It is estimated that the Soviet Union trained almost 400,000 snipers, both men and women, during World War II, with about 10,000 of them earning advanced qualifications. More than 2,000 female snipers were also sent to the front lines; some of these women, like Roza Shanina, killed over 50 people and left their marks in the sands of time.
Shanina, dubbed “the unseen terror of East Prussia,” was turned down by the army when she attempted to enlist at 17. This was after one of her older brothers was killed in combat in 1941. She was then admitted to the women’s sniper training school in the military, where she excelled and finished with honors.
In April 1944, she joined the 184th Rifle Division, where she was given command of a female sniper team. She died in January 1945 after being severely wounded by German troops’ heavy fire.
Early Life And Background Of Roza Shanina
Roza Shanina was born on April 3, 1924, in a small village called Edma, in the northern region of Russia known as Arkhangelsk Oblast. Her parents’ names are Anna Alexeyevna Shanina and Georgiy Mikhailovich. She had six siblings: five brothers, Mikhail, Fyodor, Sergei, Pavel, and Marat, and one sister, Yuliya.
Roza was a bright and eager learner who loved to read and write. She attended elementary school in her village and then moved to another village, Bereznik, to continue her middle school education. She was determined to go higher, and at the age of 14, she walked 200 kilometers to enroll in a college.
After Three Of Her Brothers Were Killed In Combat, She Wanted To Join The Army
In 1941, when Shanina was just 17 years old, her older brother Mikhail, who was 19 years old at the time, was killed in combat during World War II. According to reports, she also lost two more older brothers in the war.
This tragedy devastated her, but it also fueled her desire to fight for her country. She tried to enlist in the army, but she was initially rejected because of her age and gender. However, she was eventually accepted into the women’s sniper training school, where she excelled.
Shanina graduated from sniper school in April 1944 and was immediately sent to the front lines. She would later become known for her accuracy and her ability to kill enemy soldiers from long distances.
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A Look at Her Brief Military Career and How She Died
Concerning her military career, she became the commander of a newly formed female sniper platoon in the 184th Rifle Division after she finished tops in the Central Women’s Sniper Training School.
Shanina participated in several battles on the Eastern Front, including the Battle of Vilnius, where she killed 12 enemy soldiers in one day. She was awarded the Order of Glory, 3rd Class, for her actions in the battle of Kozyi Gory, where she eliminated 13 enemy snipers. She was the first Soviet female sniper to receive this honor.
She also received the Order of Glory, 2nd Class, for her courage and dedication in the East Prussian Offensive, where she was part of the first Soviet troops to enter German territory.
Besides, she was wounded several times but always returned to the front line after recovering. Unfortunately, she was killed in action in late January 1945 while trying to save a wounded artillery officer. She was only 20 years old.
Notably, she was credited with 59 confirmed kills, making her one of the most successful female snipers in the Soviet Union’s history. Her comrades and the media praised her, and she became a symbol of Soviet heroism and patriotism.
About Two Decades Later, Her Combat Diary Was Published
While still alive and in action, Shanina kept a combat diary, recording her experiences and feelings during the war. She also wrote letters to her family and friends, expressing her hopes and fears.
However, her diary was not published until 1965, about 20 years after her death in combat. The diary, which consisted of three notebooks, was given to the Regional Museum of Arkhangelsk Oblast.
The diary entries were first published in the magazine Yunost (Youth) in 1965, with the permission of her family. More than 50 years later, it was translated into English for the first time by A. G. Mogan, who published it as a book titled Stalin’s Sniper: The War Diary of Roza Shanina in February 2021.
