Yulia Kharlamova in traditional Russian
clothing
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Roza Georgiyevna Shanina (Russian: Ро́за Гео́ргиевна
Ша́нина, IPA: [ˈrozə ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪɪvnəˈʂanʲɪnə]; 3 April 1924 – 28 January
1945) was a Soviet sniper during World
War II, credited with fifty-nine confirmed kills, including twelve
soldiers during the Battle of Vilnius. Shanina volunteered for
the military after the death of her brother in 1941 and chose to be a marksman on the
front line. Praised for her shooting accuracy, Shanina was capable of precisely
hitting moving enemy personnel and making doublets (two target hits by two
rounds fired in quick succession).
Allied
newspapers described Shanina as "the unseen terror of East Prussia".
She became the first Soviet female sniper to be awarded the Order of Glory and
was the first servicewoman of the 3rd Belorussian Front to receive it. Shanina
was killed in action during the East Prussian Offensive while shielding the
severely wounded commander of an artillery unit. Shanina's bravery received praise
already during her lifetime, but came at odds with the Soviet policy of sparing
snipers from heavy fights. Her combat diary was first published in 1965.
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