When I saw this title in my recommendation list, I paused for a moment while focusing intently on the cover. As a history lover, World War II (1939-1945) always fascinates me, but I also realized that the material I tend to read typically comes from the American point of view or from those who survived the horrors of the Third Reich. This book was a change of pace and allowed me to read about the war from the view of a soldier in the Soviet Union‘s Red Army by the name of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (1916-1974). This is her story of how she joined the war effort and became one of the Soviet Union’s deadliest snipers.

The story begins in her native Ukraine in 1916 during World War I, and her childhood post-war is ordinary. But when she is introduced to a rifle, shooting becomes an addictive hobby. However, her life a sniper is still years away and she explains the changes in her personal life including her first husband Alexei and son Rostislav Alekseevich Pavlichenko (1932-2007). But everything changes for all of them when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 in “Operation Barbarossa“. Lyudmila answers the call and joins the military as a sniper determined to defeat the German menace. At this point in the story, the book changes gears as the ugliness of warfare takes center stage. Readers may find her candid discussions of the kill shots she takes to be shocking but it is crucial to remember that the war had affected and shaped her, and Germany atrocities against Soviet men and women had conditioned them to believe that Nazi deaths were the only options. In between her kill shots, she also suffers battlefield wounds, and one incident nearly claims her life. She revisits each one highlighting the danger snipers faced when out on their missions. Frankly, death was everywhere and I felt chills as she recalls the missions.

In between military missions, briefings and keeping her skills sharp, she also finds love in second husband Alexei Kitsenko. The relationship blossoms despite the chaos around them and their roles as snipers, but a series of events shatter everything between them, and as I read I could feel the grief in her words. The section about Alexei is both shocking and heartbreaking, and it also reinforces the words that war is hell. However, a war was still brewing, and Lyudmila’s job was far from finished. She was determined to leave her mark, and it is apparent from the awards she received and her record that she accomplished that goal. In the Soviet Union she becomes a star and is chosen to lead a delegation to visit the United States. Prior to reading this book, I had heard of Pavlichenko’s name, but her story was not familiar with me, and the section about her trip abroad was a surprise. But this is why I love reading as much as I do because there is always something to learn. And when visited America, it was the United States that something to learn.

Upon arriving in America she meets the first couple, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) and wife Eleanor (1884-1962). I enjoyed this part of the book, and learning about her experiences in Washington was fascinating. In the years before the Cold War, the Soviet delegation receives star treatment in America where they are seen as “ambassadors” of good will approved by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) himself. There are humorous moments during the visit and some moments which are bewildering, but it is her friendship with the first lady that stands out. It also continued after the war as readers will learn. Following the visit to America, it was off to England where Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) and wife Clementine (1885-1977) were waiting for their Soviet guests. The British visit is equally as interesting, and as I read, I thought of the differences in culture and how we as people find common ground. The west was genuinely curious about these Soviet troops and in particular a female sniper which was unheard of in American and British military circles. Pavlichenko was a rarity, but she was appreciated back home, and when the delegation returns to the Soviet Union, she is summoned by Stalin himself who wants to know all about her trip. However, the meeting results in changes she did not expect but nothing negative.

After her service in the field, Pavlichenko is assigned other functions to assist the war effort until the Nazi defeat on April 30, 1945. We follow her after the war when she returns to civilian life and begins to reclaim the parts of her past the war had prevented her from embracing. And although she survived the war, she did not escape unscathed and carried both mental and physical scars with her. But throughout everything she remains humble and tells her story of a young woman from Kyiv (Kiev) who went on to became one of the deadliest snipers in Russian history. And I enjoyed reading her autobiography. Sadly, on October 10, 1974, Lyudmila Pavlichenko died at the age of fifty-eight following a stroke and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, alcohol, and physical wounds combined to take their toll later in her life. Pavlichenko died prematurely but during her life, she served her nation as it fought for its survival in the deadliest war in history.

“To become a sniper, it is not only important to be able to shoot accurately. One other thing is important – a cold hatred for the enemy, so emotions are subordinated to calculation. Here the iron will of the soldier plays a role. Snipers did not take their eyes of the enemy by day or night, and information in reconnaissance log-books would often be verified through snipers’ operations. A sniper had to know by heart every bump in the ground, every bush in front of his or her position. ” – Lyudmila Pavlichenko

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07B7MGZ4B
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Greenhill Books,  January 24, 2020