Lady Death: the memoirs of Stalin's sniper

The wartime memoir of Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a remarkable document: the publication of an English language edition is a significant coup.

Pavlichenko was World War II's best-scoring sniper and had a varied wartime career that included trips to England and America.

In June 1941, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, she left her university studies, ignored the offer of a position as a nurse, to become one of Soviet Russia's 2000 female snipers.

Less than a year later she had 309 recorded kills, including 29 enemy sniper kills.

She was withdrawn from active duty after being injured: she was also regarded as a key heroic figure for the war effort.

She spoke at rallies in Canada and the US and the folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song, 'Killed By A Gun' about her exploits.