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 feature prominently big 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. Main character film - 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 was on target conscious 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.
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.
Soviet snipers practicing actions in an ambush
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.
Despite the severe defeats of the first months of the war, the training of the best shooters in the units and formations of the front line continued at an accelerated pace and did not stop for a minute. In addition, sniper training was carried out in reserve training units and in short-term courses directly in the combat formations of the troops.
However, the military command understood the need for centralized training of “super marksmanship.” Back on September 18, 1941, a decree was issued on universal compulsory military training for citizens of the USSR, which made it possible to organize military training of the population on the job. The training program was designed for 110 hours. In addition to other military specialties (machine gunner, mortar operator, signalman), training also took place in the area of sniping.
Cadets of the sniper school during a practical lesson
Nevertheless, it was extremely difficult to train snipers in such a short time, so the decision was soon made to open special “schools of excellent marksmen for sniper training” (SHOSSP) at military districts. The training lasted for 3-4 months, already off-the-job. The Moscow Military District alone had three such schools. Sniping instructors from OSOAVIAKHIM were recruited as teachers, which, as in peacetime, continued to train sniper personnel in its schools.
In addition, it was decided to organize centralized training of highly qualified snipers with instructor skills. For this purpose, on March 20, 1942, a school of sniper instructors was created in Veshnyaki near Moscow.
Red Army snipers take position
Our German opponents also had special sniper schools, but the Germans did not have such a wide scope and such a serious approach to training snipers, and they found themselves far behind the Red Army in the sniper business.
During World War II, much attention was paid to snipers among the troops of the anti-Hitler coalition, but the results of Anglo-American snipers were much more modest than those of the Russians, Germans and Finns. The most trained snipers among the Allies were mainly the British; American snipers mainly distinguished themselves in battles with the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean.
Sniper work was hard and dangerous; soldiers had to lie in the snow or swamp for hours, or even days, in constant tension and attention; the equipment of the Soviet sniper during the Great Patriotic War was rather meager. In addition to an optical sight for observing targets, they had a variety of field binoculars (usually 6- and 8-fold) and TR and TR-8 trench periscopes.
For self-defense in close combat, the sniper often took several hand grenades, a pistol and a knife with him on a mission. If a sniper group was ambushed, then the weapons were supplemented with a PPSh or PPS submachine gun. Throughout the war and after it, right up to the adoption of the SVD (in 1963), the model rifle remained the standard sniper rifle in our army. 1891/30 with PU sight.
Unidentified Soviet female snipers near the dugout. Sergeant's shoulder straps are on overcoats, in the hands of a Mosin rifle with a PU optical sight (Short sight)
In total, from 1941 to 1945, 53,195 sniper rifles of the 1891/30 model were produced in the USSR. and 48,992 SVT sniper rifles. For wartime, this is a rather large figure, but if you look at the actual number of personnel snipers trained during the same time and make allowances for the natural loss of weapons during military operations, it becomes clear that all front-line “super sharp shooters” simply could not be provided with special sniper weapon.
By the middle of 1942, Soviet snipers were actively working on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War, they unleashed real sniper terror against the German troops, the moral impact on enemy soldiers by our snipers was enormous, and this is understandable why, since our snipers shot enemy soldiers almost every day and almost every minute.
The most famous Soviet sniper, of course, is the Hero of Stalingrad Vasily Zaitsev, who killed 242 German soldiers and officers, including the head of the Berlin sniper school, Major Konings. In total, Zaitsev’s group destroyed 1,126 enemy troops in four months of fighting. Zaitsev’s comrades-in-arms were Nikolai Ilyin, who had 496 Germans on his account, Pyotr Goncharov - 380, Viktor Medvedev - 342.
It should be noted that Zaitsev’s main merit is not so much in his personal combat record, but in the fact that he became a key figure in the deployment of the sniper movement among the ruins of Stalingrad. Naturally, the entire then Soviet agitprop worked for Zaitsev’s group, so he is for all of us familiar.
Soviet sniper V.A. Sidorov at a firing position in August 1941. The Red Army soldier is armed with a Mosin sniper rifle with a PE optical sight, model 1931; it is also worth noting the SSh-36 “Halking helmet” (Steel helmet 1936)
And the main record holder for the destruction of enemy soldiers according to the “death list” was the sniper Mikhail Ilyich Surkov (4th rifle division), on his account 702 killed enemy soldiers and officers were recorded, then in the top ten by the number of enemy soldiers destroyed are:
- Vladimir Gavrilovich Salbiev (71st Guards SD and 95th Guards SD) - 601 people.
— Vasily Shalvovich Kvachantiradze (259 rifle regiment) — 534 people.
— Akhat Abdulkhakovich Akhmetyanov (260 joint venture) — 502 people.
— Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko (1122 r.p.) — 500 people. + 1 tank, 3 tractors
- Nikolai Yakovlevich Ilyin (50 Guards Regiment) - 494 people.
- Ivan Nikolaevich Kulbertinov (23rd ski brigade; 7th Guards air force) - 487 people.
- Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelintsev (11th brigade) - 456 people (including 14 snipers)
— Nikolay Evdokimovich Kazyuk — 446 people.
- Pyotr Alekseevich Goncharov (44th Guards Regiment) - 441 people.
In total, there are 17 Soviet snipers, whose count of killed enemy soldiers exceeds 400 people. More than 300 enemy soldiers killed were attributed to 25 Soviet snipers, 36 Soviet snipers destroyed more than 200 enemy soldiers.
The best of the enemy snipers are considered to be: Finnish sniper Simo Haiha, fifth on the general list, with over 500 killed enemy soldiers, the most productive of the Wehrmacht snipers is twenty-seventh on the general list, Matthias Hetzenauer, with 345 killed enemy soldiers, and Sepp Allerberg on he counted 257 enemy soldiers and officers.
According to some researchers, the real accounts of many Soviet snipers are actually higher than the confirmed ones. So, for example, Fyodor Okhlopkov, a sniper of the 259th regiment, according to some sources, in total destroyed more than 1000 (!) Germans, also using a machine gun, but his official combat account recorded only 429 destroyed enemy soldiers, probably The situation on the battlefield did not always make it possible to calculate their results more accurately.
In the diaries and letters found from killed Wehrmacht soldiers and officers, the following phrases are found: “ A Russian sniper is something very terrible, you can’t hide from him anywhere! You can't raise your head in the trenches. The slightest carelessness and you will immediately get a bullet between the eyes... Russian snipers lie in one place in ambush for hours and take aim at anyone who shows up. Only in the dark can you feel safe».
But it turns out that the Germans also could not feel safe in the dark. Thus, the sniper of the 1st Guards Artillery Regiment, Ivan Kalashnikov (it turns out that the artillery also had its own snipers), out of 350 killed soldiers, destroyed 45 Nazis at night - this shooter truly had cat’s vision!
By 1943, there were already more than 1,000 women among Soviet snipers; during the war, they were credited with killing more than 12,000 fascists. The best of the female snipers is considered to be Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlyuchenko, sniper of the 54th rifle regiment; during the war, she managed to destroy 309 enemy soldiers of them 36 were snipers themselves.
Soviet sniper Sergeant Tsyrendashi Dorzhiev from the 202nd Infantry Division at a firing position. Leningrad Front. The combat count of Ts. Dorzhiev (Buryat by nationality) before his death in January 1943 amounted to 270 killed enemy soldiers and officers.
The “Combat Manual of the Infantry” adopted by the Red Army in 1942 defined the range of combat missions performed by snipers at the front: “ Destruction of snipers, officers, observers, gun and machine gun crews (especially flanking and dagger), crews of stopped tanks, low-flying enemy aircraft and in general all important targets that appear for a short time and quickly disappear... The sniper must also be able to show with a tracer bullet and in other ways infantry, artillery, mortars and anti-tank rifles important targets not vulnerable to bullets: tanks, bunkers, guns».
And the Soviet snipers clearly carried out all these tasks assigned to them. So the sniper, marine Rubakho Philipp Yakovlevich (393rd Marine Infantry Battalion Division) destroyed 346 enemy soldiers, 1 tank and disabled the garrisons of 8 enemy bunkers. Sniper 849 s.p. Ivan Abdulov destroyed 298 German soldiers, 5 of them were snipers themselves, plus the brave fighter also destroyed two enemy tanks with grenades. Sniper 283 Gv.s.p. Anatoly Kozlenkov, in addition to the 194 people he destroyed. enemy soldiers, knocked out 2 tanks with grenades, and destroyed 3 German armored personnel carriers.
And there are many such examples; our snipers even managed to shoot down German planes; it is known that the sniper of the 82nd Infantry Division, Mikhail Lysov, shot down a Yu-87 dive-bomber in October 1941 using an automatic rifle with a sniper scope. Unfortunately, there is no data on the number of infantrymen he killed, but the sniper of the 796th Infantry Division, Sergeant Major Antonov Vasily Antonovich, in July 1942 near Voronezh, shot down a twin-engine Yu-88 bomber with 4 shots from a rifle! There is also no data on the number of infantrymen he killed.
Sniper of the 203rd Infantry Division (3rd Ukrainian Front), senior sergeant Ivan Petrovich Merkulov at a firing position. In March 1944, Ivan Merkulov was awarded the highest award - the title of Hero Soviet Union, during the war years the sniper destroyed more than 144 enemy soldiers and officers.
Even Nazi generals died from Soviet sniper fire, so on the account of the sniper Semyon Nomokonov, among the 367 German soldiers and officers he destroyed, one was with the rank of Wehrmacht general. The sniper has 14 s.p. NKVD troops Evgeniy Nikolaev was also recorded as a German general.
There were even snipers specifically designed to combat enemy snipers, so sniper 81 Gv.s.p. Vasily Golosov destroyed a total of 422 enemy soldiers, 70 of whom were snipers themselves.
A special practice of using snipers existed at that time in the NKVD troops. After training and special training, the “super sharp shooters” went for combat training in the active army. Such sniper teams usually consisted of 20 to 40 people, the duration of the mission was from 10 days to a month. Thus, a significant part of the personnel not only received special training, but also underwent testing in real frontline conditions. For example, in the 23rd division of the NKVD troops for security railways During the war years, 7283 snipers were trained.
Snipers of the unit of senior lieutenant F.D. Lunina fire volleys at enemy aircraft.
In the memorandum “On the combat activities of snipers of the NKVD troops of the USSR in the protection of important industrial enterprises for the period from October 1, 1942 to December 31, 1943” it says: "... Over the past period, units of the troops underwent practice in the combat formations of the active Red Army, some of them 2-3 times. As a result of combat work by troop snipers, 39,745 enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed. In addition, an enemy aircraft was shot down and 10 stereo pipes and periscopes were destroyed. Losses of our snipers: 68 people were killed, 112 people were wounded».
During the war years, a total of 428,335 excellent snipers were trained - this is a huge figure; no army in the world had such mass training of snipers, who significantly strengthened the combat formations of rifle units.
In addition, 9,534 highly qualified snipers were trained in centrally subordinate training formations.
I would especially like to remember and note Lieutenant General G.F. Morozov, it was he who made a great contribution to the organization of centralized training of sniper personnel; it was he, heading one of the departments of the General Staff, who accumulated and analyzed the combat experience of Soviet snipers throughout the war.
In total, during the war years, 87 snipers became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 39 became full holders of the Order of Glory.
Female snipers of the 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front. From left to right:
1st row from the viewer - Guard Senior Sergeant V.N. Stepanova (she has 20 enemies to her name), Guard Senior Sergeant Yu.P. Belousova (80 enemies), guard senior sergeant A.E. Vinogradov (83 enemies);
2nd row - guard junior lieutenant E.K. Zhibovskaya (24 enemies), guard senior sergeant K.F. Marinkina (79 enemies), guard senior sergeant O.S. Maryenkina (70 enemies);
3rd row - guard junior lieutenant N.P. Belobrova (70 enemies), Guard Lieutenant N.A. Lobkovskaya (89 enemies), guard junior lieutenant V.I. Artamonova (89 enemies), guard senior sergeant M.G. Zubchenko (83 enemies);
4th row - Guard Sergeant N.P. Obukhovskaya (64 enemies), guard sergeant A.R. Belyakova (24 enemies).
Sniper Roza Shanina with her rifle. Rosa Shanina has been in active service since April 2, 1944. There are 54 confirmed killed soldiers and officers, including 12 snipers. Knight of the Order of Glory 2nd and 3rd degree. Killed in battle on January 28, 1945, 3 km southeast of the village of Ilmsdorf, Richau district, East Prussia.
Hero of the Soviet Union, sniper of the 25th Chapaev Division Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (1916-1974). Destroyed over 300 fascist soldiers and officers.
Soviet snipers actively worked on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War and sometimes played great value at the end of the battle. Sniper work was dangerous and hard. The guys had to lie for hours or even days in constant tension and full combat readiness in a wide variety of terrain. And it didn’t matter that it was a field, a swamp or snow. this post will be dedicated to Soviet soldiers - snipers and their heavy burden. Glory to the heroes!
Former cadet of the Central Women's Sniper Training School A. Shilina said:
“I was already an experienced fighter, having 25 fascists under my belt, when the Germans got a “cuckoo”. Every day, two or three of our soldiers are missing. Yes, it shoots so accurately: from the first round - in the forehead or temple. They called in one pair of snipers - it didn’t help. It doesn't take any bait. They order us: whatever you want, but we must destroy it. Tosya, my best friend, and I dug in - the place, I remember, was swampy, with hummocks and small bushes all around. They began to conduct surveillance. We spent a day in vain, then another. On the third, Tosya says: “Let’s take it. Whether we stay alive or not, it doesn’t matter. The soldiers are falling..."
She was shorter than me. And the trenches are shallow. He takes a rifle, attaches a bayonet, puts a helmet on it and begins to crawl, run, crawl again. Well, I should look out. The tension is enormous. And I’m worried about her, and I can’t miss the sniper. I see that the bushes in one place seem to have moved slightly apart. He! I immediately took aim at him. He shot, I was right there. I hear people shouting from the front line: girls, hurray for you! I crawl up to Tosa and see blood. The bullet pierced the helmet and grazed her neck with a ricochet. Then the platoon commander arrived. They lifted her up and off to the medical unit. It all worked out... And at night our scouts pulled out this sniper. He was seasoned, he killed about a hundred of our soldiers...” 
In the combat practice of Soviet snipers, there are, of course, better examples. But it was not by chance that he started with the fact that front-line soldier Shilina told about. In the previous decade, at the instigation of the Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, some publicists and researchers in Russia have been trying to establish in society the opinion that the sniper is an overly inhumane front-line specialty, making no distinction between those who set the goal of exterminating half of the world’s population and those who opposed this goal . But who can condemn Alexandra Shilina for the fact given at the beginning of the essay? Yes, Soviet snipers came face to face with Wehrmacht soldiers and officers at the front, sending bullets at them. How else? By the way, the German fire aces opened their account much earlier than the Soviet ones. By June 1941, many of them had destroyed several hundred enemy soldiers and officers - Poles, French, and British. 
...In the spring of 1942, when there were fierce battles for Sevastopol, a sniper of the 54th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Division of the Primorsky Army, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, was invited to a neighboring unit, where the Nazi shooter brought a lot of trouble. She entered into a duel with the German ace and won it. When we looked at the sniper book, it turned out that he destroyed 400 French and British, as well as about 100 Soviet soldiers. Lyudmila’s shot was extremely humane. How many people did she save from Nazi bullets! 
Vladimir Pchelintsev, Fedor Okhlopkov, Vasily Zaitsev, Maxim Passar... During the Great Patriotic War, these and other names of snipers were widely known among the troops. But who won the right to be called the number one ace sniper?
The Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia, among many other exhibits, houses a Mosin sniper rifle of the 1891/30 model. (number KE-1729) “In the name of Heroes of the Soviet Union Andrukhaev and Ilyin.” The initiator of the sniper movement of the 136th Infantry Division of the Southern Front, political instructor Khusen Andrukhaev, died heroically in heavy battles for Rostov. In his memory, a sniper rifle named after him is being established. During the days of the legendary defense of Stalingrad it strikes the enemy best sniper Guard unit sergeant major Nikolai Ilyin. In a short time, from 115 destroyed Nazis, he increases the score to 494 and becomes the best Soviet sniper during the Great Patriotic War.
In August 1943, near Belgorod, Ilyin died in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. The rifle, now named after two heroes (Nikolai Ilyin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on February 8, 1943), was traditionally awarded to the best sniper of the unit, Sergeant Afanasy Gordienko. He brought his count from it to 417 destroyed Nazis. This honorable weapon failed only when it was hit by a shell fragment. In total, about 1,000 enemy soldiers and officers were killed with this rifle. Nikolai Ilyin fired 379 accurate shots from it.
What was characteristic of this twenty-year-old sniper from the Lugansk region? He knew how to outwit his opponent. One day Nikolai tracked down an enemy shooter all day. It was clear from everything that an experienced professional was lying a hundred meters away from him. How to remove a German "cuckoo"? He made a stuffed animal out of a padded jacket and a helmet and began to slowly lift it. Before the helmet had time to rise even halfway, two shots rang out almost simultaneously: the Nazi shot through the scarecrow, and Ilyin through the enemy. 
When it became known that graduates of the Berlin sniper school had arrived at the front near Stalingrad, Nikolai Ilyin told his colleagues that the Germans were pedants and had probably studied classical techniques. We need to show them Russian ingenuity and take care of the baptism of Berlin newcomers. Every morning, under artillery fire and bombing, he sneaked up on the Nazis for a sure shot and destroyed them without missing a beat. At Stalingrad, Ilyin’s tally increased to 400 enemy soldiers and officers killed. Then there was Kursk Bulge, and there he again flashed his ingenuity and ingenuity.
Ace number two can be considered a Smolensk resident, assistant chief of staff of the 1122nd Infantry Regiment of the 334th Division (1st Baltic Front), Captain Ivan Sidorenko, who destroyed about 500 enemy soldiers and officers and trained about 250 snipers for the front. In moments of calm, he hunted the Nazis, taking his students with him on the “hunt.”
Third on the list of the most successful Soviet sniper aces is the sniper of the 59th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 21st Division (2nd Baltic Front) Guard, Senior Sergeant Mikhail Budenkov, who killed 437 Nazi soldiers and officers. This is what he said about one of the battles in Latvia:
“There was some kind of farmstead on the offensive path. German machine gunners settled there. It was necessary to destroy them. In short dashes I managed to reach the top of the height and kill the Nazis. Before I had time to catch my breath, I saw a German running into the farmstead in front of me with a machine gun. A shot - and the Nazi fell. After some time, a second man with a machine gun box runs behind him. He suffered the same fate. A few more minutes passed, and hundreds of one and a half fascists ran from the farmstead. This time they ran along a different road, further away from me. I shot several times, but realized that many of them would escape anyway. I quickly ran up to the killed machine gunners, the machine gun was working, and I opened fire on the Nazis from their own weapons. Then we counted about a hundred killed Nazis.”
Other Soviet snipers were also distinguished by amazing courage, endurance and ingenuity. For example, Nanai Sergeant Maxim Passar (117th Infantry Regiment, 23rd Infantry Division, Stalingrad Front), who accounted for 237 killed Nazi soldiers and officers. While tracking an enemy sniper, he pretended to be killed and spent the entire day lying in no man's land in an open field, among the dead. From this position, he fired a bullet at the fascist shooter, who was under the embankment, in the water drainage pipe. Only in the evening Passar was able to crawl back to his own. The first 10 Soviet sniper aces destroyed over 4,200 enemy soldiers and officers, the first 20 - more than 7,500. Vasily Zaitsev, Legendary sniper of the Great Patriotic War Vasily Zaitsev during Battle of Stalingrad, in a month and a half, destroyed more than two hundred German soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers. 
The Americans wrote: “Russian snipers showed great skill on the German front. They encouraged the Germans to produce on a large scale optical sights and training of snipers.” Of course, one cannot help but say about how the results of Soviet snipers were recorded. Here it is appropriate to refer to the materials of the meeting held in the summer of 1943 with the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars K.E. Voroshilova. According to the recollections of ace sniper Vladimir Pchelintsev, those present at the meeting proposed introducing a single, strict procedure for recording the results of combat work, a single “Sniper’s Personal Book” for everyone, and in the rifle regiment and company - “Logs of combat activity of snipers.”
The basis for recording the number of killed fascist soldiers and officers should be the report of the sniper himself, confirmed by eyewitnesses (company and platoon observers, artillery and mortar spotters, reconnaissance officers, officers of all ranks, unit commanders, etc.). When counting the destroyed Nazis, each officer is equated to three soldiers. In practice, this is basically how the records were kept. Perhaps the last point was not observed.
Special mention should be made about female snipers. They appeared in the Russian army during the First World War, most often they were widows of Russian officers who died in the war. They sought to take revenge on the enemy for their husbands. And already in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, the names of girl snipers Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Natalya Kovshova, Maria Polivanova became known to the whole world. 
Lyudmila, in the battles for Odessa and Sevastopol, destroyed 309 Nazi soldiers and officers (this is the highest result among female snipers). Natalia and Maria, who accounted for over 300 Nazis, glorified their names with unparalleled courage on August 14, 1942. On that day, not far from the village of Sutoki (Novgorod region), Natasha Kovshova and Masha Polivanova, repelling the onslaught of the Nazis, were surrounded. With the last grenade they blew themselves up and the German infantry surrounding them. One of them was 22 years old at the time, the other was 20 years old. Like Lyudmila Pavlichenko, they were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Following their example, many girls decided to master sniper skills in order to participate in battles with weapons in their hands. They were trained in super marksmanship directly in military units and formations. In May 1943, the Central Women's Sniper Training School was created. More than 1,300 female snipers emerged from its walls. During the fighting, the students exterminated more than 11,800 fascist soldiers and officers.
...At the front, Soviet soldiers called them “private soldiers without a mistake,” like, for example, Nikolai Ilyin at the beginning of his “sniper career.” Or - “sergeants without a miss”, like Fyodor Okhlopkov... Here are lines from letters from Wehrmacht soldiers that they wrote to their relatives: “A Russian sniper is something terrible. You can't hide from him anywhere! You can't raise your head in the trenches. The slightest carelessness and you’ll immediately get a bullet between the eyes...”
“Snipers often lie in one place for hours in ambush and take aim at anyone who shows up. Only in the dark can you feel safe.”
“In our trenches there are banners: “Caution! A Russian sniper is shooting!” 
Highly skilled snipers were worth their weight in gold during World War II. Fighting on the Eastern Front, the Soviets positioned their snipers as skilled marksmen, noticeably dominant in many ways. The Soviet Union was the only one that trained snipers for ten years, preparing for war. Their superiority is confirmed by their “death lists.” Experienced snipers killed many people and, undoubtedly, were of great value. For example, Vasily Zaitsev killed 225 enemy soldiers during the Battle of Stalingrad.
Maxim Alexandrovich Passar(1923-1943) - Soviet, during the Great Patriotic War he destroyed 237 enemy soldiers and officers.
In February 1942, he volunteered to go to the front. In May 1942, he underwent sniper training in units of the North-Western Front. Killed 21 Wehrmacht soldiers. Joined the CPSU(b).
Since July 1942, he served in the 117th Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry Division, which fought as part of the 21st Army of the Stalingrad Front and the 65th Army of the Don Front.
Was one of the most productive snipers The Battle of Stalingrad, during which he destroyed more than two hundred enemy soldiers and officers. For the liquidation of M.A. Passar, the German command assigned a reward of 100 thousand Reichsmarks.
He made a great contribution to the development of the sniper movement in the Red Army and took an active part in the practical training of shooters. The snipers of the 117th Infantry Regiment trained by him destroyed 775 Germans. His speeches on sniper tactics were repeatedly published in the large-circulation newspaper of the 23rd Infantry Division.
On December 8, 1942, M. A. Passar received a shell shock, but remained in service.
On January 22, 1943, in a battle near the village of Peschanka, Gorodishchensky district, Stalingrad region, he ensured the success of the offensive of the regiment's units, which was stopped by enemy flank machine-gun fire from camouflaged fortified positions. Secretly approaching to a distance of about 100 meters, Senior Sergeant Passar destroyed the crews of two heavy machine guns, which decided the outcome of the attack, during which the sniper died.
M.A. Passar was buried in a mass grave on the Square of Fallen Fighters in the workers' village of Gorodishche, Volgograd Region.
Mikhail Ilyich Surkov(1921-1953) - participant in the Great Patriotic War, sniper of the 1st battalion of the 39th rifle regiment of the 4th rifle division of the 12th army, sergeant major.
Before the war, he lived in the village of Bolshaya Salyr, now the Achinsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. He was a taiga hunter.
In the Red Army since 1941 - drafted by the Achinsky (in the award list - Atchevsky) RVC. Candidate for the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) since 1942. At the end of the war he was transferred to the rear to train snipers.
After the war, Mikhail Ilyich returned to his native village. Died in 1953.
The best Soviet sniper of the Great Patriotic War, the number of destroyed enemies according to Soviet sources is 702. A number of Western historians question this figure, believing that it was fabricated by Soviet propaganda in order to neutralize the result of the Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, which he achieved during Soviet-Finnish War 1939-1940. However, Simo Häyhä became known in the USSR only after 1990.
Natalya Venediiktovna Kovshova(November 26, 1920 - August 14, 1942) - Hero of the Soviet Union, sniper during the Great Patriotic War.
Natalya Venediktovna Kovshova was born on November 26, 1920 in Ufa. Subsequently, the family moved to Moscow. In 1940, she graduated from Moscow school No. 281 in Ulansky Lane (now No. 1284) and went to work at the Orgaviaprom aviation industry trust, created in the late autumn of the same year. She worked as an inspector in the HR department. In 1941, she was preparing to enter the Moscow Aviation Institute. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, she volunteered for the Red Army. Completed sniper courses. At the front since October 1941.
In the battle of Moscow she fought in the ranks of the 3rd Moscow Communist Rifle Division. (The division was formed in the critical days for Moscow in the fall of 1941 from volunteer battalions, which included students, professors, elderly workers, and schoolchildren). Since January 1942, a sniper in the 528th Infantry Regiment (130th Infantry Division, 1st Shock Army, Northwestern Front). On the personal account of sniper Kovshova there are 167 exterminated fascist soldiers and officers. (According to the testimony of her fellow soldier Georgy Balovnev, at least 200; the award sheet specifically mentions that among Kovshova’s hit targets were “cuckoos” - enemy snipers and enemy machine gun crews). During her service, she trained soldiers in marksmanship.
On August 14, 1942, near the village of Sutoki, Parfinsky district, Novgorod region, together with her friend Maria Polivanova, she entered into battle with the Nazis. In an unequal battle, both were wounded, but did not stop fighting. Having shot through the entire supply of ammunition, they blew themselves up with grenades along with the enemy soldiers who surrounded them.
She was buried in the village of Korovitchino, Starorussky district, Novgorod region. At the Novodevichy cemetery there is a cenotaph in the grave of her father.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously on February 14, 1943 (together with M. S. Polivanova) for dedication and heroism shown in battle.
Zhambyl Yesheevich Tulaev(May 2 (15), 1905, Tagarkhai ulus now Tunkinsky district, Buryatia - January 17, 1961) - participant in the Great Patriotic War, sniper of the 580th Infantry Regiment of the 188th Infantry Division of the 27th Army of the North-Western Front, sergeant major
Born on May 2 (15), 1905 in the Tagarkhai ulus, now a village in the Tunkinsky district of Buryatia, into a peasant family. Buryat. Graduated from 4th grade. Lived in the city of Irkutsk. Worked as manager of a container depot. In the Red Army since 1942. In the active army since March 1942. Member of the CPSU(b) since 1942. Sniper of the 580th Infantry Regiment (188th Infantry Division, 27th Army, Northwestern Front), Sergeant Major Zhambyl Tulaev, killed two hundred and sixty-two Nazis from May to November 1942. He trained three dozen snipers for the front.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 14, 1943, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, foreman Tulaev Zhambyl Yesheevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 847).
Since 1946, Lieutenant Zh. E. Tulaev has been in reserve. Returned to his native Buryatia. He worked as chairman of a collective farm and secretary of the local village council. Died on January 17, 1961.
Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko September 12, 1919, Chantsovo village, Smolensk province - February 19, 1994, Kizlyar - Soviet sniper who destroyed about 500 enemy soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War. Hero of the Soviet Union
Participant of the Great Patriotic War since November 1941. He fought as part of the 4th Shock Army of the Kalinin Front. He was a mortarman. In the winter counter-offensive of 1942, Lieutenant Sidorenko’s mortar company fought from the Ostashkovo bridgehead to the city of Velizh, Smolensk region. Here Ivan Sidorenko became a sniper. In battles with the Nazi invaders he was seriously wounded three times, but returned to duty each time.
Assistant Chief of Staff of the 1122nd Infantry Regiment (334th Infantry Division, 4th Shock Army, 1st Baltic Front), Captain Ivan Sidorenko, distinguished himself as the organizer of the sniper movement. By 1944, he killed about 500 Nazis with a sniper rifle.
Ivan Sidorenko trained more than 250 snipers for the front, most of whom were awarded orders and medals.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 4, 1944, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism displayed, Captain Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. "(No. 3688).
I. M. Sidorenko finished his combat career in Estonia. At the end of 1944, the command sent him to training courses military academy. But he didn’t have to study: old wounds opened up, and Ivan Sidorenko had to go to the hospital for a long time.
Since 1946, Major I.M. Sidorenko has been in reserve. Lived in the city of Korkino, Chelyabinsk region. He worked as a mining foreman at a mine. Then he worked in various cities of the Soviet Union. Since 1974 he lived in the city of Kizlyar (Dagestan), where he died on February 19, 1994.
Fedor Matveevich Okhlopkov(March 2, 1908, Krest-Khaldzhai village, Bayagantaysky ulus, Yakut region, Russian empire- May 28, 1968, p. Krest-Khaldzhay, Tomponsky district, YASSR), RSFSR, USSR - sniper of the 234th Infantry Regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Born on March 2, 1908 in the village of Krest-Khaldzhay (now located in the Tomponsky ulus of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)) in the family of a poor peasant. Yakut. Primary education. He worked as a miner hauling gold-bearing rocks at the Orochon mine in the Aldan region, and before the war as a hunter and machine operator in his native village.
In the Red Army since September 1941. From December 12 of the same year at the front. He was a machine gunner, a squad commander of a company of machine gunners of the 1243rd Infantry Regiment of the 375th Division of the 30th Army, and from October 1942 - a sniper of the 234th Infantry Regiment of the 179th Division. By June 23, 1944, Sergeant Okhlopkov killed 429 Nazi soldiers and officers with a sniper rifle. Was wounded 12 times.
On June 24, 1945, he took part in the Victory Parade over Nazi Germany on Red Square in Moscow.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin were awarded only in 1965.
After the war he was demobilized. Returned to his homeland. From 1945 to 1949 - head of the military department of the Tattinsky RK CPSU. On February 10, 1946, he was elected as a deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. From 1949 to 1951 - director of the Tattinsky procurement office for the extraction and procurement of furs. From 1951 to 1954 - manager of the Tattinsky district office of the Yakut meat trust. In 1954-1960 - collective farmer, state farm worker. Since 1960 - retired. Died on May 28, 1968. He was buried in the cemetery of his native village.
It should be noted that in the list of the 200 best snipers of the Second World War there are 192 Soviet snipers, the first twenty snipers of the Red Army destroyed about 8,400 enemy soldiers and officers, and the first hundred accounted for about 25,500. Thanks to our grandfathers for the Victory!
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 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. 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. 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 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 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, being at machines and on collective farm fields, they fought against fascism soviet people- men, women, old people and children. 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 Tatiana 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 of the Second World War. World War. 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.
