Soviet Snipers of WW2

Lady Death brought to life: Colourised images show deadly female Russian soldier - who killed 309 Nazis during WWII - alongside her fellow women snipers who terrified the Germans

• Stunning colourised portraits show some of Russia's celebrated female snipers during the Second World War
• One shows Lyudmila Pavlichenko, dubbed Lady Death for her kill rate after picking off more than 300 Nazis
• Another image, colourised by translator Olga Shirnin, shows Roza Shanina - responsible for 59-confirmed kills 

Stunning colourised portraits have emerged showing the lethal Russian female snipers of World War Two - including one dubbed Lady Death (pictured) after picking off 309 Nazis

 

Pictures of the fighters were brought to life by translator Olga Shirnina, from Moscow, Russia, and show women posing with their sniper rifles. Sniper Roza Shanina (pictured) is featured in the collection

Taking up arms:  One colourised photograph shows a row of Soviet women holding their sniper rifles and ready to fight Nazi Germany

'There are very few images with Red Army soldiers, I decided to fill this gap,' said Shirnina.

'I'm interested in the history of Russia, it is full of dramatic, cataclysmic events which impacted on the history of both the country itself and the whole world.

'Sometimes a picture can say more than many words and I'll be glad if people learn more about Russia and its people through my colourings, especially about our brave women.

'It was a phenomenon and no other country had so many female soldiers, snipers, pilots, medicals.'

Lyudmila Pavlichenko joined the Red Army's 25th Rifle Division in June 1941 where she was one of around 2,000 female snipers, 500 of which survived World War Two 

In one portrait 'Lady Death' is pictured wearing full uniform beneath a framed picture of Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin

Roza Shanina was responsible for 59-confirmed kills during the Second World War. 

Ready for war: Russian sniper Ziba DeNoise is shown holding her rifle in another stunning colourised portrait

Sniper Yevgenia Makeeva (top) is believed to have killed 68 Nazis while Lyudmila Pavlichenko (bottom) killed more than 300 Germans during the Second World War  

Pavlichenko became one of the top military snipers of all time with a record of 309 confirmed kills.

Around 800,000 women served in the Soviet Armed Forces during the war as snipers, pilots, machine gunners and a large number were stationed in medical units.

Around 800,000 women, including Roza Shanina (pictured), served in the Soviet Armed Forces during the war as snipers, pilots, machine gunners and a large number were stationed in medical units

Translator Olga Shirnina, from Moscow, Russia, colourised the pictures to give them new life. Sniper volunteer Nadezhda Kolesnikov is pictured (top) along with Lyuba Makarova