Russian snipers of the Second World War. Women snipers - the best shooters of the Second World War

10. Stepan Vasilyevich Petrenko: 422 killed.
During World War II, the Soviet Union had more skilled snipers than any other country on Earth. Due to their continued training and development during the 1930s, while other countries were cutting down their teams of specialist snipers, the USSR had the best marksmen in the world. Stepan Vasilyevich Petrenko was well known among the elite.

His highest professionalism is confirmed by 422 killed enemies; The effectiveness of the Soviet sniper training program is confirmed by accurate shooting and extremely rare misses.

9. Vasily Ivanovich Golosov: 422 killed.
During the war, 261 marksmen (including women), each of whom killed at least 50 people, were awarded the title of outstanding sniper. Vasily Ivanovich Golosov was one of those who received such an honor. His death toll is 422 enemy killed.

8. Fedor Trofimovich Dyachenko: 425 killed.
During World War II, 428,335 people are believed to have received Red Army sniper training, of whom 9,534 used their qualifications in lethal experience. Fyodor Trofimovich Dyachenko was one of those trainees who stood out. Soviet hero with 425 acknowledgments, received a medal for outstanding service “high heroism in military operations against an armed enemy.”

7. Fedor Matveevich Okhlopkov: 429 killed.
Fedor Matveevich Okhlopkov, one of the most respected snipers of the USSR. He and his brother were recruited into the Red Army, but the brother was killed in battle. Fyodor Matveevich vowed to avenge his brother. Who took his life. The number of people killed by this sniper (429) did not include the number of enemies. Which he killed with a machine gun. In 1965 he was awarded the Order of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

6. Mikhail Ivanovich Budenkov: 437 killed.
Mikhail Ivanovich Budenkov was among those snipers that few others could only aspire to. Amazingly successful sniper with 437 kills. This number did not include those killed by machine guns.

5. Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelintsev: 456 killed.
This number of casualties can be attributed not only to skill and skill with a rifle, but also to knowledge of the terrain and the ability to properly camouflage. Among these qualified and experienced snipers was Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelintsev, who killed 437 enemies.

4. Ivan Nikolaevich Kulbertinov: 489 killed.
Unlike most other countries during World War II, women could be snipers in the Soviet Union. In 1942, two six-month courses attended exclusively by women yielded results: almost 55,000 snipers were trained. 2,000 women took an active part in the war. Among them: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who killed 309 opponents.

3. Nikolai Yakovlevich Ilyin: 494 killed.
In 2001, a film was shot in Hollywood: “Enemy at the Gates” about the famous Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev. The film depicts the events of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942–1943. A film about Nikolai Yakovlevich Ilyin has not been made, but his contribution to Soviet military history was just as important. Having killed 494 enemy soldiers (sometimes listed as 497), Ilyin was a deadly marksman for the enemy.

2. Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko: approximately 500 killed
Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko was drafted in 1939 at the beginning of World War II. During the 1941 Battle of Moscow, he learned to snipe and became known as a bandit with lethal aim. One of his most famous acts: he destroyed a tank and three other vehicles using incendiary ammunition. However, after an injury received in Estonia, his role in subsequent years was primarily teaching. In 1944 Sidorenko was awarded the prestigious title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

1.Simo Hayha: 542 Killed (possibly 705)
Simo Haiha, a Finn, is the only non-Soviet soldier on this list. Nicknamed “White Death” by the Red Army troops because of its camouflage disguised as snow. According to statistics, Heiha is the bloodiest sniper in history. Before taking part in the war he was a farmer. Incredibly, he preferred an iron sight to an optical sight in his weapon.

Before we begin the story about the legendary snipers of the Second World War, let us briefly dwell on the very concept of “sniper” and the essence of the mysterious profession of a sniper, the history of its origin. Because without this, much of the story will remain a secret behind seven seals. Skeptics will say: “Well, what’s mysterious here?” A sniper is a sharp shooter. And they will be right. But 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 it in flight. That’s why snipe hunters are called “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 murder of the commander of the Parliamentary army, Lord Brooke, in 1643. A soldier on duty on the roof of the cathedral shot at the lord when he carelessly leaned out of cover. And it hit my left eye. Such a shot, fired from a distance of 150 yards (137 m), was considered extraordinary with a normal aimed shooting range of about 80 yards (73 m).

The British Army's war with the American colonists, many of whom included hunters, exposed the vulnerability of regular troops to skilled marksmen who hit targets at twice the effective range of musket fire. This turned combat units in the intervals between battles and during movements into a target for hunting. Convoys and individual detachments suffered unexpected losses; there was no protection from fire from the hidden enemy; the enemy remained inaccessible, and in most cases simply invisible. From that time on, snipers began to be considered a separate military specialty.

By the beginning of the 19th century, shooters with rifled guns were able to hit enemy personnel at a distance of 1,200 yards (1,097 m), which was an incredible achievement, but not fully realized by the military command. In the Crimean War, single Englishmen using long-range guns with custom-made sights killed Russian soldiers and officers at a distance of 700 yards or more. A little later, special sniper units appeared, which showed that a small group of skilled shooters scattered throughout the area could withstand units of the enemy’s regular army. Already at this time, the British had a rule: “Do not light a cigarette with one match,” 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 received an accurate shot from the shooter.

Increasing the shooting distance revealed a significant problem for snipers: it was extremely difficult to combine the figure of a man and the front sight of a gun: for the shooter, the front sight was larger in size than the enemy soldier. At the same time, the quality indicators of the 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, the first optical sights appeared, 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, on thousands of kilometers of front. Huge losses from sniper fire also required significant organizational changes in the rules of warfare. The troops switched en masse to khaki uniforms, and the uniforms of junior officers lost their distinct insignia. There was also a ban on performing a military salute in combat conditions.

By the end of the first year of the war, the German troops numbered about 20 thousand snipers. Each company had 6 full-time riflemen. German snipers, in the first period of trench warfare, incapacitated the British along the entire front, several hundred people a day, which within a month gave a loss figure equal to the size of an entire division. Any appearance of a British soldier outside the trench guaranteed instant death. Even wearing a wristwatch posed a great danger, since the light they reflected immediately attracted the attention of German snipers. Any object or body part that remained outside cover for three seconds drew German fire. 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 sorts of objects. Therefore, snipers were traditionally disliked by infantrymen and, when detected, were killed on the spot. Since then, there has been an unwritten tradition - do not take snipers prisoner.

The British quickly responded to the threat by creating their own sniper school and eventually completely suppressed the enemy shooters. In British sniper schools, Canadian, Australian and South African hunters began to teach snipers, who taught not only shooting, but also the ability to remain unnoticed by the object of the hunt: camouflage, hide from the enemy and patiently guard targets. They began to use camouflage suits made of light green material and tufts of grass. English snipers developed a technique for using “sculpture models” - dummies of local objects, inside which arrows were placed. Invisible to enemy observers, they conducted 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 not the only difference between a sniper. They believed, not without reason, that observation, brought to a high degree of perfection, “sense of terrain,” insight, excellent eyesight and hearing, calmness, personal courage, perseverance and patience were 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 World War I - the best antidote to a sniper is another sniper. It was during the war that sniper duels first took place.

The best sniper in those years was the Canadian Indian hunter Francis Peghmagabow, who had 378 confirmed victories. Since then, the number of victories has been considered the criterion for sniper skill.

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 that was not typical for snipers appeared - the fight against aviation. In the units of the Republican army, sniper squads were created to combat Franco aircraft, primarily bombers, which took advantage of the Republicans’ lack of anti-aircraft artillery and bombed from low altitudes. It cannot be said that this use of snipers was effective, but 13 aircraft were still shot down. And even during World War II, cases of successful shooting at aircraft were recorded on the fronts. However, these were just cases.

Having learned the history of sniping, let's consider the essence of the sniper profession. In the modern understanding, a sniper is a specially trained soldier (an independent combat unit) who is fluent in the art of marksmanship, camouflage and observation; usually hits the target with the first shot. The sniper’s task is to defeat command and communications personnel, enemy secrets, and destroy important emerging, moving, open and camouflaged single targets (enemy snipers, officers, etc.). Sometimes marksmen in other branches of the military (forces) (artillery, aviation) are called a sniper.

In the process of “work” of snipers, a certain specificity of activity developed, which led to the classification of the military profession. There are saboteur snipers and infantry snipers.

A saboteur sniper (familiar from computer games, movies and literature) operates alone or with a partner (providing fire cover and target designation), often far from the main body of troops, in the rear or on enemy territory. Its tasks include: covertly incapacitating important targets (officers, patrolmen, valuable equipment), disrupting an enemy attack, sniper terror (inducing panic among ordinary personnel, making observation difficult, moral suppression). In order not to give away his position, the shooter often fires a shot under the cover of background noise (weather phenomena, third-party shots, explosions, etc.). The destruction distance is from 500 meters and above. The sniper-saboteur's weapon is a high-precision rifle with an optical sight, sometimes with a silencer, usually with a longitudinally sliding bolt. Masking the position plays a big role, so it is done with special care. As camouflage, improvised materials (branches, bushes, earth, dirt, garbage, etc.), special camouflage clothing, or ready-made shelters (bunkers, trenches, buildings, etc.) can be used.

An infantry sniper operates as part of a rifle unit, sometimes paired with a machine gunner or a pair of machine gunners (cover group). Objectives - increasing the radius of infantry combat, destroying important targets (machine gunners, other snipers, grenade launchers, signalmen). As a rule, does not have time to choose a goal; shoots at everyone in sight. The combat distance rarely exceeds 400 m. The weapon used is a self-loading rifle with an optical sight. Extremely mobile, changes position frequently. As a rule, he has the same means of camouflage as other soldiers. Often, ordinary soldiers without special training who knew how to shoot accurately became field snipers.

The sniper is armed with a special sniper rifle with an optical sight and other special devices that make aiming easier. A sniper rifle is a bolt-action rifle, self-loading, repeating or single-shot, the design of which provides increased accuracy. The sniper rifle went through several historical stages in its development. At first, rifles were selected from a batch of conventional weapons, choosing those that gave the most accurate combat. Later, sniper rifles began to be manufactured 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. It was not until the outbreak of World War I that specially adapted sniper rifles began to play an important role in warfare. Germany equipped hunting rifles with telescopic sights to destroy British signal lights and periscopes. During World War II, sniper rifles were standard battle rifles equipped with a telescopic sight with 2x or 3x magnification 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 of up to 600 m and large ones - 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 work, etc. .d. Under favorable circumstances, long-range sniping was possible, especially if equipped with an optical sight with 6x or 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, or less often to record 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 time of year, clothing had to be both warm and waterproof. The most convenient camouflage for a sniper is shaggy. The face and hands were often painted, and the rifle was camouflaged to suit the season. There were no insignia or any symbols on the snipers’ clothing. The sniper knew that he had no chance of surviving if captured if he was identified as a sniper. And so, by hiding the optical sight, he could still pass himself off as 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 prolonged use of it 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. Mechanically, remote-controlled rifles could be installed in distracting, false positions.

To “work”, the sniper chose a comfortable, protected and invisible position, and more than one, since after one or three shots, the place had to be changed. The position must provide for observation, a firing location, and a safe escape route. Whenever possible, snipers always tried to set up positions in elevated places, as they were more convenient for observation and shooting. Setting up positions under the walls of buildings that covered the position from the rear was avoided, since such buildings always attracted the attention of enemy artillerymen for shooting. Equally risky places were individual buildings that could provoke enemy mortar or machine gun fire “just in case.” Good shelters for snipers were destroyed buildings, where they could easily and secretly change positions. Even better are groves or fields with tall vegetation. It is easy to hide here, and the monotonous landscape tires the observer's eyes. Hedges and bocages are ideal for snipers - from here it is convenient to conduct targeted fire and easily change positions. Snipers have always avoided road intersections, since they are periodically fired from guns and mortars as a precaution. The favorite position of snipers is damaged armored vehicles with emergency hatches in the bottom.

A sniper's best friend is a shadow, it hides the outline, the optics do not shine in it. Typically, snipers take up their positions before sunrise and remain there until sunset. Sometimes, if the path to one's own position was blocked by the enemy, one could remain in that position for two or three days without support. On dark nights, snipers did not work; on moonlit nights, only a few did, provided they had good optics. Despite the existing techniques for sniping in windy conditions, most snipers did not work in strong winds, nor did they work in heavy precipitation.

Camouflage is the key to a sniper's life. The main principle of camouflage is that the observer’s eye should not dwell on it. Garbage is best suited for this, and snipers often set up their positions in landfills.

An important place in the “work” of a sniper was occupied by decoys. 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 and get shot too. Often, at the request of a sniper, scouts during a night raid leave a damaged pistol, a shiny watch, a cigarette case or other bait in his field of activity. Whoever crawls after her will become the sniper’s client. A sniper only tries to immobilize a soldier in an open area. And he will wait for someone to come to his aid. Then he will shoot the assistants and finish off the wounded man. If a sniper shoots at a group, then the first shot will be at the one walking behind, so that the others do not see that he has fallen. By the time his colleagues figure out what’s what, the sniper will shoot two or three more.

For anti-sniper combat, dummies dressed in military uniforms were often used; the higher the quality of the mannequin and the system for controlling 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 pipes and remote fire control with their help.

These are just a few rules of sniping tactics and techniques. A sniper must also be able to: aim correctly 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 reticle of binoculars or a periscope, calculate corrections for atmospheric pressure and wind, be able to draw up a fire map 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 have the skills 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, promptly 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: the knowledge, skills and, of course, the talent of a hunter, a hunter of people.

With the end of the First World War, most countries neglected the costly experience of sniper shooting. In the British Army, the number of sniper sections in battalions was reduced to eight people. In 1921, optical sights were removed from SMLE No. 3 sniper rifles that were in storage and put on open sale. There was no formal sniper training program in the US Army; only the Marine Corps had a small number of snipers. France and Italy did not have trained snipers, and Weimer Germany was prohibited by international treaties from having snipers. But in the Soviet Union, shooting training, called the sniper movement, acquired the widest scope following the instructions of the Party and 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.

The best snipers of World War II. German, Soviet, Finnish riflemen played quite an important role in wartime. And in this review an attempt will be made to consider those of them that have become the most effective.

The emergence of sniper art

Since the emergence of personal weapons in armies, which provided the opportunity to hit the enemy at long distances, accurate shooters began to be distinguished from soldiers. Subsequently, separate units of rangers began to form from them. As a result, a separate type of light infantry was formed. The main tasks that the soldiers received included the destruction of officers of enemy troops, as well as the demoralization of the enemy through accurate shooting at significant distances. For this purpose, shooters were armed with special rifles.

In the 19th century, modernization of weapons occurred. The tactics changed accordingly. This was facilitated by the emergence of an optical sight. During the First World War, snipers were part of a separate cohort of saboteurs. Their goal was to quickly and effectively defeat enemy personnel. At the very beginning of the war, snipers were mainly used by the Germans. However, over time, special schools began to appear in other countries. In conditions of protracted conflicts, this “profession” has become quite in demand.

Finnish snipers

Between 1939 and 1940, Finnish marksmen were considered the best. World War II snipers learned a lot from them. Finnish riflemen were nicknamed “cuckoos”. The reason for this was that they used special “nests” in trees. This feature was distinctive for the Finns, although trees were used for this purpose in almost all countries.

So who exactly do the best snipers of World War II owe to? The most famous “cuckoo” was Simo Heihe. He was nicknamed the "white death". The number of confirmed murders he committed exceeded the mark of 500 liquidated Red Army soldiers. In some sources, his indicators were equal to 700. He was quite seriously wounded. But Simo was able to recover. He died in 2002.

Propaganda played its role

The best snipers of the Second World War, namely their achievements, were actively used in propaganda. Quite often it happened that the personalities of the shooters began to acquire legends.

The famous domestic sniper Vasily Zaitsev was able to destroy about 240 enemy soldiers. This figure was average for effective marksmen of that war. But due to propaganda, he was made the most famous Red Army sniper. At the present stage, historians seriously doubt the existence of Major Koenig, Zaitsev’s main opponent in Stalingrad. The main achievements of the domestic shooter include the development of a sniper training program. He personally took part in their preparation. In addition, he formed a full-fledged sniper school. Its graduates were called “hares.”

Top marksmen

Who are they, the best snipers of World War II? You should know the names of the most successful shooters. Mikhail Surkov is in first position. He destroyed about 702 enemy soldiers. Following him on the list is Ivan Sidorov. He killed 500 soldiers. Nikolai Ilyin is in third position. He killed 497 enemy soldiers. Following him with the mark of 489 killed is Ivan Kulbertinov.

The best snipers of the USSR of World War II were not only men. In those years, women also actively joined the ranks of the Red Army. Some of them subsequently became quite effective shooters. Soviet women killed about 12 thousand enemy soldiers. And the most effective was Lyudmila Pavlichenkova, who had 309 killed soldiers.

The best snipers of the USSR in World War II, of which there were quite a lot, have a large number of effective shots to their credit. More than 400 soldiers were killed by approximately fifteen riflemen. 25 snipers killed more than 300 enemy soldiers. 36 riflemen killed more than 200 Germans.

There is little information about enemy shooters

There is not so much data about “colleagues” on the enemy side. This is due to the fact that no one tried to boast of their exploits. Therefore, the best German snipers of the Second World War are practically unknown in ranks and names. One can only say with certainty about those shooters who were awarded the Knight's Iron Cross. This happened in 1945. One of them was Frederick Payne. He killed about 200 enemy soldiers.

The most productive player was probably Matthias Hetzenauer. They killed about 345 soldiers. The third sniper who was awarded the order was Joseph Ollerberg. He left memoirs in which quite a lot was written about the activities of German riflemen during the war. The sniper himself killed about 257 soldiers.

Sniper terror

It should be noted that the Anglo-American allies landed in Normandy in 1944. And it was in this place that the best snipers of the Second World War were located during that period. German riflemen killed many soldiers. And their effectiveness was facilitated by the terrain, which was simply replete with bushes. The British and Americans in Normandy faced real sniper terror. Only after this did the Allied forces think about training specialized shooters who could work with an optical sight. However, the war has already come to an end. Therefore, the snipers of America and England were never able to set records.

Thus, the Finnish “cuckoos” taught a good lesson in their time. Thanks to them, the best snipers of World War II served in the Red Army.

Women fought equally with men

Since ancient times, it has been the case that men are engaged in war. However, in 1941, when the Germans attacked our country, the entire people began to defend it. Holding weapons in their hands, at machines and on collective farm fields, Soviet people - men, women, old people and children - fought against fascism. And they were able to win.

The chronicle contains a lot of information about women who received military awards. And the best snipers of the war were also present among them. Our girls were able to destroy more than 12 thousand enemy soldiers. Six of them received the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And one girl became a full holder of the Soldier's Order of Glory.

Legend girl

As mentioned above, the famous sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenkova killed about 309 soldiers. Of these, 36 were enemy riflemen. In other words, she alone was able to destroy almost an entire battalion. A film was made based on her exploits called “The Battle of Sevastopol.” The girl went to the front voluntarily in 1941. She took part in the defense of Sevastopol and Odessa.

In June 1942, the girl was wounded. After that, she no longer took part in hostilities. The wounded Lyudmila was carried from the battlefield by Alexei Kitsenko, with whom she fell in love. They decided to file a report on marriage registration. However, the happiness did not last too long. In March 1942, the lieutenant was seriously wounded and died in the arms of his wife.

In the same year, Lyudmila became part of the delegation of Soviet youth and left for America. There she created a real sensation. After returning, Lyudmila became an instructor at a sniper school. Under her leadership, several dozen good shooters were trained. This is how they were - the best snipers of the USSR in World War II.

Creation of a special school

Perhaps Lyudmila’s experience was the reason why the country’s leadership began to teach girls the art of shooting. Courses were specially formed in which girls were in no way inferior to men. Later, it was decided to reorganize these courses into the Central Women's Sniper Training School. In other countries, only men were snipers. During World War II, girls were not taught this art professionally. And only in the Soviet Union did they comprehend this science and fight on an equal basis with men.

The girls were treated cruelly by their enemies

In addition to the rifle, sapper shovel and binoculars, the women took grenades with them. One was intended for the enemy, and the other for oneself. Everyone knew that German soldiers treated snipers cruelly. In 1944, the Nazis managed to capture domestic sniper Tatyana Baramzina. When our soldiers discovered her, they could recognize her only by her hair and uniform. The enemy soldiers stabbed the body with daggers, cut out the breasts, and gouged out the eyes. They stuck a bayonet into my stomach. In addition, the Nazis shot at the girl point-blank with an anti-tank rifle. Of the 1,885 graduates of the sniper school, about 185 girls could not survive to Victory. They tried to protect them and did not throw them into particularly difficult tasks. But still, the glare of optical sights in the sun often gave away the shooters, who were later found by enemy soldiers.

Only time has changed the attitude towards female shooters

The girls, the best snipers of World War II, whose photos can be seen in this review, experienced terrible things in their time. And when they returned home, they sometimes encountered contempt. Unfortunately, in the rear, a special attitude was formed towards girls. Many unfairly called them field wives. This is where the contemptuous looks that female snipers received came from.

For a long time they did not tell anyone that they were at war. They hid their rewards. And only after 20 years did attitudes towards them begin to change. And it was at this time that the girls began to open up, talking about their many exploits.

Conclusion

In this review, an attempt was made to describe those snipers who became the most productive during the entire period that the Second World War was going on. There are quite a lot of them. But it should be noted that not all arrows are known. Some tried to talk about their exploits as little as possible.

A good sniper does not have to be a career military man. This simple postulate was well understood by the Red Army soldiers who participated in the Winter War of 1939. One successful shot does not make a person a sniper either. Luck is very important in war. Only the true skill of a fighter who knows how to hit a target at a great distance, from an unusual weapon or from an awkward position has a greater price.

The sniper has always been an elite warrior. Not everyone can cultivate the character of such strength.

1. Carlos Hatchcock

Like many American teenagers from the outback, Carlos Hatchcock dreamed of joining the army. The 17-year-old boy, whose cowboy hat had a cinematic white feather sticking out of it, was greeted in the barracks with grins. The very first training ground, taken by Carlos on a whim, turned the laughter of his colleagues into reverent silence. The guy had more than just talent - Carlos Hatchcock was born solely for the sake of accurate shooting. The young fighter met 1966 already in Vietnam.

On his formal account there are only a hundred dead. The memoirs of Hatchcock's surviving colleagues provide significantly higher numbers. This could be attributed to the understandable boasting of the fighters, if not for the huge sum put forward by North Vietnam on his head. But the war ended - and Hatchcock went home without receiving a single injury. He died in his bed, just a few days shy of turning 57 years old.

2. Simo Häyhä

This name became a kind of symbol of the war for both participating countries. For the Finns, Simo was a real legend, the personification of the god of vengeance himself. In the ranks of the Red Army soldiers, the patriotic sniper received the name White Death. Over the course of several months of the winter of 1939-1940, the shooter destroyed more than five hundred enemy soldiers. The incredible level of skill of Simo Häyhä is highlighted by the weapon he used: an M/28 rifle with open sights.

3. Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Russian sniper Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko's 309 enemy soldiers count makes her one of the best shooters in the history of world wars. A tomboy since childhood, Lyudmila was eager to go to the front from the very first days of the invasion of the German occupiers. In one of the interviews, the girl admitted that it was only difficult to shoot a living person the first time. During the first day of combat duty, Pavlyuchenko could not bring herself to pull the trigger. Then the sense of duty overpowered - it also saved the fragile female psyche from an incredible burden.

4. Vasily Zaitsev

In 2001, the film “Enemy at the Gates” was released worldwide. The main character of the film is a real Red Army fighter, the legendary sniper Vasily Zaitsev. It is still unknown exactly whether the confrontation between Zaitsev and the German shooter reflected in the film took place: most Western sources are inclined to the version of propaganda launched by the Soviet Union, Slavophiles claim the opposite. However, this fight means practically nothing in the overall standings of the legendary shooter. Vasily’s documents list 149 successfully hit targets. The real number is closer to five hundred killed.

5. Chris Kyle

Eight years is the best age to take your first shot. Unless, of course, you were born in Texas. Chris Kyle has been aiming for targets his entire adult life: sporting targets, then animals, then people. In 2003, Kyle, who had already registered in several secret operations of the US Army, received a new assignment - Iraq. The fame of a merciless and very skillful killer comes a year later, the next business trip brings Kyle the nickname “Shaitan from Ramadi”: a respectful and frightened tribute to a shooter who is confident in his rightness. Officially, Kyle killed exactly 160 enemies of peace and democracy. In private conversations, the shooter mentioned three times the numbers.

6. Rob Furlong

For a long time, Rob Furlong served with the rank of simple corporal in the Canadian Army. Unlike many of the other snipers mentioned in this article, Rob did not have any obvious talent as a marksman. But the guy’s tenacity would have been enough for another company of completely mediocre warriors. Through constant training, Furlong developed the abilities of an ambidexter. Soon the corporal was transferred to a special forces detachment. Operation Anaconda was the high point of Furlong's career: in one of the battles, the sniper made a successful shot at a distance of 2430 meters. This record still stands today.

7. Thomas Plunkett

Just two shots brought private British Army soldier Thomas Plunkett into the ranks of the best sniper of his time. In 1809, the Battle of Monroe took place. Thomas, like all his colleagues, was armed with a Brown Bess musket. Field training was enough for the soldiers to hit the enemy at a distance of 50 meters. Unless, of course, the wind was too strong. Thomas Plunkett, taking good aim, knocked the French general off his horse at a distance of 600 meters.

The shot could be explained by incredible luck, magnetic fields and the machinations of aliens. Most likely, this is what the shooter’s comrades would have done, having recovered from their surprise. However, here Thomas demonstrated his second virtue: ambition. He calmly reloaded the gun and shot the general's adjutant - at the same 600 meters.

1. Soviet snipers

   
   
   Well-trained snipers have always been valued in all armies of the world, but the importance of snipers especially increased during the Second World War. The results of this war showed that the overwhelming majority of the Red Army snipers were the most trained and effective.

   In many respects, Soviet sniper fighters were noticeably superior to the snipers of the German Wehrmacht and not only them. And this was not surprising, it turns out that the Soviet Union was almost the only country in the world where training in small arms was put on stream, it practically covered wide sections of the population of the entire country, they trained citizens in small arms in peacetime, as part of pre-conscription training , the older generation probably still remembers the “Voroshilov Shooter” sign.

   The high quality of this training was soon tested by the war, during which Soviet snipers showed all their skills, this skill is confirmed by the so-called sniper “death lists”, from which it is clear that only the first ten Soviet snipers killed (according to confirmed data) 4200 soldiers and officers, and the first twenty - 7400, the Germans did not have such tens and twenties.

   This happened in the winter of 1942. Not far from Leningrad there was a railway bridge across the Neva. Back in the fall, during the retreat, Soviet troops blew it up, but the two trusses of the bridge adjacent to our bank were intact.
   The third, near the enemy shore, miraculously stayed on the support at one end, and fell into the water with the other and froze into the ice.

   From this destroyed bridge there was a beautiful view, from the observer’s point of view, of the surrounding area, and primarily of the German positions. The benefit is double: not only a good observation point, but also, probably, a good sniper position. True, if they find out, it will be bad. And it was difficult to approach the bridge truss unnoticed. And yet one Russian sniper decided to try his luck.

   One day, before dawn, having stocked up with everything necessary for a long vigil in the snow, he made his way to the bridge and crawled along a pre-planned route to the railway embankment, on which the rails connecting Leningrad Mgoy lay. Having chosen a relatively flat section of the embankment, not visible from the enemy, he carefully climbed along it to a surface covered with a thick layer of snow. The rails were felt, and in some places the sleepers. Having caught his breath, shoveling the snow with his elbows, the shooter crawled forward towards the bridge. The rifle, the sniper’s main tool, lay in the crook of his right arm. The sniper crawled along the canvas for a long time, trying not to leave too noticeable marks, only sometimes with his mitten he crushed noticeable places here and there and leveled the snow behind him. Having made a dozen or two “strokes” with his elbows, he would stop and, having caught his breath, begin moving forward again...

   Finally the bridge... Now we need maximum caution! But first of all, we need to get to the last flight, to the farm that collapsed during the explosion. Only from there will anything be visible.

   The sky began to slowly turn gray. It was getting light. We need to hurry up. The sniper carefully examined the bridge covering: was the snow cover broken anywhere? Are there any suspicious traces? As if everything was fine. You can get a job...

   Even in the twilight of the coming morning, the frost-covered metal weaves of the bridge were amazingly beautiful. When the sky turned pink, an absolutely fantastic picture appeared to the shooter’s gaze: everything around was sparkling in crystals of frost. In this silent, icy pile of metal, the Russian sniper chose a “bed” for himself; here he had to stay, or rather, lie all day.

   ...The enemy shore was visible more and more clearly. At the very edge of the coastline there were densely sketched turns of spirals made of thin wire - Bruno's spiral. A little further from the shore, about 20-25 meters, there was a low fence made of barbed wire on small posts. Even further away is a thorn fence on meter-long stakes, hung with empty cans - an improvised alarm system. Winding trenches, communication passages, trenches, dugouts, dugouts - everything is clearly visible. This is an observation post! He carefully glanced back at his defense - everything was in a haze, it was hard to see.

   As his body cooled, the sniper began to freeze. The powerful metal beam against which he pressed himself was also cold. There was an unpleasant feeling, as if he could be seen from all sides. But the shooter’s eyes were doing their job as usual - observing, searching, comparing.

   Around ten o'clock the sun rose. He looked around his unprepossessing shelter. It doesn’t matter from the point of view of protection from fragments: if a shell or mine explodes, the fragments will ricochet and cut everything around. And it won't be any easier from bullets. Therefore, for now the main task is to behave quietly, without giving anything away! Then everything will be okay.

   Such thoughts flashed through the sniper’s head, but soon there was no time for them. Hands and feet froze. Somehow I tried to warm them up - I moved my fingers vigorously, but it didn’t help much. It was easier with the hands; at least you could blow on them by taking off the hare mittens. But the legs are really bad...

   The sun rose higher and higher, and the frost grew stronger. The body and the underwear stuck to it cooled down. The cold seemed to penetrate to the very heart. It was necessary to crawl here slowly, so as not to sweat, and not to let your underwear get wet from sweat. But the sniper got wet, sweated, and now he’s paying for his mistake. This point will need to be taken into account - for the future...

   Soldiers began to appear more and more often on the enemy’s side. It was normal trench life. Sometimes a sniper saw a fascist so close that he was tempted to put a bullet in him. But this, of course, cannot be done. If you frighten the silence, you will give yourself away. Be patient and just be patient...

   But somewhere in the depths of the forest a shot went off, a shell rustled overhead and went deeper into enemy territory, followed by another. As if reluctantly, the machine gun started working, a second, a third responded. The opponents exchanged pleasantries. Hitler's donkey creaked, a heavy machine gun barked, and mines howled overhead. The noise concert flared up in full force. “Now, it seems, my time has come, at the same time I can warm up,” thought the sniper. Having carefully prepared the rifle for shooting, he began to watch the enemy more carefully: there was some kind of revival there.

   Somewhere around noon, in one of the communication passages, a sniper noticed three Nazis. Having ran his eyes along the entire trench, he realized that the Nazis were heading in his direction - somewhere here they would change the guard. Through the optical sight I got a good look at everyone. The chief corporal walked ahead, as indicated by the three stripes on the collar of his overcoat. Behind them walked two soldiers with carbines. The shooter decided to meet the Nazis at one of the turns: at this place the 10-15-meter section of the trench was visible in its entirety, and everyone entering it became as if motionless in the field of view of the sight.

   Finally the Nazis approached. The first to appear at the knee of the trench is Ober. "Stop! Do not rush! Why shoot now? Let them all come in and line up in front of you! And then shoot the first one, and then the last one. Well, in the middle - how it turns out! Maybe he won’t run away.” A shot struck, followed by another. Ober sank sharply, and the last soldier fell behind him. The middle one crouched down, confused, but a couple of seconds later he too was hit by a bullet.

   Fifteen minutes later, two more were destroyed at the same place, then another. And then every German walking along the trench, bumping into a pile of bodies, became a victim himself...

   The next day, the sniper again went “hunting” in the same place and again spent the whole day shooting at the Germans who had carelessly exposed himself. And on the third day, something happened that always happens when someone breaks one of the basic rules of sniping, which says: “Keep changing your position! Don’t go out on the same “bed” twice!”

   Even on the first day, the sniper did not pay much attention to the fact that after the shot, frost fell on him from the metal structures of the bridge. Its iridescent pollen slowly settled, sparkling in the sun. Apparently, the successful hunt on the bridge had to some extent dulled vigilance. On the third day, the Russian shooter only managed to fire a single shot - literally a minute later a hail of shells and mines rained down on the bridge. Everything around was grinding, howling and ringing, and fragments were falling. The time has come to run away... During this entire day, the sniper did not fire a single shot, but still did not consider the day wasted, since our artillerymen and mortarmen successfully worked on the targets he discovered and spotted.

   A Soviet sniper killed 27 Nazis from this bridge in three days of combat work. The name of this sniper is Vladimir Pchelintsev.

   Today there are hardly many people who know this name. And during the Great Patriotic War, the very name of Pchelintsev was directly connected with the deployment of the sniper movement on the Leningrad Front.

   By the beginning of the summer of 1942, Vladimir’s sniper book already contained notes about 144 targets hit.
   However, in July he was summoned to Moscow, where he was appointed to the post of teacher at the school of sniper instructors.

   He looked like a young man, but he was a real warrior. At the age of 18, Vasily Kurka was one of the best snipers in the division and a teacher for novice shooters. The defender has 179 killed soldiers and officers, and his students have killed more than 600.

   When the war began, Vasily was 16 years old. In June 1941, he was mobilized into the “labor reserves,” and already in October, volunteer Kurka became a rifleman of the 726th regiment of the 395th Infantry Division.

   The short, thin, fair-haired young man looked younger than his age and looked more like the son of a regiment than a gallant soldier.

   And they took care of him like the son of a regiment: during the days of the hardest battles for the Donetsk basin, Vasily served in the rear units of the division. “He diligently carried out all the work, including delivering kerosene to dugouts and refilling kerosene lamps,” said the young man’s description.

   In April 1942, when the sniper movement began to gain momentum, the young man “urgently appealed” to the regiment command with a request to enroll him in a fire masters course. The request was granted, and a new life in the regiment began for Vasily - he became a student of the famous sniper Maxim Bryksin.

   A rifle, accurate shooting, the rules of camouflage and caution - the basics of sniper craft had to be learned in combat conditions.

   Bryskin set up his school behind the front line of our defense, under the very noses of the Germans. Vasily completely devoted himself to the new business, greedily adopting the combat experience of his famous colleague.

   Soon everyone realized that this young-looking guy was a real warrior. He was persistent, intelligent, and constant training developed in him caution, Spartan calm and the ability to navigate perfectly.

   On May 9, 1942, Vasily Kurka opened his combat account. That day, a German sniper miscalculated: he revealed himself by shooting at a dummy made by a young marksman. The next shot was for Vasily, and he did not disappoint.

   In the evening, the regiment commander expressed gratitude to the defender before the formation, and Maxim Bryksin wrote an article in the division newspaper about the success of his student.

   Day after day, Kurka went on a “hunt.” By September 1942, he already had 31 victories to his name, and he was rightfully considered one of the best shooters in the division.

   In the battle near the village of Verkhniy Kurnakov, during the retreat to a new line, Kurka received the task of destroying an enemy artillery observer-spotter hiding on the roof of one of the houses. The short and inconspicuous fighter found his target and, moving secretly under the very nose of the enemy, took a convenient position. And then - his usual work. A shot - and the German spotter, limp, fell from the roof.

   Battle of Radomyshl. Having imperceptibly penetrated the outskirts of the farm, Kurka settled down by the road. The Nazis, pressed by a powerful blow from Soviet forces, retreated. Seeing the approaching target, Vasily hid - let them come closer. And when the faces of those retreating became visible, the shooter opened fire. He shot the enemy almost point-blank, and when the cartridges ran out, a captured machine gun was used. That day he killed about two dozen Nazis.

   Front-line newspapers never tired of writing about the merits of the talented shooter. The defender’s notes and photographs were repeatedly published in “Red Warrior” and “Banner of the Motherland.”

   In 1943, the division command decided to send the young sniper to officer courses, after which yesterday's Corporal Kurka returned to the regiment with the rank of junior lieutenant. He was entrusted with command of a platoon, and the 18-year-old sniper became a teacher for novice shooters.

   The award sheet for the Order of the Red Banner, which the defender was awarded in October 1943, said:

   « During the summer of 1943, Junior Lieutenant Kurka trained 59 snipers who destroyed more than 600 German occupiers and almost all of them were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union." .

   Vasily’s students turned out to be worthy of their teacher, and he himself turned out to be worthy of Bryskin, who taught him. True, Kurka was unable to surpass the result of the teacher, who destroyed about 300 enemy soldiers and officers. His result is 179 confirmed victories.

   Vasily Kurka's front-line path ended in January 1945 - in the battle on the Sandomierz bridgehead, the lieutenant was mortally wounded. During his service, he passed through Torez and Tuapse, defending the Donbass and the North-West Caucasus, liberating Kuban and Taman, Right Bank Ukraine and Poland.

   Ivan Tkachev was born in 1922. Almost from the first days of the war he fought as a sniper of the 21st Guards Rifle Division. Participated in battles on the Kalinin, 1st and 2nd Baltic fronts. In the ranks of the 3rd Shock Army he liberated the Vitebsk region. During the fighting, he personally destroyed 169 fascists. Since 1944 - commander of an anti-tank gun of a separate anti-tank fighter regiment. In the period from 1955 to 1974, he served in various prosecutorial and investigative positions in the Brest, Grodno and Vitebsk garrison military prosecutor's offices. In 1974, he was transferred to the reserve as a military prosecutor of the Vitebsk garrison. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, Glory, 3rd degree, Red Star and medals.

   Apart from his priest grandfather, everyone in Ivan Terentyevich’s family fought. My father fought in the First World War. Ivan Tkachev received the “Voroshilov Shooter” badge while still at school. He, an excellent student at the sniper school, who dreamed of becoming a history teacher, was one of the first to arrive at the military registration and enlistment office to defend the Motherland. “It couldn’t have been any other way,” says the veteran.

   Once, at the beginning of the war, he killed a German from 800 meters with a rifle, who was brazenly looming on the front line, as if challenging them. After this, Tkachev was assigned to snipers. This happened in 1943 near the town of Turki-Perevoz. The soldiers received letters. Among others, a letter arrived to the nameless “bravest warrior” from Valya from Leningrad. A girl who lost her family during the siege asked to avenge her parents. Her letter was handed to sniper Ivan Tkachev. After reading it, he and his partner Kolya Popov decided to take the position. We went to bed. Through the sight, German household items were visible: washbasins, shoe-cleaning places, dugouts, recalls Ivan Terentyevich. And the faces of the Germans... They took two officers at gunpoint. They laid me down. Soldiers came for the officers to drag the bodies away - they removed them too. Then two more appeared: a lanky, frail soldier with a bandaged eye, dragging a box of ammunition, and an officer who knocked him down, probably with the words: “Where are you going, you idiot!” Can’t you see, the sniper is working!” The soldier sat down in confusion, but did not hide, and began to smear tears across his face.

   The officer was killed by Popov. The lanky one went to Tkachev. He took aim for a long time, looked at his face, then took his finger off the trigger... I felt sorry for the man who was crying either for a friend or for his brother. And these feelings were so clear to Tkachev that he stopped seeing the “Fritz”. Why?! Pity for the enemy? He couldn't answer what it was. Nothing more than just a day at war.

   Ivan Terentyevich forgot about the lanky one, to whom he “gave” life. But only until 1952, when life reminded us of the war. Here's how he told about it: - In 1952, I went to Moscow, met Kolya Popov there and ended up at the GDR exhibition in Gorky Park. I’m walking, I meet a German group, and something begins to stir in me, some kind of recognition - this tall one, with an artificial eye, a scar on his cheek, all kind of flimsy... He came up and asked about Turki-Perevoz, 1943 . He answered in broken Russian that, yes, he was there and remembered that day. He had just left the hospital and was carrying a box of cartridges for a machine gun... A week later he was discharged due to being wounded in the rear... Ivan Teretyevich told the German that in Moscow he was studying at the Law Academy. It seemed that they talked and went their separate ways, but he remembered both the last name and the address of the academy where Ivan Tkachev studied. Returning to Berlin, he told his wife about the meeting. And soon a letter arrived in Moscow... In the envelope there is a photograph, on it is that same lanky German - Willy - and three girls, all like one - dark-haired, fragile and similar to their father... “Dear friend! - the wife of a former German soldier wrote to a former Russian sniper. - If it weren’t for your generosity, these cute children might not have existed! Come to visit! Are looking forward to!" - Ivan Terentyevich recounts from memory.

   While he was fighting as a sniper, enemy bullets broke Ivan Tkachev’s sight 10 times, and he always escaped with just scratches, because when he pulled the trigger, he immediately, in a split second, dived his head under the sight. In the hunt of experienced snipers against each other, everything was decided by moments, and one of them always did not return to his own. As much as snipers were idolized and cherished by their own, they were fiercely hated and sought to destroy by others. And unlike the German one, it was difficult for our sniper to escape. The Zeiss sight from a German rifle was easily dropped, and a captured fascist sniper could pretend to be an ordinary soldier and thereby save his life. The sights on the Mosin “three-line”, which was used by Soviet snipers, were tightly attached. A soldier captured with such weapons had no chance of surviving. The snipers were not taken prisoner... Fortunately, fate saved Ivan Tkachev from such a turn. In 1944, having gone out on another “hunt”, Ivan Tkachev found himself under heavy artillery fire from advancing German units. Shell-shocked, he was pulled from the battlefield by medical service sergeant Ilya Fedotov, whose name he remembered for the rest of his life. After the hospital I wanted to pick up a sniper rifle again and return to my company. But he was intercepted by the artillery command of his own unit and made the commander of an anti-tank gun crew. So until the end of the war, Ivan Tkachev was already hitting fascist tanks like a sniper. Maybe that’s why he lagged behind his comrades in the sniper business in quantitative terms, who each had 400-500 killed enemies.
   On April 28, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By that time, he had brought his battle tally to 338 destroyed enemies.
   After being seriously wounded in August 1944, Senior Lieutenant I.P. Gorelikov was in the reserve. He worked in the cities of Igarka and Abakan. Died November 6, 1975. He was buried in the city of Kiselevsk, Kemerovo region.
   Awarded the orders: Lenin, Red Star; medals.