Highly qualified snipers were worth their weight in gold during World War II. Fighting on Eastern Front The Soviets positioned their snipers as skilled marksmen, markedly dominant in many ways. The Soviet Union was the only one that trained snipers for ten years, preparing for war. Their superiority is confirmed by their "death lists". Experienced snipers killed many people and, of course, were of great value. For example, Vasily Zaitsev killed 225 enemy soldiers during Battle of Stalingrad.
10. Stepan Vasilyevich Petrenko: 422 killed.
During World War II, Soviet Union had more skilled snipers than any other country on earth. Due to their continued training and development during the 1930s, while other countries cut back their teams of specialist snipers, the USSR had the best marksmen in the world. Stepan Vasilyevich Petrenko was well known among the elite.
His highest professionalism is confirmed by 422 killed enemies; efficiency Soviet program sniper training is confirmed by accurate shooting and extremely rare misses.
During the war, 261 shooters (including women), each of whom killed at least 50 people, were awarded the title of outstanding sniper. Vasily Ivanovich Golosov was one of those who received such an honor. His death list is 422 killed enemies.
8. Fedor Trofimovich Dyachenko: 425 killed.
During World War II, 428,335 people are believed to have received Red Army sniper training, of which 9,534 used their qualifications in death experience. Fedor Trofimovich Dyachenko was one of those trainees who stood out. Soviet hero with 425 confirmations, received the Distinguished Service Medal for “high heroism in military operations against an armed enemy.”
7. Fedor Matveevich Okhlopkov: 429 killed.
Fedor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, one of the most respected snipers in the USSR. He and his brother were recruited into the Red Army, but the brother was killed in action. Fyodor Matveyevich vowed to avenge his brother by those. Who took his life. The number of people killed by this sniper (429 people) did not include the number of enemies. Which he killed with a machine gun. In 1965 awarded the order Hero of the Soviet Union.
6. Mikhail Ivanovich Budenkov: 437 killed.
Mikhail Ivanovich Budenkov was among those snipers that few others could only aspire to. Surprisingly successful sniper with 437 killed. This number does not include those killed by machine guns.
5. Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelintsev: 456 killed.
Such a number of dead can be attributed not only to the skill and mastery of the rifle, but also to the knowledge of the landscape and the ability to competently disguise. Among these skilled and experienced snipers was Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelintsev, who killed 437 enemies.
4. Ivan Nikolaevich Kulbertinov: 489 killed.
Unlike most other countries during World War II, women could be snipers in the Soviet Union. In 1942, two semi-annual courses in which only women were trained paid off: almost 55,000 snipers were trained. 2,000 women took an active part in the war. Among them: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who killed 309 opponents.
3. Nikolai Yakovlevich Ilyin: 494 killed.
In 2001, a film was made in Hollywood: "The Enemy at the Gates" about the famous Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev. The film depicts the events of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943. A film about Nikolai Yakovlevich Ilyin has not been made, but his contribution to the Soviet military history was just as important. Having killed 494 enemy soldiers (sometimes listed as 497), Ilyin was a deadly shooter for the enemy.
2. Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko: approximately 500 killed
Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko, was drafted in 1939 at the beginning of World War II. During the 1941 Battle of Moscow, he learned to snipe and became known as a gunman with a deadly aim. One of his most famous deeds: he destroyed a tank and three others vehicles using incendiary ammunition. However, after his injury in Estonia, his role in the following years was primarily teaching. In 1944 Sidorenko was awarded the prestigious title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
1. Simo Hayha: 542 Killed (probably 705)
Simo Hayha, a Finn, is the only non-Soviet soldier on this list. Nicknamed "White Death" by the troops of the Red Army because of the camouflage disguised as snow. According to statistics, Hayha is the bloodiest sniper in history. Before taking part in the war, he was a farmer. Incredibly, in weapons, he preferred an iron sight to an optical one.
When it comes to the sniper business of the first half of the 20th century, the Soviet snipers of the Great Patriotic War immediately come to mind - Vasily Zaitsev, Mikhail Surkov, Lyudmila Pavlichenko and others. This is not surprising: the Soviet sniper movement at that time was the most extensive in the world, and the total score of Soviet snipers during the war years is several tens of thousands of enemy soldiers and officers. However, what do we know about the well-aimed shooters of the Third Reich?
AT Soviet time studying the advantages and disadvantages armed forces Nazi Germany was strictly limited, and sometimes simply tabooed. Who, however, were the German snipers, who, if they are portrayed in our and foreign cinema, are only expendable, extras who are about to grab a bullet from the main character from the Anti-Hitler coalition? Is it true that they were that bad, or is that a winner's point of view?
Snipers of the German Empire
To the first world war it was the Kaiser's army that first began to use aimed rifle fire as a means of destroying officers, signalmen, machine gunners and artillery servants of the enemy. According to the instructions of the German Imperial Army, weapons equipped with an optical sight only work perfectly at a distance of up to 300 meters. It should only be issued to trained shooters. As a rule, these were former hunters or those who had passed special training even before the start of hostilities. The soldiers who received such weapons became the first snipers. They were not assigned to any place or position, they had relative freedom of movement on the battlefield. According to the same instructions, the sniper had to take a suitable position at night or at dusk in order to start acting with the onset of the day. Such shooters were exempted from any additional duties or combined arms outfits. Each sniper had a notebook in which he carefully recorded various observations, ammunition consumption and the effectiveness of his fire. From ordinary soldiers they were also distinguished by the right to wear special signs over the cockade of their headdress - crossed oak leaves.
By the end of the war, the German infantry had about six snipers per company. At that time Russian army, although it had experienced hunters and experienced shooters in its ranks, did not have rifles with a telescopic sight. Such an imbalance in the equipment of the armies became noticeable rather quickly. Even in the absence of active hostilities, the Entente armies suffered losses in manpower: it was enough for a soldier or officer to peek out slightly from behind the trench, as he was immediately “filmed” german sniper. This had a strong demoralizing effect on the soldiers, so the allies had no choice but to release their “super-shooters” to the forefront of the attack. So by 1918, the concept of military sniping was formed, tactics were worked out and combat missions were defined for this kind of soldier.
Revival of German snipers
In the interwar period, the popularity of sniper business in Germany, in fact, as in most other countries (with the exception of the Soviet Union), began to fade. Snipers were treated like interesting experience positional warfare, which has already lost its relevance - military theorists saw the coming wars exclusively as a battle of engines. According to their views, the infantry faded into the background, and the championship was for tanks and aircraft.
The German Blitzkrieg seemed to be the main proof of the advantage of the new way of warfare. European states capitulated one by one, unable to withstand the power of German engines. However, with the entry of the Soviet Union into the war, it became clear that you could not win the war with tanks alone. Despite the retreat of the Red Army at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Germans still often had to go on the defensive during this period. When snipers began to appear on Soviet positions in the winter of 1941, and the number of Germans killed began to grow, the Wehrmacht nevertheless realized that aimed rifle fire, for all its archaism, is effective method waging war. German sniper schools began to appear and front-line courses were organized. After the 41st, the number of optics in the front-line units, as well as people who professionally use it, began to gradually grow, although until the very end of the war, the Wehrmacht did not manage to match the quantity and quality of training of its snipers with the Red Army.
From what and how they shot
Since 1935, the Wehrmacht was armed with Mauser 98k rifles, which were also used as sniper rifles - for this, specimens with the most accurate battle were simply chosen. Most of these rifles were equipped with a 1.5x ZF 41 sight, but there were also 4x ZF 39 sights, as well as even rarer varieties. By 1942, the share of sniper rifles in the total number produced was approximately 6, but by April 1944 this figure had fallen to 2% (3276 pieces out of 164,525 produced). According to some experts, the reason for this reduction is that the German snipers simply did not like their Mausers, and at the first opportunity they preferred to change them to Soviet sniper rifles. The G43 rifle that appeared in 1943, which was equipped with a four-fold ZF 4 sight, a copy of the Soviet PU sight, did not correct the situation.
Mauser 98k rifle with ZF41 scope (http://k98k.com)
According to the memoirs of Wehrmacht snipers, the maximum firing distance at which they could hit targets was as follows: head - up to 400 meters, human figure - from 600 to 800 meters, embrasure - up to 600 meters. Rare professionals or lucky ones who got hold of a ten-fold scope could lay down an enemy soldier at a distance of up to 1000 meters, but everyone unanimously considers a distance of up to 600 meters to be the distance that guarantees hitting the target.
Defeat in the East–victory in the west
Wehrmacht snipers were mainly engaged in the so-called "free hunt" for commanders, signalmen, gun crews and machine gunners. Most often, snipers were team players: one shoots, the other observes. Contrary to popular belief, German snipers were forbidden to engage in combat at night. They were considered valuable personnel, and because of Bad quality German optics, such battles, as a rule, did not end in favor of the Wehrmacht. Therefore, at night they were usually engaged in searching for and arranging an advantageous position for striking during daylight hours. When the enemy went on the attack, the task of the German snipers was to destroy the commanders. With the successful completion of this task, the offensive stopped. If a sniper of the Anti-Hitler coalition began to operate in the rear, several Wehrmacht “super-sharp shooters” could be sent to search for and eliminate him. On the Soviet-German front, this kind of duel ended most often in favor of the Red Army - there is no point in arguing with the facts that the Germans lost the sniper war here almost outright.
At the same time, on the other side of Europe, German snipers were at ease and struck fear into the hearts of British and American soldiers. The British and Americans still treated combat as a sport and believed in the gentlemanly rules of warfare. According to some researchers, about half of all losses in American units in the first days of hostilities were the direct merit of Wehrmacht snipers.
You see the mustache - shoot!
An American journalist who visited Normandy during the Allied landings wrote: “Snipers are everywhere. They hide in trees, hedges, buildings and piles of rubble." As the main reasons for the success of snipers in Normandy, researchers cite the unpreparedness of the Anglo-American troops for the sniper threat. What the Germans themselves understood well during the three years of fighting on the Eastern Front, the Allies had to master in a short time. The officers now wore a uniform that did not differ from the soldier's. All movements were carried out in short dashes from cover to cover, bending as low as possible to the ground. The rank and file no longer gave the military salute to the officers. However, these tricks sometimes did not save. So, some captured German snipers admitted that they distinguished English soldiers by rank due to facial hair: at that time, mustaches were one of the most common attributes among sergeants and officers. As soon as they saw a soldier with a mustache, they destroyed him.
Another key to success was the landscape of Normandy: by the time the Allies landed, it was a real paradise for a sniper, with many hedges stretching for kilometers, drainage ditches and embankments. Due to frequent rains, the roads became muddy and became an impassable obstacle for both soldiers and equipment, and soldiers trying to push out another stuck car became a tasty morsel for the cuckoo. The allies had to move very carefully, looking under every stone. An incident that occurred in the city of Cambrai speaks of the incredibly large scale of the actions of German snipers in Normandy. Deciding that there would be little resistance in the area, one of the British companies got too close and fell victim to heavy rifle fire. Then almost all the orderlies of the medical department died, trying to carry the wounded from the battlefield. When the battalion command tried to stop the offensive, about 15 more people died, including the company commander, 12 soldiers and officers received various injuries, and four more went missing. When the village was nevertheless taken, many corpses of German soldiers were found with rifles that had an optical sight.
An American sergeant looks at a dead German sniper in the street of the French village of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
(http://waralbum.ru)
German snipers–mythical and real
At the mention of German snipers, many will surely remember the famous opponent of the Red Army soldier Vasily Zaitsev - Major Erwin Koenig. In fact, many historians are inclined to believe that no König existed. Presumably, he is a figment of the imagination of William Craig - author of the book "Enemy at the Gates". There is a version that sniper ace Heinz Thorwald was given for Koenig. According to this theory, the Germans were extremely annoyed at the death of the head of their sniper school at the hands of some village hunter, so they covered up his death, saying that Zaitsev had killed a certain Erwin Koenig. Some researchers of the life of Thorvald and his sniper school in Zossen consider this to be nothing more than a myth. What is true in this, and what is fiction - is unlikely to become clear.
Nevertheless, the Germans had aces of sniping. The most productive of them is the Austrian Matthias Hetzenauer. He served in the 144th regiment of mountain rangers of the 3rd mountain rifle division, and on his account about 345 enemy soldiers and officers. Oddly enough, Josef Allerberger, No. 2 in the rating, served in the same regiment with him, on whose account there were 257 victims by the end of the war. Third in the number of victories is the German sniper of Lithuanian origin Bruno Sutkus, who destroyed 209 Soviet soldiers and officers.
Perhaps if the Germans, in their pursuit of the idea of a blitzkrieg, paid due attention not only to engines, but also to the training of snipers, as well as the development of decent weapons for them, we would now have a slightly different history of German sniping, but for this article we would have to grains collect material about little-known Soviet snipers.
A person who owns this rare profession is especially feared and hated by enemies. As a self-sufficient combat unit, a talented sniper is able to inflict significant damage on enemy manpower, destroying a significant number of enemy soldiers, and bring disorganization and panic into the ranks of the enemy, eliminating the unit commander. It is very difficult to get the title of “the best sniper”, for this you need to be not only a super-sharp shooter, but also have great endurance, endurance, inner peace, analytical skills, special knowledge and excellent health.
The sniper carries out most of his operations autonomously, independently studies the terrain, outlines the main and reserve firing lines, escape routes, equips caches with food and ammunition. Armed with a sniper rifle with a telescopic sight as a primary weapon, and a powerful multi-shot pistol as a secondary weapon, the modern sniper organizes high-tech caches of food and ammunition in his positions for long autonomous work.
There are many names of the most effective snipers from the times of various wars and local conflicts that have taken place in the world in the last century. Some of these shooters single-handedly destroyed so much enemy manpower during the fighting that the number of those killed can be from a company to a battalion and even higher.
It is generally accepted in the world that the best sniper is a Finn Simo Hayha, nicknamed "White Death", who fought in the 39-40s of the last century against the Soviet Union in the Soviet-Finnish war. According to fully confirmed data, the number of victims of Simo Haya, who was a hunter before the war, is more than 500 people, and according to unconfirmed information that was voiced by the Finnish command - more than 800 soldiers and officers of the Red Army.
Simo Haya developed his own technique successful work even against a large enemy unit attacking the area of the sniper position. First of all, the Finn from the Mosin rifle fired at the rear ranks of the advancing enemy, trying to inflict painful wounds on the soldiers in the abdomen, thereby achieving disorganization of the attackers due to the screams of the wounded in the rear. The most effective wound in this case was considered to be liver damage. Simo Haya killed enemy soldiers who approached the distance of a direct shot with well-aimed shots to the head.
Simo Haya was out of action on March 6, 1940 after a severe bullet wound that dislocated the lower part of the skull and tore out the jaw. The best sniper, miraculously surviving, was treated for a long time. Simo Haya lived a long life, he died in 2002 at the age of 96.
Snipers are the military elite. Not every military man is able to become a true professional in eliminating the enemy. After all, a sniper is distinguished primarily not by phenomenal accuracy, but by a steel character. A real pro can hit a long-range target with unfamiliar weapons and awkward positions. As did, for example, Vasily Zaitsev and Simo Häyhä.
As soon as Vasily was at the front, he showed himself to be an excellent shooter. Moreover, even the distance did not affect his accuracy. This confirms the elimination of 3 German soldiers from 800 meters.
At first, Zaitsev fired from a simple "three-ruler". Using this weapon, he managed to destroy 32 fascists. And after that, along with the medal "For Courage", he was also awarded a real sniper rifle.
Character and ingenuity allowed Vasily Grigorievich to quickly grow from an excellent shooter into a professional sniper. He was distinguished by sharp eyesight, very sensitive hearing and endurance. In addition, Zaitsev was well versed in the terrain and chose positions for firing that none of the enemy soldiers could think of.
Zaitsev shot more than 30 fascists with the usual "Three-ruler"
Zaitsev also had a duel, the one that later became legendary. Vasily Grigorievich spoke out against the head of the sniper school Tsossene, whom the Soviet shooter himself called Major Koenig. The German arrived in Stalingrad with a clearly defined task - to eliminate Zaitsev in the first place. But it was Vasily Grigorievich who turned out to be the winner in that duel.
During the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet sniper managed to destroy more than 200 German soldiers and officers.
For all of Finland, this sniper is a national hero. And the Soviet soldiers nicknamed him the White Death. In the Soviet-Finnish War (1939), he managed to fight for three months, but this time was enough for him to become one of the most productive snipers in history.
On his account, about 500 Soviet soldiers, whom he eliminated from a rifle. Häyhä killed more than two hundred more with a pistol and a submachine gun. But the exact number remains unknown. Firstly, the sniper himself counted only for certain killed (confirmed). Secondly, he did not count those who were fired on by several shooters. Thirdly, it was simply impossible to accurately calculate the number of killed Red Army soldiers, because their bodies remained on the Soviet side.
In three months Hyahyha killed more than 700 Soviet soldiers
In early March, Häyhä was seriously wounded. An explosive bullet hit him in the face. The consequences are obvious: a disfigured appearance, a crushed jaw. The sniper woke up only on March 13, the day the war ended. By the way, Häyhä was eager to take part in the Second World War, but despite his past merits, he was still not taken to the service.
After the war subsided, Simo was engaged in hunting and breeding dogs. He died on April 1, 2002 at the age of 96.
Rob did not differ in any special talent for shooting and served in the Canadian army with the rank of corporal. But on the other hand, he approached various trainings very responsibly. And gradually Furlong developed the abilities of an ambidexter to the maximum.
Furlong's record lasted 7 years
In 2002, he had the opportunity to participate in military operation"Anaconda" by the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. As it turned out later, this was Furlong's finest hour. He managed to destroy the enemy, accurately shooting from a distance of 2430 meters, which was a record.
The achievement of the Canadian sniper lasted until 2009. The record was broken by Briton Craig Harrison, who hit the target at a distance of 2475 meters. It was, by the way, all in the same Afghanistan.
Carlos dreamed of serving in the army. And at the age of 17 he ended up in the barracks. Colleagues greeted him with contemptuous grins. Still would! Hascock stood out from the crowd with a quirky cowboy hat, from which a white feather protruded. But the very first lesson at the training ground forced colleagues to respect the guy from the American hinterland. It turned out that Carlos had a phenomenal shooting ability.
Huge sum placed on Hascock's head
And in 1966 he ended up in Vietnam, where he became a sniper. According to official figures, Hascock eliminated about a hundred enemy soldiers during his service. But in the memoirs written by his former colleagues, completely different numbers appear. Indirectly confirms the fact that on account of Hascock several hundred corpses, the amount that the government of North Vietnam appointed for his head.
The best snipers of the 20th century:
The process of evolution took place in such a way that men, being hunters in the blood, tried to be well-aimed shooters. This desire has become very firmly established in our world. It is worth considering in detail the five most famous snipers of the last century.
The profession of a sniper is one of the most difficult and unusual military occupations, which have long been overgrown with a whole string of all kinds of legends and stories. But it should be remembered that snipers cannot become only at will. This requires a lot of training and combat missions.
Every man, at least once, dreamed of becoming a sniper.
Here is some information about the real sniper aces who excited their opponents with resourcefulness and skill:
5. Carlos Norman, lived from 05/20/1942 to 02/23/1999
This is a true legend in the activities of the US Army. He earned great prestige when he fought against the Vietnamese. He wears honorary title and he is still remembered by the US Marines. During his service, he managed to neutralize about 93 targets.
4. Adelbert F. Waldron, lived from 03/14/1933 to 10/18/1995
The most famous American sniper. Was a brave shooter of times Vietnam War. He bothered to honor being the most productive in terms of destroying opponents. 103 neutralization of enemies for his own benefit is attributed to his merits. After the war, from 1970, Waldron taught recruits how to shoot at the SIONICS division, which was based in Georgia. He is also a hero who received the award given for valiant service.
3. Vasily Zaitsev, lived from 03/23/1915 to 12/15/1991
It was a sniper in the 62nd Army, which was located on the front of Stalingrad. He is also declared a war hero. During the period when the battle for Stalingrad was gaining momentum, namely from November 10 to December 17, 1942, he managed to neutralize 225 targets. Among them were 11 snipers and many fascist officers. He owns the development of most of the tactics and techniques of firing a sniper, and they became the basis for textbooks.
2. Francis Pegamagabo, lived from 03/09/1891 to 08/5/1952
This is a real Hero and an excellent military sniper. Francis is of Canadian descent. When the war ended, he managed to kill 378 German soldiers. He has been awarded the Medal of Honor three times and was twice close to death as a result of severe wounds. Unfortunately, this professional shooter was forgotten when he returned home to Canada.
1. Simo Häyhä, lived from 12/17/1905 to 04/1/2002
This future phenomenal shooter was born in an area bordering two countries, the USSR and Finland. His childhood was spent hunting and fishing. When he was 17 years old, he started working as a security guard. Further, in 1925, he was taken to serve. After 9 years of productive service, he is being trained as a sniper.
His talents were revealed in 1939-1940, when there were military operations. For 3 months, he managed to kill 505 soldiers from the USSR. But his merits were perceived ambiguously. The main reason for disagreement was the presence of the corpses of soldiers on enemy territory. Simo, also perfectly able to shoot from a pistol, and therefore it was assumed that he used it and did not count such victims in him. total number. Colleagues called him "White Death". When March 1940 came, he was not lucky enough to be wounded. The bullet went through the jaw and severely damaged the face. In the first days of the outbreak of the war, Simo expressed a desire to go to the front, but he was refused due to past injuries.
