That same evening, Luda confessed to her parents about her relationship with Pavlichenko. It was not difficult for NKVD Major Mikhail Belov to find him and force him to marry his deceived daughter. But you won't be forced to be nice.

Quarrels, reproaches, scandals - a short marriage led to mutual hatred, and then to divorce.

When her son Rostik turned five, Luda, who worked at the factory, decided to go to school. On the advice of her mother, who helped her with the child, she entered the history department of Shevchenko Kyiv State University. Studying was easy for her, and before the last year, Luda planned to write a paper about the personality of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. For material, she went to Odessa, where she met on June 22.

There was no doubt - she had to go to the front, and 24-year-old Pavlichenko came to the draft board. According to the received specialty, the girl was enlisted as a sniper in the 25th Chapaev Infantry Division. The fighters, who had already managed to sniff the gunpowder, smiled bitterly: “We ourselves fall for nuts, why did they send a woman to such hell?”

The company commander was more restrained, but he did not hide his skepticism towards the newcomer. Especially when she was taken out of the trench in a state of shock after the German attack. He waited until the girl came to her senses, and then led her to the parapet and asked: “Do you see the Germans? There are two Romanians next to them - can you shoot?!” Pavlichenko shot both of them, after which all questions from the commander disappeared.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko - biography of personal life

But instead, feelings flared up. In a war, when the nerves are strained to the limit, and the closest and dearest is the one who helps you survive, this happens. For Lyudmila, the commander, junior lieutenant Alexei Kitsenko, became such a person. The report to the unit commander with a request to register the marriage was a logical continuation of the front-line romance. But life decreed otherwise.

The profession of a sniper is full of dangers. Often, after his shots, the enemy opened a hurricane of fire from cannons on the intended square. This is how Alexei Kitsenko died in February 1942. His death happened in front of Lyudmila. The lovers were sitting on a hillock when shelling suddenly began.

Shell fragments pierced Alexei's back, and one cut off the arm with which he hugged the bride. This is what saved the girl, because if not for the hand, the fragment would have broken her spine.

The death of a loved one did not go unnoticed for Lyudmila. For a while she was in shock, her hands were trembling, there was no question of shooting. But then something seemed to die in this smiling girl. Now she went into the "green" at dusk and returned when twilight was gathering over the positions. Her personal account of the destroyed Nazis grew at an unprecedented pace - one hundred, two hundred, three hundred.

Moreover, among those killed were not only soldiers and officers, but also 36 fascist snipers. Pretty soon, the German positions learned about the deadly Frau. She was even "given" a nickname - the Bolshevik Valkyrie. To neutralize it, at the beginning of 1942, a sniper ace arrived near Sevastopol. The German used an unexpected tactic for the snipers.

Having found the target, he left the shelter, approached and fired, after which he disappeared. Pavlichenko had to work hard to win the sniper duel against him. When she opened the notebook of the shot enemy, she read the inscription - Dunkirk (the owner's nickname) and his personal account - 500.

But death was constantly hovering next to Pavlichenko. In June 1942, Lyudmila was seriously wounded. Barely alive, she was transferred to a hospital on the mainland. From there, she never returned to the front line: in Moscow, they decided that there were more important things for her.

Soon, Pavlichenko, as part of a delegation of Soviet youth, was sent on a business trip to the United States - to convince the Americans to open a second front. Contrary to popular belief, Lyudmila did not know English, but her exploits spoke for themselves. "Lady Death" - the Americans admiringly called her, and country singer Woody Guthrie wrote the song "Miss Pavlichenko" about her. Even the wife of the President of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, could not resist the immediacy of this girl: she invited her to live in the White House.

But Pavlichenko went down in history not only with military exploits, but also with an incendiary speech in Chicago: “Gentlemen! I am twenty five years old. At the front, I have already managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don't you gentlemen think you've been hiding behind my back for too long?!

100 years ago, on July 12, 1916, Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born - the most successful female sniper in world history, who had 309 confirmed fatal hits on enemy soldiers and officers, for which she received the nickname "Lady Death".

Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the most successful female sniper of World War II, had to deal with misunderstanding during a visit to the United States, where she was nicknamed nothing more than "Lady Death." But sensationally avid American reporters, who expected to see a “killing machine” in front of them in a female guise, found that in front of them was an ordinary young woman who had terrible trials that failed to break her will.
She was so sweet and welcoming. Looking at Lyudmila Pavlichenko, it was impossible to imagine that she was an experienced sniper, who accounted for hundreds of killed soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht ...
Once on the front line, Lyudmila Pavlichenko could not bring herself to shoot a man. How is that even possible?! All sentiment was removed by the first fight. The young neighbor, who was sitting next to him in the trench, suddenly twitched, spreading his arms, and fell on his back.
"He was a beautiful happy boy who was killed right in front of my eyes,- Lyudmila later recalled. - Now nothing could stop me."

Original taken from tverdyi_znak

Lyudmila Belova was born on July 12, 1916 in the city of Belaya Tserkov, Kyiv province of the Russian Empire. Pavlichenko's mother was an English teacher. Father - Major of the NKVD. Until the age of 14, she studied at secondary school No. 3 in the city of Belaya Tserkov.

Ordinary life was changed by the first love, which ended in early marriage, and the birth of a son, Rostislav, who was born when Luda was only 16 years old. Having met at the age of 15 at a dance with 25-year-old student Alexei Pavlichenko, the naive schoolgirl simply lost her head. And when the tall handsome man departed in an unknown direction, she still did not suspect what it would turn out for her. The rounded belly was the first to be noticed by my mother. That same evening, Luda confessed to her parents about her relationship with Pavlichenko. It was not difficult for NKVD Major Mikhail Belov to find him and force him to marry his deceived daughter. But you won't be forced to be nice. Although Lyudmila married Alexei Pavlichenko in 1932, this did not save her from gossip. As a result, the family moved to Kyiv. Quarrels, reproaches, scandals - a short marriage led to mutual hatred, and then to divorce. Lyudmila returned to live with her parents. Bearing the surname Belova as a girl, after the divorce, Lyudmila retained the surname Pavlichenko - it was under her that the whole world recognized her, without exaggeration.

The status of a single mother at such a tender age did not frighten Lyuda - after the ninth grade she began to study at night school, while simultaneously working as a grinder at the Arsenal plant in Kiev. Relatives and friends helped raise little Rostislav.

In 1937, Lyudmila Pavlichenko entered the Faculty of History of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University. Like most students of the anxious pre-war period, Luda was preparing, “if there is war tomorrow”, to fight for the Motherland. The girl was engaged in gliding and shooting sports, showing very good results.

Historians and experts who have studied the military exploits of Lyudmila Pavlichenko tend to think that she owes her military victories to her amazing abilities. It is believed that the girl had a special structure of the eye, which allowed her to see a little more than others.
In addition, Pavlichenko had a subtle ear and amazing intuition, she somehow incomprehensibly felt the forest, wind, rain. And also - she knew the ballistic tables by memory, with the help of which she calculated the distance to the object.

In the summer of 1941, a fourth-year student, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, did pre-graduation practice at a scientific library in Odessa. The theme of the future diploma has already been chosen - the reunification of Ukraine with Russia. Oh, who then could have imagined that the paths of Russia and Ukraine would part?

When the war began, Luda immediately went to the draft board, presented documents about her shooting training, and asked to be sent to the front. According to the received specialty, the girl was enlisted as a sniper in the 25th Chapaev Infantry Division. The fighters, who had already managed to sniff the gunpowder, smiled bitterly: “We ourselves fall for nuts, why did they send a woman to such hell?”
The company commander was more restrained, but he did not hide his skepticism towards the newcomer. Especially when she was taken out of the trench in a state of shock after the German attack. He waited until the girl came to her senses, and then led her to the parapet and asked: “Do you see the Germans? There are two Romanians next to them - can you shoot?!” Pavlichenko shot both of them, after which all questions from the commander disappeared.

War is not the best place for love. But times are not chosen. Lyuda Pavlichenko was 25 years old, and the thirst for life was desperately arguing with death triumphing around. In a war, when the nerves are strained to the limit, and the closest and dearest is the one who helps you survive, this happens. For Lyudmila, the commander, junior lieutenant Kitsenko, became such a person. In December 1941, Lyuda was wounded, and Kitsenko pulled her out of the fire. The report to the unit commander with a request to register the marriage was a logical continuation of the front-line romance. But life took a different direction...
The profession of a sniper is full of dangers. Often, after his shots, the enemy opened a hurricane of fire from cannons on the intended square. This is how Kitsenko died in February 1942. His death happened in front of Lyudmila. The lovers were sitting on a hillock when shelling suddenly began.
Shell fragments pierced the groom's back, and one cut off the arm with which he hugged the bride. This is what saved the girl, because if not for the hand, the fragment would have broken her spine. Kitsenko's arm was torn off, and now Lyuda pulled him out from under the fire. But the wounds were too severe - a few days later he died in the hospital in her arms.

The death of a loved one did not go unnoticed for Lyudmila. For a while she was in shock, her hands were trembling, there was no question of shooting. But then something seemed to die in this smiling girl. Now she went into the "green" at dusk and returned when twilight was gathering over the positions. Her personal account of the destroyed Nazis grew at an unprecedented pace - one hundred, two hundred, three hundred ...

Moreover, among those killed were not only soldiers and officers, but also 36 fascist snipers. Pretty soon, the German positions learned about the deadly Frau. She was even "given" a nickname - the Bolshevik Valkyrie. To neutralize it, at the beginning of 1942, a sniper ace arrived near Sevastopol. The German used an unexpected tactic for the snipers.
Having found the target, he left the shelter, approached and fired, after which he disappeared. Pavlichenko had to work hard to win the sniper duel against him. When she opened the notebook of the shot enemy, she read the inscription - Dunkirk and his personal account - 500.

But death was constantly hovering next to Pavlichenko. Shortly before the fall of Sevastopol, in June 1942, Lyudmila Pavlichenko was seriously wounded. She was evacuated by sea. Thanks to this, she escaped the tragic fate of several tens of thousands of defenders of the city, who, deprived of the opportunity to evacuate, died or were taken prisoner after the capture of Sevastopol by the Nazis.
The legendary 25th Chapaev division, in which Lyudmila Pavlichenko fought, died. Her last fighters drowned the banners in the Black Sea so that they would not go to the enemy.

By the time of the evacuation from Sevastopol, Lyudmila Pavlichenko accounted for 309 destroyed enemy soldiers and officers. She achieved this stunning result in just a year of the war.
In Moscow, they decided that she had served the Motherland enough on the front line, and there was no point in throwing a repeatedly wounded, shell-shocked woman who survived personal losses into the inferno again. Now she had a completely different mission.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko and I. Maisky's wife at a reception at the Soviet embassy in Great Britain

Soon, Pavlichenko, as part of a delegation of Soviet youth, was sent on a business trip to the United States - to convince the Americans to open a second front. Contrary to popular belief, Lyudmila did not know English, but her exploits spoke for themselves.
The news that a Russian woman who personally killed more than 300 fascists is coming to the United States caused a sensation. It is unlikely that American journalists understood exactly how the Russian heroine should look, but they definitely did not expect to see a pretty young woman whose photo could easily decorate the covers of fashion magazines. Apparently, therefore, the thoughts of reporters at the first press conference with the participation of Pavlichenko went somewhere very far from the war.

What color underwear do you prefer? one of the Americans blurted out.

Lyudmila, smiling sweetly, replied:
- For a similar question in our country you can get a face. Come on, come closer...

This answer conquered even the most "toothy sharks" from the American media. Admiring articles about the Russian sniper appeared in almost all American newspapers.

"Lady Death" - the Americans admiringly called her, and country singer Woody Guthrie wrote the song "Miss Pavlichenko" about her.
In the summer heat, cold snowy winter
In any weather you hunt down the enemy
The world will love your pretty face, just like me
After all, more than three hundred Nazi dogs fell from your weapons ...

Even the wife of the President of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, could not resist the immediacy of this girl: she invited her to live in the White House.

Later, Eleanor Roosevelt invited Lyudmila Pavlichenko on a trip around the country. Ludmila has spoken before the International Student Assembly in Washington DC, before the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), as well as in New York, but many remember her speech in Chicago.
"Gentlemen, - a sonorous voice resounded over the crowd of thousands gathered. — I am twenty five years old. At the front, I have already managed to destroy three hundred and nine fascist invaders. Don't you gentlemen think you've been hiding behind my back for too long?!
The crowd froze for a moment, and then exploded into a frantic roar of approval...

In America, she was given a Colt, and in Canada, a Winchester (exhibited at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces).

In Canada, the delegation of the Soviet military was greeted by several thousand Canadians who gathered at the Toronto Consolidated Station.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko among the workers of the small arms factory in Liverpool. 1942.

After returning, Major Pavlichenko served as an instructor at the Shot sniper school. After the war, in 1945, Lyudmila Mikhailovna graduated from Kyiv University. From 1945 to 1953 she was a researcher at the Main Staff of the Navy. Later she worked in the Soviet Committee of War Veterans.
Her post-war personal life was also successful - she got married, raised her son, and was engaged in social activities. Lyudmila Mikhailovna died in October 1974, having found peace at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
In honor of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the sniper rifle "Lyuda" in the computer game "Borderlands 2" is named. Also, in honor of Lyudmila Mikhailovna, the surname Pavlichenko is the main character of the second season of the 2009 anime series “Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini”

The image of Pavlichenko is embodied in the film by Sergei Mokritsky "Battle for Sevastopol / Nezlamna" (2015), in which the main role was played by Yulia Peresild.