Background
Natalya Kovshova was born on 26 November 1920 in Ufa; a large city which is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Moscow.
USSR
A prewar photograph of Natalya Kovshova, Hero of the Soviet Union. She was a sniper during the Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II.
USSR
A portrait of female Soviet snipers Natalya Kovshova and Maria Polivanova who fought on the Eastern Front of World War II.
Natalya Kovshova was born on 26 November 1920 in Ufa; a large city which is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Moscow.
Natalya was educated at a high school in Moscow.
After graduating from high school, Natalya began work at a Moscow research institute while waiting to be accepted into a university of aviation.
In 1941 Natalya joined a Narodnoe Opolcheniye (self-defense) unit in Moscow with Polivanova at age 21. Kovshova was put in charge of the observation and communication department. She spent many nights in the control tower. After her experience at the self-defense group, Kovshova attended sniper training in the 528th Rifle Regiment, and she was one of 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army. After her training had been completed, she was sent to the front with the 528th Rifle Regiment. Natalya and Maria fought as a sniper-spotter team in the Battle of Moscow when the 528th Rifle Regiment were sent to help defend Russia's capital. During the battle, Kovshova proved to be an expert sniper, killing many German soldiers. She also dug numerous anti-tank emplacements, machine gun nests, and infantry trenches during the defense. Natalya also trained new soldiers in how to use their rifles, teaching her best students to become snipers. For her actions at Moscow, Kovshova was awarded the Order of the Red Star. On 14 August 1942, Kovshova's regiment was committed to the fighting near the village of Sutoki-Byakovo in the Novgorod Oblast. The German forces killed all of her regiment, leaving only Kovshova and Polivanova who were both wounded. Seeing capture as a non-option Kovshova decided to pull the pin of her grenade, and wait to blow the German soldiers up when they reached the trench. When the Germans finally reached the trench, Kovshova detonated the grenades, killing herself, Polivanova and many German soldiers.
Natalya Kovshova expressed great hatred of the Germans during the Great Patriotic War. She was inspired by the Soviet propaganda explaining how the Soviet soldiers were fighting for the liberation of the Motherland.
Quotations:
"You can hear horrible stories from local residents who have been in the hands of the fascist pigs. The women we live with had a guest come to visit said that the Germans shot her brother and four of her friends simply because they went outside after 4pm."
"My dearest Mama! Please don't be angry that I didn't write to you about being wounded. But I didn't want to worry you for no reason since nothing serious happened..." I've been back with my unit 2nd June 1942. Now Mashenka and I are working with the young snipers. Their statistics are looking good. In the last two weeks of June, our students took down 3 Fritzes. Not bad! A few days ago five of us went on reconnaissance without saying anything to the company commander. We were right under the German's very noses and they had no clue!"