That uniform makes you look fat! — Lyudmila Pavlichenko in AmericaOne of the most celebrated s
That uniform makes you look fat! — Lyudmila Pavlichenko in AmericaOne of the most celebrated snipers in history as well as the deadliest female sniper in history with 309 kills , Lyudmila Pavlichenko goes down in history among the great Soviet snipers during World War II. Lyudmila was certainly one who was tough and cool under fire, however it would be her experiences in America that would prove the most challenging. After being seriously wounded by a mortar in June of 1942, she was sent on a propaganda trip to the United States to drum up support for the Soviet War effort while she recovered. She toured the country, speaking about the war, her achievements, and most importantly how women were every bit as tough as men when it came to fighting. In Chicago, she stood before large crowds, chiding the men the men to fight in the war saying, “Gentlemen, I am 25 years old and I have killed 309 fascist occupants by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?”During her tours she visited or was visited by many important and famous people; including Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and New York City Mayor LaGuardia. She became especially good friends with Eleanor Roosevelt, another larger than life woman in history who originally invited her to America and accompanied her throughout most of the tour. Throughout her tours she was given many awards, usually presentation pistols and rifles. Even the popular folk singer Woodie Guthrie wrote a song about her entitled, “Miss Pavelichenko”. By the end of her American tour she had visited 46 major American cities.Despite her popularity and reputation, she was viewed more often than not as an oddity rather than a war hero, and the prejudices against women common in 1940′s America became apparent. Press reporters asked her questions about her nail polish, how she curled her hair. One reporter criticized how she didn’t wear any makeup. Another commented, “Isn’t it a part of military philosophy that an efficient warrior takes pride in his appearance? Isn’t Joan of Arc always pictured in beautiful and shining armor?” When one dipshit commented that her uniform’s skirt was too long, stating that American women’s uniforms were shorter, and that her uniform made her look fat, she angrily responded,“I wear my uniform with honor, it has the Order of Lenin on it! It has been covered with blood in battle! It is plain to see that with American women what is important is whether they wear silk underwear under their uniforms. What the uniform stands for, they have yet to learn.” -- source link
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