The best snipers of World War II. German, Soviet, Finnish riflemen played quite an important role in war time. 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 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 are we obliged to? best snipers Second World War? 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 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. On modern 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 in the list goes 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. About 12 thousand enemy soldiers were destroyed. 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 to their credit a large number of effective shots. 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 riflemen who could work with 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, standing 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 the women who received it. 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 a high rank, and one girl became a full holder of the soldier's
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.
They for a long time They didn’t tell anyone that they had fought. 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.
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 civil war in England (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 typical 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 rifles 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 resist 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.
IN German troops By the end of the first year of the war, there were 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 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 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 goals. 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. Impressionable or nervous man will never be able to 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 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.
Sniper-saboteur (familiar from computer games, cinema and literature) acts 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 has gone through several developments historical stages. 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 based on serial army models, introducing minor changes into the design in order to improve 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. The same risky places were separate buildings, which 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 existing techniques sniping during the wind, most snipers when strong wind did not work, as well as during heavy precipitation.
Camouflage is the key to a sniper's life. Main principle camouflage - the observer’s eye should not stop at 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 equipped with military uniform, the higher the quality of the dummy 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 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.
When it comes to the sniper business of the first half of the 20th century, the Soviet snipers of the Great Patriotic War are immediately remembered - 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 Soviet snipers during the war years amounts to several tens of thousands of enemy soldiers and officers. However, what do we know about the marksmen of the Third Reich?
IN Soviet time study of advantages and disadvantages armed forces Nazi Germany was strictly limited, and sometimes simply taboo. Who, however, were the German snipers, who, if depicted in our and foreign cinema, are only as expendable material, extras who are about to take a bullet from the main character from the Anti-Hitler coalition? Is it true that they were that bad, or is this the winner's point of view?
Snipers of the German Empire
First world war It was the Kaiser’s army that was the first to use aimed rifle fire as a means of destroying enemy officers, signalmen, machine gunners and artillery personnel. According to the instructions of the Imperial German Army, weapons equipped with an optical sight are only effective 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 begin to act with the onset of day. Such shooters were exempted from any additional duties or combined arms orders. 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 approximately six snipers per company. At that time Russian army, although it had seasoned hunters and experienced shooters in its ranks, it did not have rifles with optical sights. This imbalance in the equipment of the armies became noticeable quite quickly. Even in the absence of active hostilities, the Entente armies suffered losses in manpower: a soldier or officer only had to look slightly from behind a trench and a German sniper would immediately “picture” him. This had a strong demoralizing effect on the soldiers, so the Allies had no choice but to release their “super marksmanship” to the forefront of the attack. So by 1918, the concept of military sniping was formed, tactical techniques were worked out and combat missions were defined for this type of soldier.
The revival of German snipers
During the interwar period, the popularity of snipers in Germany, as well as in most other countries (with the exception of the Soviet Union), began to wane. Snipers began to be treated as an interesting experience in trench warfare, which had already lost its relevance - military theorists saw future wars solely as a battle of engines. According to their views, the infantry faded into the background, and the primacy lay with tanks and aviation.
The German blitzkrieg seemed to be the main proof of the advantages of the new method of warfare. European states capitulated one after another, unable to resist the power of German engines. However, with the entry of the Soviet Union into the war, it became clear: you cannot 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 in Soviet positions in the winter of 1941, and the number of killed Germans began to grow, the Wehrmacht still realized that aimed rifle fire, despite all its archaism, was effective method waging war. German sniper schools began to emerge and front-line courses were organized. After 1941, the number of optics in front-line units, as well as the people who used them professionally, began to gradually increase, although until the very end of the war the Wehrmacht did not manage to equal the number and quality of training of its snipers with the Red Army.
What and how were they shot from?
Since 1935, the Wehrmacht had Mauser 98k rifles in service, which were also used as sniper rifles - for this purpose, the ones with the most accurate combat were simply selected. Most of these rifles were equipped with a 1.5-fold ZF 41 sight, but there were also four-fold ZF 39 sights, as well as even rarer varieties. By 1942, the share of sniper rifles from total number of those produced was approximately 6, but by April 1944 this figure had dropped to 2% (3,276 units out of 164,525 produced). According to some experts, the reason for this reduction is that German snipers simply did not like their Mausers, and at the first opportunity they preferred to exchange them for Soviet sniper rifles. The G43 rifle, which appeared in 1943 and was equipped with a four-fold ZF 4 sight, a copy of the Soviet PU sight, did not correct the situation.
Mauser 98k rifle with ZF41 scope (http://k98k.com)
According to the memoirs of Wehrmacht snipers, the maximum firing distance at which they could hit targets was as follows: head - up to 400 meters, human figure - from 600 to 800 meters, embrasure - up to 600 meters. Rare professionals or lucky ones who got hold of a ten-fold scope could kill 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 a 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 prohibited from engaging 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 usually searched for and arranged an advantageous position for striking during daylight hours. When the enemy attacked, the task of the German snipers was to destroy the commanders. If this task was successfully completed, the offensive stopped. If a sniper of the Anti-Hitler Coalition began to operate in the rear, several “super sharp shooters” of the Wehrmacht could be sent to search for and eliminate him. On the Soviet-German front, such duels most often ended in favor of the Red Army - there is no point in arguing with the facts that claim that the Germans lost the sniper war here almost completely.
At the same time, on the other side of Europe, German snipers felt at ease and struck fear into the hearts of British and American soldiers. The British and Americans still viewed fighting as a sport and believed in gentlemanly rules of warfare. According to some researchers, approximately half of all losses in American units during the first days of hostilities were the direct result of Wehrmacht snipers.
If you see a mustache, shoot!
An American journalist who visited Normandy during the Allied landings there wrote: “Snipers are everywhere. They hide in trees, hedges, buildings and piles of rubble.” Researchers cite the unpreparedness of Anglo-American troops for the sniper threat as the main reasons for the success of snipers in Normandy. What the Germans themselves understood well during three years of fighting on the Eastern Front, the Allies had to master in a short time. Officers now wore uniforms that were no different from soldiers' uniforms. All movements were carried out in short runs from cover to cover, bending as low as possible to the ground. The rank and file no longer gave military salute officers. However, these tricks sometimes did not save. Thus, some captured German snipers admitted that they distinguished English soldiers by rank thanks to their facial hair: a mustache was one of the most common attributes among sergeants and officers at that time. 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 a large number of 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 advance extremely carefully, looking under every stone. An incident that occurred in the city of Cambrai speaks about the incredibly large scale of the actions of German snipers in Normandy. Deciding that there would be little resistance in this area, one of the British companies moved 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 finally taken, many corpses of German soldiers with rifles with optical sights were discovered.
An American sergeant looks at a dead German sniper on the street of the French village of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
(http://waralbum.ru)
German snipers–mythical and real
When mentioning German snipers, many will probably remember the famous opponent of the Red Army soldier Vasily Zaitsev, Major Erwin Koenig. In fact, many historians are inclined to believe that there was no Koenig. Presumably, he is a figment of the imagination of William Craig, author of the book Enemy at the Gates. There is a version that ace sniper Heinz Thorwald was passed off as 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 hid his death by 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 sniping aces. The most successful of them is the Austrian Matthias Hetzenauer. He served in the 144th Mountain Ranger Regiment, 3rd Mountain Division, and accounted for about 345 enemy soldiers and officers. Oddly enough, No. 2 in the ranking, Joseph Allerberger, served in the same regiment with him, and by the end of the war there were 257 casualties. The third largest 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 lightning war, had paid due attention not only to engines, but also to the training of snipers, as well as the development of decent weapons for them, we would now have a slightly different history of German sniping, and for this article we would have to piece together collect material about little-known Soviet snipers.
Here is another interesting piece of information (already posted), but it is in this post that it will be of interest to readers.
The commander of the corvette company of the marine corps, who is also the commander of the landing group, told the story, incl. and shabby Corvettes to uninhabited islands:
Hand-to-hand combat instructor for cadets:
– To engage in hand-to-hand combat, a special forces soldier must have *****@ on the battlefield: a machine gun, a pistol, a knife, a waist belt, a shoulder blade, a bulletproof vest, a helmet. Find a flat area without a single stone or stick lying on it. Find the same crucifix on it. And only then engage him in hand-to-hand combat!..
And he’s talking about snipers
Former KGB officer Yuri Tarasovich recently pleased me with an old story about the war, which he heard at dacha gatherings from his friend Maxim.
Grandfather Maxim managed to win the entire war as a sniper and at the same time survive, although he has an entire German cemetery behind him, scattered from Stalingrad to Prague... By the way, he always, when he traveled with veteran delegations to the GDR, liked to insert on occasion: “I volunteered.” went to war, destroyed the entire German company and returned home to his mother..." " German friends“They smiled sourly in response, and this sour smile made Grandfather Maxim very happy every time.
But that's not what the story is about.
Sitting in Tarasych’s garden, the grandfathers argued: which country had better weapons? They argued for a long time, even swore, but came to nothing and decided that everyone would say about his own thing, which he understood. There were no pilots among them, so they decided not to argue about airplanes. We started with grandfather Maxim: “Whose sniper rifle was the best?” Grandfather cleared his throat and reported:
– I worked with German, and English, and, of course, with three-rulers, but I can’t say right off the bat which one is better. Each has its own “weakness”.
Everyone hummed in disappointment:
- Maxim, well, you blurted out... we can do that too. You also say that everything depends on the person...
Grandfather Maxim:
- And I’ll tell you. Of course, from a person. You don’t give ours any ball, but they won’t play football... And vice versa - people can create such miracles with a three-ruler that cannot even exist.
When I was already an experienced sniper, I began to hear ridiculous rumors about some Ukrainian sniper who was cutting down Germans peeking out of a trench from a distance of 1000 meters! I understood that five hundred to six hundred meters is already the limit, and at a distance of a kilometer so much needs to be taken into account: air temperature, 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 Little Russian sniper kept growing with new legends, they came from those people whom I couldn’t help but believe, so I had to think about it - how does he do this?
Imagine what it was like for the Germans: at first they thought that the Russian sniper had an invisibility cap, he always hit, but he himself was nowhere and, judging by the terrain, couldn’t be... Then, when they realized that the sniper was sitting a kilometer away from them, they became even more worried. Apparently, the Russians have a secret rifle that will change all war tactics.
Our colonels begged each other for a Ukrainian sniper just for a day. The sniper came on a “tour”, picked out a couple of officers from a kilometer away and left for another sector of the front. After that, for another week they could safely walk along the front line at full height and pick mushrooms - the Germans perceived this as a bait and pressed their heads even more into the ground.
Finally, I myself met the legendary sniper when he arrived on a “tour” to our neighbors. I had to wander ten kilometers through the forest, but I couldn’t help but make acquaintances. His last name was Kravchenko. And, of course, he had a secret...
It turned out that this Kravchenko is 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 wind speed, and telescopes, and stereo tubes, and all sorts of darned and darned dolls on strings. I was even jealous. It got to the point that they had a doll that “pulled” the strings of another doll.
They treated weapons like porcelain sets - 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: the four of them took a position next to each other, the guy measured, calculated and gave different adjustments to everyone - one “click” to the right, another to the left, the third to keep it that way, to himself somehow... And they developed such coherence that, almost without saying a word, all four of them “sculpted” in one gulp, so the Germans perceived them as one sniper, and no matter the spread of bullets, one out of four always hit the target. Kravchenko replenished the personal account of the killed Germans strictly one by one - after all, it is not known whose bullet the German had in his head...
The most amazing incident of their work was when they killed a senior German officer through a steel barge.
The grandfathers began to stir:
- Maxim, don’t make a mistake! How - through a barge? Well, stop it, it can't be...
Grandfather Maxim continued:
- Well, the German, like you, thought that he couldn’t, and that’s why he was killed... Imagine: the front line went along the river, the Germans were dug in on one side, and they knew that our snipers were guarding them on the other, and the distance is considerable - 800–900 meters, all around is plain. The Kravchenkos killed several soldiers and spent the whole day tending the officer’s protruding stereo tube, but they never fired once, so as not to give themselves away. They were waiting for the head. But the officer was no fool either; he never looked out. At least cry. Suddenly they see: a long, rusty, charred, half-submerged barge is dragging along the river, and when it, floating, completely blocked the officer from the snipers, the German “did not disappoint” - he decided to stretch his arms and legs, which had become stiff during the day, and straightened up to his full height. The Kravchenka killed him right there, although they couldn’t see through the barge, but they felt that they had to 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 one and a half to two meters high would fit under it... http://filibuster60.livejournal.com/398155.html
