The presence of women in the military has not really become common until a few years ago. However, their presence is banned in some areas that still are considered typical of men, so their struggle for equality continues.
Probably Lyudmila Pavlichenko had to face such discrimination when, in 1941, went to Soviet recruitment office to enlist and to fight against the German invaders.
Pavlichenko, who had a strong character who showed signs of very young, worked as a weapons polisher, where he was fond of guns. That passion led her to join a shooting club where she soon rose to prominence for her excellent aim.
Therefore, when Nazi troops invaded the Soviet Union, she did not hesitate to be in a recruiting office to serve her country. The commanding officer's enlisted her as a nurse, as almost all women, but she had other plans. She showed documents proving the aim and asked for a rifle. Finally, after convincing the officer, she was assigned as a sniper to the 25th Infantry Division with a Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 with an effective range of over 600 meters.
After fighting on the fronts of Odessa and the Crimea, in June 1942 she was wounded by a mortar. Until then she had caused 309 casualties on enemy troops, including several snipers.
After her recovery she toured Canada and the U.S. as public relations, becoming the first Soviet citizen to be received by President Roosevelt. On her return to Russia no longer dedicated to teaching hundreds of snipers during the war.
A year later she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and its image appeared in two editions of stamps. Following the war, she finished her studies at the Kiev University and began her work as a historian. She died on October 10, 1974 at age of 58, perhaps unaware that her unknown accomplishment would be a great example to the struggle for women's equality.
