Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper (Greenhill Sniper Library)

Lyudmila Pavlichenko's memoir recounts her service as a Soviet sniper during World War II. In June 1941, after Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Pavlichenko left her university studies to become one of approximately two thousand female snipers in Soviet Russia. Within less than a year, she had recorded 309 kills, including 29 enemy snipers. She was withdrawn from active duty due to injury and regarded as a key heroic figure for the war effort. To continue supporting the war, Pavlichenko spoke at rallies in Canada and the United States, toured the White House with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and traveled to England to raise funds for the Red Army. Folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song titled "Miss Pavlichenko" about her. She befriended Eleanor Roosevelt and advocated for women's rights. After the war, Pavlichenko trained other snipers, completed her education at Kiev University, and became a historian. She remains a revered hero in Russia.