June 22, 1941 — Nazi Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union. Amid the chaos stands a 25-year-old woman determined to defend her homeland — Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a history student from Kiev who will become the most successful female sniper in history.
From the Siege of Odessa to the Battle of Sevastopol, she eliminates 309 enemy soldiers, earning fear and respect from both sides. The Germans call her “Lady Death.”
After being wounded, she tours the United States, meeting Eleanor Roosevelt and calling on the Allies to open a second front.
Decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union, Pavlichenko remains a legend — a woman who proved that courage knows no gender and that one rifle in the right hands can change history.
Up Next in Season 1
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Jan Bonekamp: From Dutch Steelworker ...
When Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, ordinary citizens faced a choice — submit or resist.
Jan Bonekamp, a steelworker and young father from Amsterdam, chose to fight back.
He spread underground newspapers, joined the growing resistance, and inspired others to stand against Nazi terr... -
How a Gay Artist Saved Thousands from...
On 10 May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands. As bombs fell over Rotterdam and anti-Jewish laws took hold, Dutch artist and writer Willem Arondeus refused to stay silent. Openly gay in a time of persecution, he joined the resistance and led a daring mission to blow up Amsterdam’s populati...
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Georg Duckwitz: From Nazi Official to...
In September 1943, Nazi Germany ordered the deportation of Denmark’s Jewish population. Instead of mass arrests, German police found empty homes. At the center of this extraordinary rescue was Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German diplomat who, at great personal risk, warned Danish leaders and secur...
