Soviet Women Snipers of the Second World War - Youri Obraztsov / Maud Anders

The commitment of Soviet women in World War II, by their number and their role is an unprecedented event in the history of the world. Of all the jobs women could have done during the war, one of the most difficult, one of the most improbable, was that of sniper. At the beginning of the war women snipers were isolated cases, but their numbers increased rapidly with the creation of the Central Women’s School of Sniper Training. They were going to be up against enemy fire, the threat of being arrested by the Germans, bad weather conditions, and having to sit still for hours and days on end. The involvement of Soviet women in the Second World War, because of their numbers and the role they played, is an unprecedented event in world history. More than 100,000 women enlisted in the army or joined the partisans. Eighty-seven would eventually receive the highest honorary title given, Hero of the Soviet Union. Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Roza Shanina, Nina Petrova, Aliya Moldagulova, Nina Lobkovskaya, Liza Mironova… So many women with incredible stories who before the war were serving their country in other ways, being teachers or students, and whose desire to defend their country and avenge their family was so strong that they eventually became elite markswomen.

Softcover, 21 x 25 cm, 112 pages, illustrated throughout