Here is another interesting infa (already posted), but it is in this post that readers will be interested.
Said the commander of the Corvette company of the Marine Corps, he is also the commander of the landing group, incl. and brazen Corvettes to uninhabited islands:
Hand-to-hand combat instructor - cadets:
- To engage in hand-to-hand combat, a special forces soldier must *****@ be on the battlefield: machine gun, pistol, knife, waist belt, shovel, body armor, helmet. Find a flat area where not a single stone or stick is lying around. Find on it the same raspiya. And even then engage in hand-to-hand combat with him! ..
And he is about snipers
Former KGB officer Yuri Tarasovich recently pleased with an old story about the war, which he heard at dacha gatherings from a friend of Maxim.
Grandfather Maxim managed to win the whole war with a sniper and at the same time survive, although he has a whole German cemetery scattered from Stalingrad to Prague ... By the way, when he traveled with veteran delegations to the GDR, he liked to insert on occasion: “I volunteer went to war, destroyed a German company in full strength and returned home to his mother ... "" German friends "in response, smiled sourly, and this sour smile every time made Grandfather Maxim very happy.
But the story is not about that.
Sitting in Tarasych's garden, the grandfathers argued: which country had better weapons? They argued for a long time, even cursed, so they didn’t come to anything and decided that everyone would say about his own, in which he understands. There were no pilots among them, so they decided not to argue about the planes. We started with grandfather Maxim: “Whose sniper rifle was the best?” Grandfather cleared his throat and reported:
- I worked with both German and English, and, of course, with three-rulers, but I won’t say right off the bat which one is better. Each has its own "weak point".
Everyone hummed in disappointment:
- Maxim, well, you blurted out ... we can do that too. You also say that it all depends on the person ...
Grandfather Maxim:
- And I'll tell you. Of course, from a person. Here’s what ball you don’t slip into ours, but they won’t play football ... And vice versa - people can work such miracles with a three-ruler that cannot exist.
When I was already an experienced sniper, ridiculous rumors began to reach me about some kind of Ukrainian sniper, who knocks down the Germans who looked out of the trench from a distance of 1000 meters! I understood that five hundred or six hundred meters is already the limit, and at a distance of a kilometer you need to foresee so much: air temperature, and humidity, and the bullet moving to the right due to rotation, not to mention the speed and direction of the wind .. .and this is with ideal weapons and ammunition. Of course, I didn't believe it.
But the crest-sniper acquired more and more new legends, they came from those people whom I could not disbelieve, then I had to think about it - how does he do it?
And imagine what it was like for the Germans: at first they thought that the Russian sniper had an invisibility cap, he always hits, but he himself was nowhere to be found and, judging by the terrain, it couldn’t be ... Then, when they realized that the sniper was sitting a kilometer away from them, became even more worried. Apparently, the Russians have a secret rifle that will change the whole tactics of the war.
Our colonels begged each other for a Ukrainian sniper even for a day. The sniper came to the “tour”, clicked a couple of officers from a kilometer and left for another sector of the front. After that, for another week it was possible to safely walk along the front line in full growth and pick mushrooms - the Germans perceived this as a bait and pressed their heads into the ground even more.
Finally, I myself met the legendary sniper when he arrived on a "tour" to our neighbors. I had to walk ten kilometers through the forest, but I could not help getting to know each other. His last name was Kravchenko. And of course he had a secret...
It turned out that this Kravchenko was not a person ... but a whole family: an uncle and three nephews, and all Kravchenkos.
Well, of course, I'll tell you, they really were real artists: they carried with them almost a "lorry" with weapons and tools. Here you have turntables - to measure the speed of the wind - and telescopes, and stereo tubes, and all sorts of darn-darned dolls on strings. I even envied. It got to the point that they had a doll that “pulled” another doll by the strings.
They treated weapons like porcelain services - they carried rifles only in boxes, they almost slept with cartridges so that the gunpowder would not become damp.
But the most important thing is their “signature” style: they occupied a position of four side by side to each other, the uncle measured, calculated and gave everyone different corrections - one “click” to the right, another to the left, the third - keep it up, yourself somehow ... And they developed such coherence that, almost without saying a word, all four “sculpted” in one salvo, so the Germans perceived them as one sniper, and no matter how the bullets spread, always one out of four hit the target. Kravchenko's personal account of the killed Germans was replenished strictly in turn - after all, it is not known whose bullet the German had in the head ...
The most amazing case of their work was when they killed a senior German officer through a steel barge.
The grandfathers moved:
- Maxim, do not breach! How - through the barge? Come on, it can't be...
Grandfather Maxim continued:
- So, the German, like you, also thought that he couldn’t, that’s why he was killed ... Imagine: the front line was along the river, the Germans dug in on one side, and they knew that our snipers were guarding them on the other, and the distance is decent - 800-900 meters, all around the plain. The Kravchenkos killed several soldiers and spent the whole day grazing the protruding officer's stereotube, but they never fired so as not to give themselves away. Waiting for the head. But the officer, too, was not a fool, and did not look out. At least cry. Suddenly they see: a long, rusty, charred, half-flooded barge is dragging along the river, and when it, while sailing, completely blocked the officer from snipers, the German “didn’t let me down” - he decided to stretch his arms and legs that had become stiff during the day and straightened up to his full height. The Kravchenkos immediately killed him, although they did not see through the barge, but they felt that they should look out of the trench. It’s just that the German, like you, was not a sniper and did not know that at such a distance the bullet describes such a high arc that even a barge of a meter and a half or two meters high will fit under it ... http://filibuster60.livejournal.com/398155.html
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!
A 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 in 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 are trying to assert the opinion in society that the sniper is too 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 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, Vasily Zaitsev, 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 typical for this twenty-year-old sniper from the Luhansk 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. The helmet did not have time to rise even half, when two shots rang out almost simultaneously: the Nazi man 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, hundreds of one 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 4,200 enemy soldiers and officers, the first 20 - more than 7,500. Vasily Zaitsev, the legendary sniper of the Great Patriotic War Vasily Zaitsev, during the Battle of Stalingrad, destroyed more than two hundred German soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers. 
The Americans wrote: “Russian snipers showed great skill on the German front. They prompted the Germans to produce optical sights on a large scale and train snipers.” Of course, one cannot fail to say 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. Voroshilova.According to the memoirs of ace-sniper Vladimir Pchelintsev, those present at the meeting proposed to introduce a single, 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 with three soldiers. In practice, this was basically how the records were kept. 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. 
Lyudmila 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 lines from letters from Wehrmacht soldiers that they wrote to their relatives: “A 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! 
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 times, the study of the merits and demerits 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 "shot" by a 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, was an effective method of warfare. 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 due to the poor quality of German optics, such battles, as a rule, ended not 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 German snipers consisted in the destruction of 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 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 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.
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 civil war in England (1642-1648). Most famous example was the assassination of the commander of the Parliamentary army, Lord Brooke, 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. AT Crimean War lone British 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.
AT 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 wrist watch represented a great danger, since 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 sniping techniques 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 goal; 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, having hidden 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. AT dark nights snipers did not work, in the moon - a few in the presence of good optics. Despite the existing methods of sniping during the wind, most snipers did not work in strong winds, as well as in heavy precipitation.
Camouflage is the key to a sniper's life. Main principle disguise - 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 in military uniform were often used, the higher the quality of the mannequin 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 a formal sniper training program, only the Marine Corps had a small number of snipers. 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.
Date: 2011-03-22
During the First World War, the work of a sniper grew and developed into a whole independent branch of combat activity, in conditions of positional standing; but already the experience of 1918 made it possible to evaluate the sniper in the field war. The Germans, the inventors of sniping, introduced one shooter with a rifle equipped with a telescopic sight into each light machine gun link. German snipers, in the first period of trench warfare, disabled the British, on the entire front, several hundred people a day, which within a month gave a loss figure equal in number to an entire division. The British quickly responded to the threat by establishing their own sniper school and eventually completely suppressed the enemy shooters. Almost all participants in the world war, especially on the German sectors of the front, had to deal with one or another manifestation of the work of a German sniper. "I personally remember well what a difficult atmosphere was created in the regiments of the 71st Infantry Division in the winter of 1916-1917, the German snipers (probably from the 208th German division), who made literally "Paradise valleys" from some sections of our trenches on the left bank of the river Seret (in Romania). the depth of the trench defeat), they literally did not allow showing half a head, not only because of the parapet, but even into the hole of the disguised machine-gun nest under the parapet, not to mention the fractures of the trenches flanked from their position. High percent In the very first minutes of the battle, he also suggested to the disabled officers, even then, that someone was beating them, which is called “to choose from,” - of course, it was the snipers who beat them. "(E. N. Sergeev). It was on On the fronts of the First World War, the basic principles and specific techniques of sniping were determined (for example, sniper pairs - a “shooter-fighter” and an observer-target designator).
It was only later, in the Red Army, that it was possible to create our own Russian sniper school, putting the training of shooters on stream.
Despite the fact that during the First World War the Germans were the first to take the initiative in the use of specially trained soldiers and rifles with an optical sight, active work in the field of sniping in the Wehrmacht began only after encountering the Soviet tactics of "sniper terror". In the winter of 1941-1942. snipers appeared on the Russian positions and the sniper movement began to actively develop, supported by the political departments of the fronts. The German command remembered the need for training and their "super accurate shooters." In the Wehrmacht, sniper schools and front-line courses began to be organized, gradually began to grow " specific gravity» sniper rifles in relation to other types of small arms.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the German army used a 7.92 mm Mauser rifle of the 1935 model of the year (K98) with a 1.5x sight of the 1941 model of the year or a fourx Zeiss sight. In terms of its main combat properties, this weapon did not differ much from the Soviet Mosin rifle, so that in terms of armament, the forces of the parties were approximately equal.
The sniper version of the 7.92 mm Mauser 98K carbine was tested back in 1939, but this version began to be mass-produced only after the attack on the USSR. Since 1942, 6% of all carbines produced had an optical sight bracket, but throughout the war there was a shortage of sniper weapons in the German troops. For example, in April 1944, the Wehrmacht received 164,525 carbines, but only 3,276 of them had optical sights, i.e. about 2%. However, according to the post-war assessment of German military experts, “type 98 carbines equipped with standard optics could by no means meet the requirements of combat. Compared to Soviet sniper rifles ... they were significantly different for the worse. Therefore, each Soviet sniper rifle captured as a trophy was immediately used by Wehrmacht soldiers ”(R. Lidshun, G. Vollert. “Small arms yesterday”).
By the way, the ZF41 optical sight with a magnification of 1.5x was attached to a guide specially machined on the aiming block, so that the distance from the shooter's eye to the eyepiece was about 22 cm. from the shooter's eye to the eyepiece, should be quite effective, since it allows you to aim the crosshair at the target without stopping the observation of the area. At the same time, the small magnification of the sight does not give a significant discrepancy in scale between objects observed through the sight and on top of it. In addition, this option for placing optics allows you to load a rifle with clips without losing sight of the target and the muzzle of the barrel. But naturally, a sniper rifle with such a low-powered scope could not be used for long-range shooting. However, such a device was still not popular among Wehrmacht snipers - often such rifles were simply thrown onto the battlefield in the hope of finding something better for themselves.
German sniper's arsenal: Mauser-7.92 rifle, Walther PPK and Walter P-38 pistols
German sniper scope 2.5 magnification
German and Finnish snipers on ultra-precise rifles "Mauser-7.92" had sights with a magnification of only 2.5 times. Germans (and they were smart people) believed that it was no longer necessary. German snipers had sights with a tenfold increase, but only virtuosos fired with them. Such a sight was obtained as a trophy by Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev in a duel with the head of the Berlin school of snipers.
Low to intermediate level shooters hit better with low magnification scopes. The process of aiming with a telescopic sight is very strict, when aiming you have to be very collected and very attentive. The optical sight does not so much facilitate aiming as it mobilizes the efforts of a trained shooter to aim and hold the weapon. It is in this regard that the optical sight allows shooters with high training to realize their reserve capabilities. An optical sight is a means of realizing a shooter's training. And than greater degree training and accumulated stability the shooter has, the greater the increase in sight he can afford. Only professional snipers with well-trained, well-established stability, with a nervous system balanced to complete indifference, with no pulsation and possessing infernal patience, can afford to work with a magnification of 6 times or more. For such shooters, the target in the sight behaves calmly and does not try to control the shot. (A. Potapov "The Art of the Sniper")
Since 1943, the Wehrmacht used the Walther system self-loading carbine (1943 model), the 7.92-mm G43 (or K43) self-loading rifle had its own sniper version with a 4x optical sight. However, due to low reliability and low accuracy, the "Walter" was not popular among the troops - just like the Tokarev SVT rifle in the Red Army. The German military leadership required all G43 rifles to have a telescopic sight, but this was no longer possible. Nevertheless, out of 402,703 issued before March 1945, almost 50,000 had an optical sight already installed. In addition, all rifles had a bracket for mounting optics, so in theory any rifle could be used as a sniper weapon.
1944 was a turning point for sniper art in German troops. The role of sniping was finally appreciated by the high command: numerous orders emphasized the need for the competent use of snipers, preferably in pairs of “shooters plus an observer”, developed different kinds camouflage and special equipment. It was assumed that during the second half of 1944 the number of sniper pairs in the grenadier and people's grenadier units would be doubled. Heinrich Himmler also became interested in sniping in the SS troops, he approved a program for specialized in-depth training of fighter shooters.
In the same year, by order of the Luftwaffe command, the training films "Invisible Weapons: Sniper in Combat" and "Field Training of Snipers" were filmed for use in training ground units.
Fragment from the training film "Field training of snipers: masters of disguise".
Fragment from the training film "Invisible Weapons: Sniper in Combat"
Both films were shot quite competently and very high quality, even from the height of today's day: here are the main points of special sniper training, the most important recommendations for action in the field, and all this in a popular form, with a combination of game elements.
A memo widely circulated at that time called "The Ten Commandments of the Sniper" read:
- Fight selflessly.
- Fire calmly and carefully, concentrate on each shot. Remember that rapid fire has no effect.
- Shoot only when you're sure you won't be detected.
- Your main opponent is an enemy sniper, outwit him.
- Do not forget that a sapper shovel prolongs your life.
- Constantly practice in determining distances.
- Become a master of terrain and disguise.
- Train constantly - on the front line and in the rear.
- Take care of your sniper rifle, don't let it fall into anyone's hands.
- Survival for a sniper in nine parts - camouflage and only one - shooting.
In the German army, snipers were used at various tactical levels. It was the experience of applying such a concept that allowed in postwar period E. Middeldorf in his book to propose the following practice: “In no other issue related to infantry fighting, there are such big contradictions as in the issue of using snipers. Some consider it necessary to have a full-time sniper platoon in every company, or at least in a battalion. Others predict that snipers operating in pairs will have the greatest success. We will try to find a solution that satisfies the requirements of both points of view. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between "amateur snipers" and "professional snipers". It is desirable that each squad has two non-professional amateur snipers. They need to give the assault rifle a 4x optical sight. They will remain ordinary shooters who have received additional sniper training. If it is not possible to use them as snipers, then they will act as ordinary soldiers. As for professional snipers, there should be two in each company or six in the company control group. They must be armed with a special sniper rifle with a muzzle velocity of more than 1000 m/s, with a telescopic sight with a 6-fold increase in large aperture. These snipers will generally "free hunt" within the company's area. If, depending on the situation and terrain conditions, the need arises to use a platoon of snipers, then this will be easily feasible, since there are 24 snipers in the company (18 amateur snipers and 6 professional snipers), which in this case can be combined together " . Note that this concept of sniping is considered one of the most promising. (Oleg Ryazanov "Super-sharp shooters" from the Wehrmacht)
Matthias Hetzenauer (1924-2004) with a Kar98k rifle with a 6x optical sight.
Sniper of the 3rd Mountain Division (Geb.Jg. 144/3. Gebirgs-Devision). From July 1944 to May 1945 - 345 confirmed killed soldiers of the Red Army. Awarded the Knight's Cross with Swords and Oak Leaves. One of the most productive snipers in Germany.
In the Great Patriotic War, "the Russians were superior to the Germans in the art of night combat, combat in wooded and swampy areas and combat in winter, in the training of snipers, as well as in equipping the infantry with machine guns and mortars" (Eike Middeldorf "Tactics in the Russian Campaign").
German snipers:
Erwin Konig 400/Heinz Thorvald
Matthaus Hetzenauer 345
Josef Sepp Allerberger257
Bruno Sutkus 209
Friedrich Pein 200
Gefreiter Meyer 180
Helmut Wirnsberger 64
An extremely interesting interview with three former Wehrmacht snipers (Sniper's Notebook) gives some idea of \u200b\u200bthe German shooters:
This is a general interview with two of the most successful Wehrmacht snipers. To get a broader overview of the experience, an interview with a third, also a very good sniper, has been added.
The fact is that these three soldiers had really good training and a lot of experience to give accurate and informative answers to questions.
During the interview they will be named A, B and C. During the war they were all in the 3. Gebirgsdivision.
Brief information about the respondents.
A: Matthaus H. from Tyrol, on the Eastern Front was from 1943 until the end of the war, the most successful sniper in the Wehrmacht with 345 confirmed kills.
B: Sepp A. from Salzburg, was on the Eastern Front from December 1942 until the end of the war, second in rank with 257 confirmed.
C: Helmut W. of Styria, on the Eastern Front from September 1942 until the end of the war, with 64 confirmed destroyed. After he was wounded, he was an instructor.
What weapon did you use?:
A: K98 with 6x scope, G43 with 4x scope
B: Captured Russian sniper rifle with telescopic sight, K98 with 6x
C: K98 with 1 1/2x and 4x scopes, G43 with 4x scopes.
What scopes did you use?
A: 4x scope used up to 400m, 6x was good up to 1000m
B: I had a Russian sniper rifle for 2 years, and I don't remember the exact type of scope, but it worked well. On K98 I used 6x.
C: 1 1/2x was not efficient enough and was replaced by the better performing 6x.
What do you think about high magnification?
A, B: 6x is enough, there was no need for a higher one.
C: 4x is enough for most missions.
The maximum shooting distance at which you could hit the following targets?
Head: A, B, C: up to 400m
Embrasure: A: up to 600m
Human figure: A: 700m - 800m
B, C: about 600m
Are these distances acceptable to you personally, typical only for the best or for all snipers?
A, B: only for the best snipers
C: For me personally, but also for most German snipers. Some hit targets at longer distances.
B: Complementary: Really 100% defeat is only possible up to 600m.
What was the farthest target you hit and what was it?
A: It was a standing soldier about 1100m away. At this distance, you are unlikely to hit, but we wanted to show the enemy that he was not safe at this distance. We also wanted to demonstrate our skills to the officer corps.
C: 600m, if there was a target further away, I waited until it closed the distance because it was easier to shoot and it was easier to confirm. The G43 had insufficient ballistic capabilities, so I only fired it up to 500m.
How many second shots were needed?
A: Almost never needed a second shot.
B: 1 or 2. The second shot was very dangerous because of the enemy snipers.
C: 1 or 2 at the most.
If you could choose which rifle would you prefer?
a) a manually operated rifle like the K98:
A: K98 due to high precision
b) Self-loading rifle like G43:
A: Not the G43 because it's only good up to 400m and doesn't have enough accuracy.
B: Not G43, too heavy.
C: Yes, because it was reliable and not much worse than the K98.
If you could choose today between a self-loading rifle with the same accuracy as the K98 and K98, which would you choose?
A: I would choose the K98 because a sniper who is used as a sniper doesn't need a self-loading rifle.
B: If it has the same weight....self-loading.
C: Self-loading can shoot faster when attacking.
How were you attached to your units?
All of them belonged to snipergroup Btl.; C was the commander of this unit. This unit consisted of up to 22 soldiers, of which six were permanently with Btl., the rest were attached to companies. The results of the observation, the use of ammunition and the destroyed targets were reported daily to the headquarters of Btl.
At the start of the mission, Btl. During the war, when there were fewer good snipers, they were sometimes ordered by the division headquarters.
In each company, some soldiers were equipped with rifles with telescopic sights, but they did not have any special training. They fired reliably up to 400m and did a very good job. These soldiers were serving in their normal mode of service within companies and were not able to get that high "lethality" as real snipers.
Tactics and goals?
A, B, C: always in a team of two. One is shooting, the other is watching. The most common missions: the destruction of enemy observers (heavy weapons), commanders. Sometimes targets like anti-tank gun crews, machine gun crews, and so on. The snipers followed the attacking forces and fought the most fortified enemy positions (with heavy weapon crews and so on).
A: I had to sneak through the enemy defense line before our attack in order to destroy enemy commanders and crews during our artillery preparation.
b) Attack at night:
A, B, C: We didn't fight during the night because the snipers were too precious.
c) Attack in winter:
A: I walked behind the attacking force in winter camouflage to counter the machine gun and anti-tank positions that countered our attack.
B, C: A good camouflage suit and warm clothing is essential, otherwise the possibility of long-term observation is reduced.
d) Defense
A, B, C: mainly free hunting in the company defense sector. Usually all targets or only the most important targets were to be destroyed. When the enemy attacked, their commanders were easy to identify because they had different equipment, camouflage uniforms and so on. So we shot them on long distances and so that the enemy advance stopped. (One day A remembers that he destroyed the commanders of eight attacks).
As soon as enemy snipers appear, they are fought to the point of destruction. These duels against enemy snipers caused many casualties in our ranks.
Snipers take up their positions before sunrise and stay there until sunset.
Sometimes, if the path to your own position was blocked by the enemy, you had to stay two or three days in this position without support.
e) Defense at night
A, B, C: Snipers were not used during the night. They weren't allowed into the security service or anything like that. Sometimes during the night they set up their position to be ready during the day.
f) You used when shooting Moonlight?
A: Yes, if the moonlight was strong enough and I used a 6x telescopic sight, it was possible.
g) Containment Combat:
A, C: Usually 4 to 6 snipers fired at every enemy soldier that appeared. Machine guns were not often used in these rear areas, so one or two shots from a sniper delayed the enemy for a long time, and their own positions were not unmasked.
B: No experience. In this situation, everyone shoots at everything.
What tactic have you had the most success with?
A: A sniper's success is not measured by the people he killed, but by the impact he had on the enemy. For example, if the enemy loses commanders in an offensive, the offensive must be stopped. Of course, we had the highest indicators of those destroyed in defensive battles, when the enemy attacked several times a day.
B: On the defensive because no other kills have been confirmed.
C: The biggest success in the longest period of trench warfare due to good surveillance capabilities.
Percentage of destroyed for each distance:
Up to 400m: A: 65%
Up to 600m: A: 30%
Up to 800m: others
A: 65% up to 400m was not due to shooting distance, but due to being able to identify the target as "worth it". So, I often waited until I could identify the target.
B: Can't remember percentage, but most targets were hit up to 600m.
C: Did most shots up to 400m because it was a safe distance and it was easy to see if it hit or not.
How many shots did you fire from one position?
A, B, C: as many as needed
b) Defense in an equipped position:
A, B, C: 1 to 3 at most.
c) Enemy attack:
A, B, C: for every worthwhile goal.
d) Confronting enemy snipers:
A, B, C: 1 or 2
e) delaying fight
A, B, C: 1 or 2 was enough because the sniper wasn't alone.
B: Complementary: Kills are not confirmed during an attack or an enemy attack.
What else is important besides excellent shooting?
A: Apart from normal sniper skills, wit always wins. A man's "little tactics" win the battle. To get a high kill rate, it is also important that the sniper is not used for any other duty besides sniping.
B: Calmness, superiority, courage.
C: Patience and service life, excellent observation ability.
Who were the snipers recruited from?
A: Only born "lone fighters" like hunters, poachers and so on.
B: I don't remember. I had 27 kills with my Russian rifle before being admitted to sniper training.
C: Only soldiers with combat experience, with excellent marksmanship skills and two years of service, were admitted to sniper training.
What sniper courses did you take?
A, B, C: sniper course on Toepl Seetaleralpe.
C: I was there as a teacher (instructor).
Did you use binoculars and what amplification?
A: It was 6x30, but it wasn't enough for longer distances. Got 10x50 lateron and this one was good.
B: Binoculars as needed as an addition to the scope on the rifle.
C: Every sniper had binoculars and it was necessary. Up to 500m 6x30 was enough.
Would you prefer to watch through the periscope from the trench?
A: It was a good addition. We had one Russian.
C: If caught among the trophies, then it was used.
Were there scissor telescopes in use?
A, C: Yes, sometimes we used it with an artillery spotter.
What camouflage did you use?
A, B, C: Camouflage suits, painted face and hands, rifle camo in winter with blenket and coloring.
B: I have been using the umbrella for two years. I painted it like the environment. At the beginning I painted my hands and face very carefully, less at the end.
Have you used other things to deceive the enemy?
B: Yes, for example, false position with rifles that fire with wire structures.
Did you use some screen?
What do you think about tracer cartridges?
A, B, C: should not be used in combat because one cannot unmask one's own position.
They were used in training and in rifle testing. Also, each sniper had a few to check the distance.
Have you used so-called sighting cartridges that explode when they hit the ground?
A, B, C: Yes, small flames appear when they hit a target, so you can see if they hit. We also used them to set fire to wooden building to smoke the enemy out of it. They were used at distances up to 600m.
How did you work with a side wind?
A: Feeling and experience sometimes tested with tracer rounds. The training on the Seetaleralpe was very good because there was a lot of wind there.
B: Feeling if there was a strong wind, we didn't shoot.
C: We didn't shoot if there was wind.
A, B, C: No, feeling, experience, fast aiming and fast shooting.
Did you use anti-tank rifles?
A: Yes, disabled some weapons crews through their screen. It was possible to shoot at targets up to 300m because it was not an accurate enough weapon. Very heavy and was not used by snipers. Didn't use it against soft targets.
How did you confirm the destroyed?
A, B, C: Either through an officer, or two soldiers who watched the destruction.
So, the number of confirmed destroyed is much lower than the real number.
X. Hesketh-Pritchard: "Sniping in France" (SERVICE OF THE SUPER-STROKE GUNS IN THE WORLD WAR ON THE WESTERN EUROPEAN FRONT). Translation from English, edited and with a preface by E.N. SERGEEVA, 1925
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII
Oleg Ryazanov "History of sniper art" http://www.bratishka.ru/zal/sniper/
A. Potapov "The Art of the Sniper", 2002
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