Senior Sergeant Roza Shanina
Roza Shanina (1924-1945) was one of the more well-known female snipers in history. Known as the Unseen Terror of East Prussia, she joined the Soviet Army after her brother was killed in 1941. As a marksman, she amassed 59 confirmed kills with her Mosin Nagant 91/30 during a very short career. She also rose to command the 1st Sniper Platoon (184th Rifle Division). She was awarded the Order of Glory 2nd and 3rd Class, and the Medal of Courage. She was killed during the East Prussian Offensive, while shielding a severely wounded commanding officer of an artillery unit during an artillery attack just shy of her 21st birthday.
For her actions in the battle for the village of Kozyi Gory (Smolensk Oblast), Shanina was awarded her first military distinction, the Order of Glory 3rd Class on April 17, 1944. According to the report of Major Degtyarev (Commander of the 1138th Rifle Regiment) between 6 and 11 April, Roza killed 13 enemy soldiers while subjected to artillery and machine gun fire. By May 1944, her sniper tally increased to 17 confirmed enemy kills. On September 16, 1944, Shanina was awarded her second military distinction, the Order of Glory 2nd Class for intrepidity and bravery displayed in various battles against the Germans.
The last unit she served in was the 144th Rifle Division. According to the online Book of Memory of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Shanina served in the 205th Special Motorized Rifle Battalion of that division. She was hit by a German artillery shell on January 27, 1945 near the Richau Estate in East Prussia. Mortally wounded, she succumbed the next day.
Her awards:
Order of Glory 2nd & 3rd Class and the Medal for Courage
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