Soviet snipers worked actively on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War and sometimes played a huge role in the outcome of the battle. Sniper work was dangerous and hard. The guys had to lie for hours or even days in constant tension and full combat readiness in a very different area. And it doesn't matter if it was a field, swamp or snow. this post will be dedicated to Soviet soldiers - snipers and their heavy burden. Glory to the heroes!
- Mikhail Surkov.
- Vasily Kvachantiradze.
- Ivan Sidorenko.
- Nikolai Ilyin.
- Ivan Kulbertinov.
- Vladimir Pchelintsev.
- Peter Goncharov.
- Mikhail Budenkov.
- Vasily Zaitsev.
- Fedor Okhlopkov.
As I remember, about ten years ago for " round table"A popular television program, former cadet of the Central Women's School of Sniper Training A. Shilina said:
“I was already an experienced fighter, who had 25 fascists on his account, when the cuckoo started up among the Germans. Every day, two or three of our soldiers are gone. Yes, it shoots something like aptly: from the first cartridge - in the forehead or in the temple. They called one pair of snipers - it did not help. Doesn't take any bait. They order us: as you wish, but they must destroy it. Tosya, my best friend, and I dug in - the place, I remember, was swampy, there were hummocks all around, small bushes. They began to observe. A day was wasted, another. On the third day, Tosya says: “Let's take it. Whether we stay alive, no, it doesn't matter. The fighters are falling ... "
She was shorter than me. And the trenches are shallow. He takes a rifle, attaches a bayonet, puts a helmet on it and begins to crawl, run, crawl again. Well, I have to look. The tension is huge. And I worry about her, and the sniper cannot be missed. I see that the bushes in one place seem to have parted a little. He! She took him in right away. He fired, I immediately. I hear shouting from the front line: girls, cheers for you! I crawl up to Tosya, I look - blood. The bullet pierced her helmet and ricocheted her neck. Here the platoon commander arrived. They lifted her - and to the medical unit. It worked out... And at night, our scouts pulled out this sniper. He was a mother, he killed about a hundred of our soldiers ... "
In the combat practice of Soviet snipers, there are, of course, cooler examples. But he began with the fact that the front-line soldier Shilina told about, not by chance. In the past decade, at the suggestion of the Belarusian writer Svetlana Aleksievich, some publicists and researchers in Russia have been trying to assert the opinion in society that the sniper is an overly inhumane front-line specialty, without making a distinction between those who set the goal of exterminating half the world's population, and those who opposed this goal. . But who can condemn Alexandra Shilina for the fact cited at the beginning of the essay? Yes, Soviet snipers came face to face with Wehrmacht soldiers and officers at the front, sending bullets at them. How else? By the way, the German aces of fire opened their account much earlier than the Soviet ones. By June 1941, many of them had destroyed several hundred enemy soldiers and officers - Poles, French, British.
... In the spring of 1942, when there were fierce battles for Sevastopol, the sniper of the 54th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Division of the Primorsky Army, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was invited to the neighboring unit, where the Nazi shooter brought many troubles. She entered into a duel with a German ace and won it. When they looked at the sniper book, it turned out that he destroyed 400 French and British, as well as about 100 Soviet soldiers. Lyudmila's shot was extremely humane. How many she saved from the bullets of the Nazis!
Vladimir Pchelintsev, Fedor Okhlopkov, Maxim Passar ... During the Great Patriotic War, these and other names of snipers were widely known among the troops. But who won the right to be called the number one ace sniper?
In the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia, among many other exhibits, there is a sniper rifle of the Mosin system of the 1891/30 model. (number KE-1729) "Named after the Heroes of the Soviet Union Andrukhaev and Ilyin". Initiator of the sniper movement of the 136th Infantry Division Southern Front political instructor Khusen Andrukhaev died heroically in the heavy battles for Rostov. In memory of him, a sniper rifle named after him is established. In the days of the legendary defense of Stalingrad, the best sniper of the guard unit, foreman Nikolai Ilyin, smashes the enemy from it. In a short time, from 115 destroyed Nazis, he increases the score to 494 and becomes the best Soviet sniper during the Great Patriotic War.
In August 1943, near Belgorod, Ilyin died in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. The rifle, now named after two heroes (Nikolai Ilyin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on February 8, 1943), was traditionally awarded to the best sniper of the unit, Sergeant Afanasy Gordienko. He brought his account from it to 417 destroyed Nazis. This honorary weapon failed only when it was hit by a shell fragment. In total, about 1000 enemy soldiers and officers were struck from this rifle. Nikolai Ilyin made 379 accurate shots from it.
What was characteristic of this twenty-year-old sniper from the Lugansk region? He knew how to outwit the enemy. One day, Nikolai tracked down an enemy shooter all day. Everything felt: a hundred meters from him lay an experienced professional. How to remove the German "cuckoo"? From a padded jacket and a helmet, he made a stuffed animal and began to slowly pick it up. Before the helmet had even risen halfway, two shots rang out almost simultaneously: the Nazi pierced the scarecrow with a bullet, and Ilyin the enemy.
When it became known that graduates of the Berlin sniper school arrived at the front near Stalingrad, Nikolai Ilyin told his colleagues that the Germans were pedants, they had probably learned the classic tricks. We need to show them Russian ingenuity and take care of the baptism of Berlin newcomers. Every morning, under artillery fire, under bombardment, he sneaked up on the Nazis for a sure shot and destroyed them without a miss. Near Stalingrad, Ilyin's account increased to 400 destroyed enemy soldiers and officers. Then there was the Kursk Bulge, and there he again flashed his ingenuity and ingenuity.
Ace number two can be considered a Smolyan, assistant chief of staff of the 1122nd Infantry Regiment of the 334th Division (1st Baltic Front) Captain Ivan Sidorenko, who destroyed about 500 enemy soldiers and officers and trained about 250 snipers for the front. In moments of calm, he hunted the Nazis, taking his students with him to “hunt”.
The third in the list of the most successful Soviet sniper aces is the sniper of the 59th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 21st Division (2nd Baltic Front) Guard Senior Sergeant Mikhail Budenkov, who killed 437 Nazi soldiers and officers. Here is what he said about one of the battles in Latvia:
“There was some kind of farm on the way of the offensive. There were German machine gunners. It was necessary to destroy them. With short dashes, I managed to reach the top of the height and kill the Nazis. Before I had time to catch my breath, I see a German running to the farm in front of me, with a machine gun. Shot - and the Nazi fell. After a while, a second one with a machine-gun box runs after him. He suffered the same fate. A few more minutes passed, and hundreds and a half fascists ran from the farm. This time they were running along a different road, further away from me. I fired several shots, but I realized that many of them would still hide. I quickly ran up to the dead machine gunners, the machine gun was working, and I opened fire on the Nazis from their own weapons. Then we counted about a hundred killed Nazis.
Other Soviet snipers were also distinguished by amazing courage, endurance and ingenuity. For example, Nanai Sergeant Maxim Passar (117th Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry Division, Stalingrad Front), who accounted for 237 destroyed Nazi soldiers and officers. Tracking down an enemy sniper, he pretended to be killed and lay all day in no man's land in an open field, among the dead. From this position, he sent a bullet to the fascist shooter, who was under the embankment, in a pipe for draining water. Only in the evening Passar was able to crawl back to his own.
The first 10 Soviet sniper aces destroyed over 4200 enemy soldiers and officers, the first 20 - more than 7500
The Americans wrote: “Russian snipers showed great skill on the German front. They encouraged the Germans to produce optical sights on a large scale and to train snipers."
Of course, one cannot but say about how the results of Soviet snipers were recorded. Here it is appropriate to refer to the materials of the meeting held in the summer of 1943 with the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars K.E. Voroshilov.
According to the memoirs of ace sniper Vladimir Pchelintsev, those present at the meeting proposed to introduce a unified, strict procedure for recording the results of combat work, a single “Personal Sniper Book” for all, and in a rifle regiment and company - “Journals for recording the combat activities of snipers”.
The basis for accounting for the number of Nazi soldiers and officers killed should be the report of the sniper himself, confirmed by eyewitnesses (company and platoon observers, artillery and mortar spotters, reconnaissance officers, officers of all degrees, unit commanders, etc.). When counting the destroyed Nazis, each officer should be equated to three soldiers.
In practice, for the most part, accounting was carried out in this way. Perhaps the last point was not observed.
Separately, it should be said about female snipers. They appeared in the Russian army during the First World War, most often they were the widows of Russian officers who died in the war. They sought to take revenge on the enemy for their husbands. And already in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, the names of the female snipers Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Natalia Kovshova, Maria Polivanova became known to the whole world.
Yudmila in the battles for Odessa and Sevastopol destroyed 309 Nazi soldiers and officers (this is the highest result among female snipers). Natalya and Maria, who accounted for over 300 Nazis, glorified their names with unparalleled courage on August 14, 1942. On that day, near the village of Sutoki (Novgorod region), Natasha Kovshova and Masha Polivanova, repelling the onslaught of the Nazis, were surrounded. With the last grenade, they blew themselves up and the German infantrymen who surrounded them. One of them was then 22 years old, the other 20 years old. Like Lyudmila Pavlichenko, they were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Following their example, many girls decided to master sniper skills in order to participate in battles with weapons in their hands. They were trained in high marksmanship directly in military units and formations. In May 1943, the Central Women's School of Sniper Training was created. More than 1300 female snipers came out of its walls. During the fighting, the pupils exterminated more than 11,800 fascist soldiers and officers.
... At the front, Soviet soldiers called them "private soldiers without a miss", as, for example, Nikolai Ilyin at the beginning of his "sniper career". Or - "sergeants without a miss", like Fyodor Okhlopkov ...
Here are the lines from the letters of the Wehrmacht soldiers that they wrote to their relatives.
“The Russian sniper is something terrible. You can't hide from him anywhere! You can't raise your head in the trenches. The slightest negligence - and you will immediately get a bullet between the eyes ... "
“Snipers often lie in one place for hours in ambush and take aim at anyone who shows up. Only in the dark can one feel safe.”
“There are banners hanging in our trenches: “Caution! Shooting Russian sniper!
The Second World War became that period in the history of mankind when people performed the most incredible feats and showed all their hidden talents. Naturally, those fighters whose abilities could be used in military operations were most valued. The Soviet command especially singled out snipers, who, using their skills, could destroy up to a thousand enemy soldiers with well-aimed shots during their service. Lists of the best snipers of World War II, with names and an indication of the number of enemies hit, often flicker in different versions on the Internet. In our article, we gathered those who brought victory closer with all their might, despite the difficulties of front-line life and serious injuries. So, who are they - the best snipers of World War II? And where did they come from, later transforming into an elite caste of fighters?
Shooting training in the USSR
Historians of many countries of the world unanimously declare that during the Second World War, fighters from the USSR proved to be the best snipers. Moreover, they surpassed the soldiers of the enemy and allies not only in terms of training, but also in the number of shooters. Germany was able to get a little closer to this level only at the end of the war - in 1944. Interestingly, to train their fighters, German officers used manuals written for Soviet snipers. Where did such a number of well-aimed shooters come from in the pre-war period in our country?
Since 1932, shooting training has been carried out with Soviet citizens. During this period, the country's leadership established honorary title"Voroshilovsky shooter", confirmed by a special badge. They were divided into two degrees, the second was considered the most honorary. To obtain it, it was necessary to pass a series of difficult tests that were beyond the power of ordinary shooters. Every boy, and what to hide, and the girls too, dreamed of showing off the badge of the "Voroshilovsky shooter". For this, they spent a lot of time in shooting clubs, working hard.
In the thirty-fourth year of the last century, demonstration competitions were held between our and American shooters. The unexpected result for the US was their loss. Soviet shooters snatched the victory by a huge margin, which spoke of their excellent preparation.
Shooting training work was carried out for seven years and was suspended with the outbreak of the first hostilities. However, by this time the "Voroshilovsky shooter" badge was proudly worn by more than nine million civilians of both sexes.
Sniper caste
Now it's no secret to anyone that snipers belong to a special caste of fighters who are carefully protected and transferred from one area of the military conflict to another in order to demoralize the enemy. In addition to the psychological impact on the enemy, these arrows are distinguished by real destructive power and have very impressive "death" lists. For example, the best snipers of World War II from the USSR had long lists of five to seven hundred killed. This takes into account only confirmed deaths, but in reality their number could exceed one thousand soldiers per shooter.
What makes snipers so special? First of all, it is worth saying that these people by their nature are really special. Because they have the ability for a long time to be motionless, tracking down the enemy, with the utmost concentration of attention, calmness, patience, the ability to make quick decisions and unique accuracy. As it turned out, the required set of qualities and skills was fully possessed by young hunters who spent their entire childhood in the taiga, tracking down the beast. It was they who became the first snipers who fought with conventional rifles, showing simply stunning results.
Later, on the basis of these shooters, a whole unit was formed, which turned into the elite of the Soviet army. It is known that during the war years, sniper meetings were held more than once, designed to increase their effectiveness as a result of the exchange of experience.
At the moment, some foreign historians are trying to challenge the results of Soviet soldiers listed in the list of the best snipers of World War II. But it is quite difficult to do this, because each target is documented. In addition, most experts are sure that the number of real successful shots exceeds the number indicated in the award lists by two or even three times. After all, not every hit target in the heat of battle could be confirmed. Do not forget the fact that many documents take into account the result of a particular sniper only at the time of submission to the award. In the future, his exploits may not have been fully tracked.
Modern historians claim that the top ten snipers of World War II were able to destroy more than four thousand enemy soldiers. There were also women among the excellent shooters, we will talk about them in one of the following sections of our article. After all, these brave ladies skillfully bypassed their colleagues from Germany in their results. So who are they - these people, called the best snipers of World War II?
Of course, the list of Soviet snipers includes far from ten people. According to the archives, their number may be more than one hundred skilled shooters. However, we decided to bring to your attention information about the ten best Soviet snipers of World War II, the results of which still seem fantastic:
A separate section of the article is devoted to each of these unique people.
Mikhail Surkov
This shooter was drafted into the army from Krasnoyarsk Territory, where he spent his whole life in the taiga, hunting the beast with his father. With the onset of the war, he picked up a rifle and went to the front to do what he did best - hunt and kill. Thanks to life skills, Mikhail Surkov managed to destroy more than seven hundred Nazis. Among them were ordinary soldiers and officers, which undoubtedly allowed the shooter to be included in the list of the best snipers of World War II.
However, the talented fighter was not presented for the award, since most of his victories could not be documented. Historians attribute this fact to the fact that Surkov liked to rush into the epicenter of the battle. Therefore, in the future it turned out to be quite problematic to determine from whose well-aimed shot this or that enemy soldier fell. Mikhail's brother-soldiers confidently said that he had destroyed more than one thousand fascists. Other people were especially struck by Surkov's ability to remain invisible for long hours, tracking down his enemy.
Vasily Kvachantiradze
This young man went through the whole war from beginning to end. Vasily fought in the rank of foreman and returned home with a large track record of awards. On account of Kvachantiradze - more than half a thousand German fighters. For his accuracy, which ranked him among the best snipers of World War II, by the end of the war he was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
Ivan Sidorenko
This fighter is considered one of the most unique Soviet shooters. Indeed, before the war, Sidorenko planned to become a professional artist and had great prospects in this area. But the war ordered in its own way and the young man was sent to a military school, after which he went to the front in an officer rank.
Immediately, the newly minted commander was entrusted with a mortar company, where he showed his sniper talents. During the war years, Sidorenko destroyed five hundred German soldiers, but he himself was seriously wounded three times. After each time, he returned to the front, but in the end, the consequences of the injuries turned out to be very difficult for the body. This did not allow Sidorenko to graduate from the military academy, but before leaving for the reserve he received the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Nikolai Ilyin
Many historians believe that it is Ilyin who is the best Russian sniper of World War II. He is considered not only a unique shooter, but also a talented organizer of the sniper movement. He gathered young soldiers, trained them, forming from them a real backbone of shooters on the Stalingrad front.
It was Nikolai who had the honor to fight with the rifle of the Hero of the USSR Andrukhaev. With it, he destroyed about four hundred enemies, and in total, in three years of hostilities, he managed to kill almost five hundred fascists. In the fall of 1943, he fell in battle, receiving the posthumous title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Ivan Kulbertinov
Naturally, most of the snipers in civilian life were hunters. But Ivan Kulbertinov belonged to hereditary reindeer herders, which was rare among soldiers. Yakut by nationality, he was considered a professional in shooting and, according to his results, outperformed the best snipers of the Wehrmacht of World War II.
Ivan got to the front two years after the outbreak of hostilities and almost immediately opened his death account. He went through the entire war to the end and almost five hundred fascist soldiers were on his list. Interestingly, the unique shooter never received the title of Hero of the USSR, which was awarded to almost all snipers. Historians claim that he was twice nominated for an award, but for unknown reasons, the title never found its hero. After the end of the war, he was presented with a nominal rifle.
Vladimir Pchelintsev
This man had a difficult and interesting fate. It can be said that he was one of the few people who could be called professional snipers. Even before the forty-first year, he studied shooting and even achieved the high rank of master of sports. Pchelintsev had a unique accuracy, which allowed him to destroy four hundred and fifty-six fascists.
Surprisingly, a year after the start of the war, he was delegated to the United States along with Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was later named the best female sniper of World War II. They spoke at the International Student Congress about how boldly the Soviet youth is fighting for the freedom of their country and urged other states not to surrender under the onslaught of the fascist infection. Interestingly, the shooters were honored to spend the night within the walls of the White House.
Petr Goncharov
Not always fighters immediately understood their calling. For example, Peter did not even suspect that fate had prepared for him a special fate. Goncharov went to war as part of the militia, then he was accepted into the army as a baker. After some time, he became a convoy, which he planned to serve further. However, as a result of a surprise attack by the Nazis, he managed to prove himself as a professional sniper. In the midst of the unfolding battle, Peter raised someone else's rifle and began to accurately destroy the enemy. He even managed to knock out a German tank with one shot. This decided the fate of Goncharov.
A year after the start of the war, he received his own sniper rifle, with which he fought for another two years. During this time, he killed four hundred and forty-one enemy soldiers. For this, Goncharov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and twenty days after this solemn event, the sniper fell in battle, not letting go of his rifle.
Mikhail Budenkov
This sniper went through the entire war from the very beginning and met the victory in East Prussia. In the spring of 1945, Budenkov received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for four hundred and thirty-seven hit targets.
However, in the first years of service, Mikhail did not even think of becoming a sniper. Before the war, he worked as a tractor driver and ship mechanic, and at the front he led a mortar crew. His marksmanship attracted the attention of his superiors, and he was soon transferred to the snipers.
Vasily Zaitsev
This sniper is considered a true legend of the war. A hunter in peacetime, he knew everything about shooting firsthand, so from the first days of his service he became a sniper. Historians claim that only for one Battle of Stalingrad more than two hundred enemies fell from his well-aimed shots. Among them were eleven German snipers.
There is a well-known story about how the Nazis, tired of the elusiveness of Zaitsev, sent to destroy his best sniper in Germany of the Second World War - the head of the secret school of shooters Erwin Koenig. Vasily's brother-soldiers said that a real duel was fought between the snipers. It lasted almost three days and ended with the victory of the Soviet shooter.
Fedor Okhlopkov
This man was spoken of with admiration during the war years. He was a real Yakut hunter and tracker, for whom there were no impossible tasks. It is believed that he managed to kill more than one thousand enemies, but most of his victories were difficult to document. Interestingly, over the years of service in the army, he used as a weapon not only a rifle, but also a machine gun. In this way, he destroyed the soldiers, aircraft and tanks of the enemy.
The best Finnish sniper of World War II
"White Death" - this is the nickname given to the shooter from Finland, who destroyed more than seven hundred Red Army soldiers. Simo Häyhä worked on a farm in 1939 and did not even think that he would become the most productive sniper in his country.
After a military conflict arose between Finland and the USSR in November 1939, units of the Red Army invaded the territory of a foreign state. However, the fighters did not expect that the locals would put up such tough resistance to the Soviet soldiers.
Simo Hyayuha, who fought in the thick of things, especially distinguished himself. Every day he destroyed sixty or seventy enemy soldiers. This forced the Soviet command to launch a hunt for this well-aimed shooter. However, he continued to remain elusive and sowed death, hiding in the most inappropriate, as it seemed to the officers, places.
Later, historians wrote that Simo was helped by his small stature. The man barely reached one and a half meters, so he quite successfully hid almost in full view of the enemy. He also never used an optical rifle, because it often glared in the sun and gave out an arrow. In addition, the Finn was well versed in the features of the local terrain, which gave him the opportunity to take the best places to observe the enemy.
At the end of the Hundred Days War, Simo was wounded in the face. The bullet passed right through and completely smashed the facial bone. In the hospital, his jaw was restored, after which he lived safely to almost a hundred years.
Of course, war does not have a feminine face. However, Soviet girls made their invaluable contribution to the victory over fascism, fighting on different sectors of the front. It is known that among them there were about one thousand snipers. Together they were able to destroy twelve thousand German soldiers and officers. Surprisingly, the results of many of them are much higher than those who were called the best German snipers of World War II.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko is considered the most productive shooter among women. This amazing beauty signed up as a volunteer immediately after the declaration of war with Germany. In two years of hostilities, she was able to eliminate three hundred and nine fascists, including thirty-six enemy snipers. For this feat she was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR, the last two years of the war she did not take part in the battles.
Olga Vasilyeva was also often called the best female sniper of World War II. On account of this fragile girl, one hundred and forty-eight fascists, but in the forty-third year, no one believed that she could become a real sniper, who would be afraid of the enemy. The girl left a notch on the butt of her rifle after each well-aimed shot. By the end of the war, he was completely covered in marks.
Genya Peretyatko was deservedly ranked among the best female snipers of World War II. Almost nothing was known about this girl for a long time, but she destroyed one hundred and forty-eight enemies with well-aimed and accurate shots of her rifle.
Even before the start of the war, Genya was seriously engaged in shooting, she was her real passion. In parallel, the girl was fond of music. It is amazing that she skillfully combined both activities until the war intervened in her life. Peretyatko immediately volunteered for the front, and thanks to her abilities she was quickly transferred to snipers. After the end of the war, the girl moved to the United States, where she lived for the rest of her life.
German snipers
The results of German shooters have always been much more modest than those of Soviet soldiers. But among them were unique snipers who glorified their country. Many legends circulated during the war years about Matthias Hetzenauer. He fought for only one year as a sniper, having managed to destroy three hundred and forty-five Red Army soldiers. For Germany, this was simply a phenomenal result that no one managed to surpass.
Josef Allerberger was considered one of the best German snipers of World War II. He was able to confirm the elimination of two hundred and fifty-seven targets. His colleagues considered the young man a born sniper who possessed not only accuracy and endurance, but also a certain psychology that allowed him to intuitively choose the right battle tactics.
Before starting a story about the legendary snipers of World War II, let's briefly dwell on the very concept of "sniper" and the essence of the mysterious profession of a sniper, the history of its occurrence. For without this, much in the story will remain a mystery with seven seals. Skeptics will say: - well, what is mysterious here? Sniper is a good shooter. And they will be right. But only the word "snipe" (from the English snipe) has nothing to do with shooting. This is the name of the swamp snipe - a small harmless bird with an unpredictable flight path. And only a skilled shooter can hit her in flight. Therefore, snipe hunters were nicknamed "snipers".
The use of long-barreled hunting rifles in battles for accurate shooting was recorded during the English Civil War (1642-1648). The most famous example was the assassination of Lord Brooke, the commander of the parliamentary army, in 1643. A soldier on duty on the roof of the cathedral fired at the lord when he inadvertently leaned out of cover. And hit the left eye. Such a shot, fired from a distance of 150 yards (137 m), was considered outstanding at a typical range of aimed fire of about 80 yards (73 m).
The war of the British army with the American colonists, among whom were many hunters, exposed the vulnerability of regular troops to skilled marksmen who hit targets at a distance twice the effective fire of muskets. This turned combat units, in between battles and during movements, into a target for hunting. Convoys, individual detachments suffered unforeseen losses; there was no protection from the fire, the enemy who had taken cover; the enemy remained inaccessible, and in most cases simply invisible. Since that time, snipers have been considered a separate military specialty.
By the beginning of the 19th century, riflemen were able to hit enemy manpower at a distance of 1200 yards (1097 m), which was an incredible achievement, but not fully realized by the military command. In the Crimean War, lone Englishmen from long-range fittings with custom-made sights killed Russian soldiers and officers at a distance of 700 or more yards. A little later, special sniper units appeared, which showed that a small group of skillful shooters scattered over the area could withstand parts of the enemy's regular army. Already at that time, the British had a rule: - "From one match three do not light up," which was relevant before the advent of night sights and thermal imagers. The first English soldier lit a cigarette - the sniper noticed them. The second Englishman lit a cigarette - the sniper took the lead. And already the third one received an accurate shot from the shooter.
Increasing the distance of the shot revealed a significant problem for snipers: it was extremely difficult to combine the figure of a person and the front sight of a gun: for the shooter, the front sight was larger in size than an enemy soldier. At the same time, the quality indicators of rifles already made it possible to conduct aimed fire at a distance of up to 1800 m. And only during the First World War, when the use of snipers at the front became widespread, did the first optical sights appear, and almost simultaneously in the armies of Russia, Germany, Britain and Austria Hungary. As a rule, three to five times optics were used.
The First World War was the heyday of sniper shooting, which was determined by positional, trench warfare, thousands of kilometers of front. Huge losses from sniper fire also required significant organizational changes in the rules of warfare. The troops massively switched to khaki uniforms, and the uniform of junior officers lost their pronounced insignia. There was also a ban on performing a military greeting in combat conditions.
In the German troops, by the end of the first year of the war, there were about 20 thousand snipers. Each company had 6 full-time shooters. German snipers, in the first period of the positional war, on the entire front, disabled the British, several hundred people a day, which within a month gave a loss figure equal in number to an entire division. Any appearance of a British soldier outside the trenches guaranteed instant death. Even wearing wristwatches was a great danger, as the light they reflected immediately attracted the attention of German snipers. Any object or part of the body that remained outside the shelter for three seconds caused the fire of the Germans. The degree of German superiority in this area was so obvious that, according to eyewitnesses, some German snipers, feeling their absolute impunity, amused themselves by shooting at all kinds of objects. Therefore, infantrymen traditionally did not like snipers and, upon detection, they killed them on the spot. Since then, an unwritten tradition has gone - do not take snipers prisoner.
The British quickly responded to the threat by setting up their own sniper school and, in the end, completely suppressed the enemy shooters. Canadian, Australian and South African hunters began to teach in British sniper schools, who taught not only shooting, but also the ability to remain unnoticed by the hunted object: disguise, hide from the enemy and patiently guard targets. They began to use camouflage suits made of light green matter and tufts of grass. English snipers worked out the technique of using "sculptures" - dummies of local objects, inside of which arrows were placed. Invisible to enemy observers, they carried out visual reconnaissance of enemy forward positions, revealed the location of fire weapons and destroyed the most important targets. The British believed that having a good rifle and shooting accurately from it was far from the only difference between a sniper. They believed, not without reason, that observation brought to a high degree of perfection, "a sense of the terrain", insight, excellent eyesight and hearing, calmness, personal courage, perseverance and patience are no less important than a well-aimed shot. An impressionable or nervous person can never become a good sniper.
Another axiom of sniping was established during the First World War - the best remedy from the sniper is another sniper. It was during the war years that sniper duels first took place.
The best sniper in those years was recognized as the Canadian Indian hunter Francis Peghmagabow, with 378 confirmed victories. Since then, the criterion of sniper skill is the number of victories.
Thus, on the fronts of the First World War, the basic principles and specific techniques of sniping were determined, which were the basis for today's training and functioning of snipers.
In the interwar period, during the war in Spain, a direction unusual for snipers appeared - the fight against aircraft. In the divisions of the Republican army, sniper detachments were created to fight Franco aircraft, primarily bombers, who took advantage of the Republicans' lack of anti-aircraft artillery and bombed from low altitudes. It cannot be said that such use of snipers was effective, but 13 aircraft were still shot down. Yes, and during the Second World War, cases of successful firing at aircraft were recorded on the fronts. However, these were only cases.
Having learned the history of the emergence of sniping, consider the essence of the profession of a sniper. In the modern sense, a sniper is a specially trained soldier (an independent combat unit), who is fluent in the art of marksmanship, camouflage and observation; hits the target, as a rule, from the first shot. The task of the sniper is to defeat the command and liaison staff, the secret of the enemy, the destruction of important emerging, moving, open and camouflaged single targets (enemy snipers, officers, etc.). Sometimes a sniper is called well-aimed shooters in other branches of the military (forces) (artillery, aviation).
In the process of "work" of snipers, a certain specificity of activity has developed, which led to the classification of the military profession. Allocate a sniper-saboteur and an infantry sniper.
A sniper-saboteur (familiar from computer games, cinema and literature) operates alone or with a partner (carrying out fire cover and target designation), often far from the bulk of the troops, in the rear or on enemy territory. Its tasks include: covert incapacitation of important targets (officers, sentinels, valuable equipment), disruption of an enemy attack, sniper terror (inducing panic on ordinary personnel, obstruction of observation, moral suppression). In order not to give away his position, the shooter often fires under the cover of background noise ( weather conditions, third-party shots, explosions, etc.). Destruction range - from 500 meters and above. The saboteur sniper's weapon is a high-precision rifle with a telescopic sight, sometimes with a silencer, usually with a bolt action. Position masking plays a big role, so it is done with great care. Materials at hand (branches, bushes, earth, dirt, debris, etc.), a special camouflage suit, or ready-made shelters (bunkers, trenches, buildings, etc.) can be used as a disguise.
An infantry sniper operates as part of a rifle unit, sometimes paired with a machine gunner or a pair of submachine gunners (cover group). Tasks - increasing the infantry combat radius, destroying important targets (machine gunners, other snipers, grenade launchers, signalmen). As a rule, does not have time to select a target; shoots at everyone in sight. The battle distance rarely exceeds 400 m. A self-loading rifle with an optical sight is used as a weapon. Extremely mobile, often changes position. As a rule, it has the same means of disguise as the rest of the soldiers. Often, ordinary soldiers without special training, who could shoot accurately, became field snipers.
The sniper is armed with a special sniper rifle with an optical sight and other special devices that facilitate aiming. A sniper rifle is a bolt-action rifle, self-loading, repeating or single-shot, designed for increased accuracy. The sniper rifle has gone through several historical stages in its development. At first, rifles were selected from a batch of conventional weapons, choosing the ones that gave the most accurate fight. Later, sniper rifles began to be made on the basis of serial army models, making minor changes to the design in order to increase shooting accuracy. The very first sniper rifles were slightly larger than regular rifles and were designed for long range shooting. Only at the beginning of the First World War, specially adapted sniper rifles began to play an important role in hostilities. Germany provided hunting rifles with telescopic sights to smash British signal lamps and periscopes. During World War II, sniper rifles were standard battle rifles equipped with a 2x or 3x telescopic sight and stocks for shooting prone or from cover. One of the main tasks of the 7.62-mm army sniper rifle is to defeat small targets at ranges up to 600 m and large targets up to 800 m. At a range of 1000-1200 m, a sniper can conduct harassing fire, limiting the movement of the enemy, preventing mine clearance, etc. .d. Under favorable circumstances, long-range sniping was possible, especially in the case of a telescopic sight with 6x and higher magnification.
Special ammunition for snipers was produced only in Germany, and in sufficient quantities. In other countries, snipers, as a rule, selected cartridges from one batch, and, having shot them, determined for themselves the tactical and technical capabilities of their rifle with such ammunition. German snipers sometimes used sighting cartridges or tracer bullets to determine distance, less often to fix a hit. However, such operations were carried out only if the sniper was completely safe.
Snipers of all warring armies used special camouflage clothing, practical and comfortable. Depending on the season, clothing had to be both warm and waterproof. The most comfortable camouflage for a sniper is shaggy. The face and hands were often painted, the rifle was camouflaged for the season. There were no insignia or any symbols on the snipers' clothes. The sniper knew that he had no chance of surviving if captured if he was identified precisely as a sniper. And so, hiding the optical sight, he could still impersonate an ordinary infantryman.
In a mobile war, snipers tried not to burden themselves with equipment. The necessary equipment for snipers was binoculars, since the view through the optical sight had a narrow sector, and its prolonged use led to rapid eye fatigue. The greater the magnification of the device, the more confident the sniper felt. If available and possible, telescopes and periscopes, stereo tubes were used. At distracting, false positions, mechanically remote-controlled rifles could be installed.
For "work" the sniper chose a comfortable, protected and invisible position, and more than one, because after one or three shots, the place had to be changed. The position should provide for the possibility of observation, the place of firing and a safe escape route. Whenever possible, snipers always tried to set up positions on high ground, as more convenient for observation and shooting. The arrangement of positions under the walls of buildings that covered the position from the rear was avoided, since such structures always attracted the attention of enemy artillerymen for sighting. The same risky places were individual buildings that could provoke enemy mortar or machine gun fire "just in case." Good hiding places for snipers were destroyed buildings, where you can easily and discreetly change position. Groves or fields with tall vegetation are even better. It is easy to hide here, and the monotonous landscape tires the eyes of the observer. Hedges, bocage are ideal for snipers - it is convenient to conduct aimed fire from here and it is easy to change positions. Snipers always avoided crossroads, since they are periodically fired from guns and mortars for prevention. The favorite position of snipers is wrecked armored vehicles with emergency hatches in the bottom.
The best friend of a sniper is a shadow, it hides the outline, optics do not shine in it. Usually snipers take up their positions before sunrise and stay there until sunset. Sometimes, if the path to their own position was blocked by the enemy, they could remain two or three days in this position without support. IN dark nights snipers did not work, in the moon - only a few in the presence of good optics. Despite existing wind sniping techniques, most snipers strong wind did not work, as in heavy rainfall.
Camouflage is the key to a sniper's life. The main principle of disguise is that the observer's eye should not stop at it. Garbage is best suited for this, and snipers often arrange their positions in landfills.
An important place in the "work" of the sniper was occupied by baits. A great way to get a target into the kill zone is with a weapon. The sniper tries to shoot the enemy soldier so that his machine gun remains on the parapet. Sooner or later, someone will try to take it away and get shot too. Often, at the request of a sniper, scouts during a night sortie leave a damaged pistol, a shiny watch, a cigarette case or other bait in his field of activity. Whoever crawls after her will become a sniper's client. A sniper tries only to immobilize a soldier in an open area. And he will wait until they come to his aid. Then he will shoot the assistants and finish off the wounded. If a sniper fires at a group, then the first shot will be at the one coming from behind so that the others do not see that he has fallen. While his colleagues figure out what's what, the sniper will shoot two or three more.
For anti-sniper combat, dummies equipped with military uniform, the higher the manufacturing quality of the dummy and the control system for its movement, the higher the chances of catching someone else's, experienced shooter. For novice snipers, a helmet or cap raised on a stick above the parapet was enough. In special cases, specially trained snipers used entire systems of covert surveillance through stereo tubes and remote control fire with them.
These are just a few of the tactics and methods of sniping. And the sniper must also be able to: correctly aim and hold his breath when shooting, master the technique of pulling the trigger, be able to shoot at moving and air targets, determine the range using the binocular or periscope reticle, calculate corrections for atmospheric pressure and wind, be able to draw up a fire card and conduct counter-sniper duel, be able to act during the enemy’s artillery preparation, correctly disrupt the enemy’s attack with sniper fire, correctly, act during the defense and when breaking through the enemy’s defense. A sniper must be able to act alone, in pairs and as part of a sniper group, be able to interview witnesses during an attack by an enemy sniper, be able to detect him, timely see the appearance of an enemy counter-sniper group and be able to work in such groups himself. And many many others. And this is what the military profession of a sniper consists of: knowledge, skills and, of course, the talent of a hunter, a hunter for people.
With the end of the First World War, most countries neglected the experience of sniper shooting received at such a high price. In the British Army, the number of sniper sections in battalions was reduced to eight people. In 1921, optical sights were removed from the SMLE No. 3 sniper rifles that were in storage and put on open sale. The US Army did not have an official sniper training program, a large number of there were only snipers in the Marine Corps. France and Italy did not have trained snipers, and Weimer Germany was forbidden to have snipers by international treaties. But in the Soviet Union, shooting training, called the sniper movement, gained the widest scope following the instructions of the Party and the Government "... to hit the hydra of world imperialism not in the eyebrow, but in the eye."
We will consider the use and development of sniping during the Second World War using the example of the largest participating countries.
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?
IN Soviet time studying the strengths and weaknesses of the 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 as consumable, extras who are about to grab a bullet from the protagonist of 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
In 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 undergone special training 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. They were also distinguished from ordinary soldiers 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 this time, the Russian army, although it had experienced hunters and experienced shooters in its ranks, did not have rifles with an optical 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 began to be treated as an interesting experience of positional warfare, which had 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 was not able 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 selected. 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 sight 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 Soviet-German front such duels ended most often in favor of the Red Army - there is no point in arguing with the facts that claim that sniper war here the Germans lost 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, hedgerows, 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 by 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 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 an idea lightning war 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, and for this article we would have to collect material bit by bit about little-known Soviet snipers.
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