Post by magnum on Oct 23, 2019 20:53:39 GMT
Smart, beautiful, and deadly, the 19 year old Russian sniper Roza Shanina had 59 confirmed kills. She was known as "The Unseen Terror of East Prussia," by the Soviets.
Roza Georgiyevna Shanina was born on 3 April 1924 in the Russian village of Yedma. Roza had six siblings: one sister Yuliya and five brothers: Mikhail, Fyodor, Sergei, Pavel, and Marat. The Shaninas also raised three orphans.
After finishing four classes of elementary school in Yedma, Roza continued her education in the village of Bereznik. At the age of 14, Roza, against her parents’ wishes, walked 200 kilometres across the taiga to the rail station and traveled to Arkhangelsk to study at the college there.
In 1938, Roza became a member of the Soviet youth movement. She received little financial support from home and on 11 September 1941, she took a job in kindergarten No. 2 in Arkhangelsk and was offered a free apartment. She studied in the evenings and worked in the kindergarten during the daytime. Roza graduated from college in the 1941–42 academic year, when the Soviet Union was in the grip of World II.
Roza’s two elder brothers had volunteered for the military. In December 1941, a death notification was received for her 19-year-old brother Mikhail, who had died during the Siege of Leningrad. In response, Roza went to the military commissariat to ask for permission to serve.
On 22 June 1943, Roza was accepted into the Vsevobuch program for Universal Military Training. After several applications, the military commissariat finally allowed her to enroll in the Central Female Sniper Academy. It turned out, that she was such an expert marksman they asked her to be an instructor. She said no, she wanted to go to the front lines.
On 2 April 1944 joined the 184th Rifle Division, where a separate female sniper platoon had been formed. Roza was appointed a commander of that platoon. Three days later, southeast of Vitebsk, Roza killed her first German soldier. In her own words, her legs gave way and she slid down into the trench and said, "I've killed a man." Concerned, the other women soldiers ran up to her saying, "That was a fascist you finished off!"
Smart, beautiful, and deadly, the 19-year-old Russian sniper Roza Shanina had 59 confirmed kills. She was known as "The Unseen Terror of East Prussia," by the Soviets.er sniper tally increased to 17 confirmed enemy kills.
When Operation Bagration commenced in the Vitebsk region on 22 June 1944, it was decided that female snipers would be withdrawn. They voluntarily continued to support the advancing infantry anyway, and despite the Soviet policy of sparing snipers, Roza asked to be sent to the front line. Although her request was refused, she went anyway. Roza was also told not to write in her diary, she did anyway. Roza and her sisters-in-arms took part in the battle for Vilnius, which had been under German occupation since 24 June 1941.
She was credited with 59 confirmed kills and received three different orders during her lifetime (Orders of Glory 3rd and 2nd Class, Medal for Courage) which makes her one of the most successful and most famous female snipers of World II.
On 27 January Roza was severely injured while shielding a wounded artillery officer. She was found by two soldiers disemboweled, and her chest torn open by a shell fragment.der was just scalded like it was hit with something hot." Although the injury, which Roza described as "two small holes", seemed minor to her, she needed an operation and was in the hospital several days. But soon she went back to the front.
On 27 January Roza was severely injured while shielding a wounded artillery officer. She was found by two soldiers disemboweled, and her chest torn open by a shell fragment.
Despite attempts to save her, Senior Sargeant Roza Shanina died the following day.
Roza Georgiyevna Shanina was born on 3 April 1924 in the Russian village of Yedma. Roza had six siblings: one sister Yuliya and five brothers: Mikhail, Fyodor, Sergei, Pavel, and Marat. The Shaninas also raised three orphans.
After finishing four classes of elementary school in Yedma, Roza continued her education in the village of Bereznik. At the age of 14, Roza, against her parents’ wishes, walked 200 kilometres across the taiga to the rail station and traveled to Arkhangelsk to study at the college there.
In 1938, Roza became a member of the Soviet youth movement. She received little financial support from home and on 11 September 1941, she took a job in kindergarten No. 2 in Arkhangelsk and was offered a free apartment. She studied in the evenings and worked in the kindergarten during the daytime. Roza graduated from college in the 1941–42 academic year, when the Soviet Union was in the grip of World II.
Roza’s two elder brothers had volunteered for the military. In December 1941, a death notification was received for her 19-year-old brother Mikhail, who had died during the Siege of Leningrad. In response, Roza went to the military commissariat to ask for permission to serve.
On 22 June 1943, Roza was accepted into the Vsevobuch program for Universal Military Training. After several applications, the military commissariat finally allowed her to enroll in the Central Female Sniper Academy. It turned out, that she was such an expert marksman they asked her to be an instructor. She said no, she wanted to go to the front lines.
On 2 April 1944 joined the 184th Rifle Division, where a separate female sniper platoon had been formed. Roza was appointed a commander of that platoon. Three days later, southeast of Vitebsk, Roza killed her first German soldier. In her own words, her legs gave way and she slid down into the trench and said, "I've killed a man." Concerned, the other women soldiers ran up to her saying, "That was a fascist you finished off!"
Smart, beautiful, and deadly, the 19-year-old Russian sniper Roza Shanina had 59 confirmed kills. She was known as "The Unseen Terror of East Prussia," by the Soviets.er sniper tally increased to 17 confirmed enemy kills.
When Operation Bagration commenced in the Vitebsk region on 22 June 1944, it was decided that female snipers would be withdrawn. They voluntarily continued to support the advancing infantry anyway, and despite the Soviet policy of sparing snipers, Roza asked to be sent to the front line. Although her request was refused, she went anyway. Roza was also told not to write in her diary, she did anyway. Roza and her sisters-in-arms took part in the battle for Vilnius, which had been under German occupation since 24 June 1941.
She was credited with 59 confirmed kills and received three different orders during her lifetime (Orders of Glory 3rd and 2nd Class, Medal for Courage) which makes her one of the most successful and most famous female snipers of World II.
On 27 January Roza was severely injured while shielding a wounded artillery officer. She was found by two soldiers disemboweled, and her chest torn open by a shell fragment.der was just scalded like it was hit with something hot." Although the injury, which Roza described as "two small holes", seemed minor to her, she needed an operation and was in the hospital several days. But soon she went back to the front.
On 27 January Roza was severely injured while shielding a wounded artillery officer. She was found by two soldiers disemboweled, and her chest torn open by a shell fragment.
Despite attempts to save her, Senior Sargeant Roza Shanina died the following day.
She was 20 years old.