Roza Yegorovna Shanina (Russian: Ро́за Его́ровна Ша́нина, 1924 – January 28, 1945) was a Soviet sniper during the Great Patriotic War. She was responsible for 54 confirmed kills, including 12 enemy snipers, during the Battle of Vilnius.



After attending Arkhangelsk Teacher's Training College, she became a mentor in the kindergarten. Then, she voluntarily joined the Vsevobuch and later the Central Female Sniper Academy in Podolsk. On June 22, 1943, Shanina enlisted in the Red Army and on April 2, 1944, joined the 184th Rifle Division, where a separate female sniper platoon was formed. She was awarded the Order of Glory on June 18 and again on September 22, 1944.


Shanina at Podolsk sniper school. October, 1944.

Once, upon receiving a battalion commander's order to immediately return to the rear, Shanina replied "I will return after the battle". The words later became a title of the book From The Battle Returned by Nikolai Zhuravlyov. On December 12, 1944 Roza was shot in the shoulder, and on December 27, 1944 was awarded the Medal for Valor among the first woman snipers.

Death

Shanina died in a battle near the khutor of Rikhau. Her battle diary and several letters have been published. Streets in Arkhangelsk and in the settlements of Shangaly and Stroyevskoye were named after her.

Personal life

Shanina had four brothers: Mikhail, Fedor, Sergei, and Marat. Mikhail died during the Siege of Leningrad in 1941, while Fedor was killed the same year during the Battle of Crimea. Sergei never returned from the war alive, leaving Marat as the only survivor.