Roza Shanina
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| Roza Shanina | |
|---|---|
| 1924–1945 | |
 |
|
| Place of birth | Yedma, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russian SFSR |
| Place of death | East Prussia |
| Allegiance | Red Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank | Senior Sergeant |
| Unit | 3rd Belorussian Front |
| Battles/wars | Eastern Front of World War II |
| Awards | Orders of Glory 3rd and 2nd class[1], Medal for Valor[2] |
Roza Yegorovna Shanina (Russian: Роза Егоровна Шанина, 1924 – January 28, 1945) was a Soviet single sniper during World War II with 54 confirmed kills.[3] She was responsible for shooting 12 enemy soldiers during the Battle of Vilnius.[4]
Shanina had light brown hair and blue eyes.[5] After attending Arkhangelsk Teacher's Training College, she became a mentor in the kindergarten. Then she voluntarily entered the Vsevobuch and later the Central Female Sniper Academy in Podolsk. On June 22, 1943 Shanina entered the Red Army and on April 2, 1944 joined the 184th Rifle Division, where a separate female sniper platoon was formed. Once receiving a battalion commander's order on immediate return to the rear, Shanina replied "I will return after the battle".[6] The words later became a title of the book From The Battle Returned by Russian writer Nikolai Zhuravlyov. Shanina's last major battle took place near the khutor of Rikhau, where she was subsequently killed. However, her battle diary and several letters have been published. Streets in Arkhangelsk and in the settlements of Shangaly and Stroyevskoye were named after her.
Shanina had four brothers, but only one survived the war.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- (Russian) Журавлëв, Н. После боя вернулась… (За честь и славу Родины). М., Досааф. 1985
