Snipers of the Great Patriotic War. Hunters of World War II - chronicle
The invasion of Russia was the most big mistake Hitler in the Second World War, which led to the defeat of his predatory army. Hitler and Napoleon left out two important factors that changed the course of the war: the harsh Russian winters and the Russians themselves. Russia plunged into a war, where even village teachers fought. Many of them were women who fought not in open combat, but as snipers, who chalked up many Nazi soldiers and officers to their account, while demonstrating incredible skill with a sniper rifle. Many of them became famous heroes of Russia, earning accolades and military distinctions. Below are the ten most dangerous Russian female snipers in military history.Tanya Baramzina
Tatyana Nikolaevna Baramzina was a teacher at kindergarten before becoming a sniper in the 70th Infantry Division of the 33rd Army. Tanya fought on the Belorussian front and was parachuted behind enemy lines to carry out a secret mission. Before that, she already had 16 German soldiers, and during this mission she killed 20 more Nazis. She was eventually caught, tortured and executed. Tanya was posthumously awarded the Order of the Golden Star, and she was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union March 24, 1945.
Nadezhda Kolesnikova
Nadezhda Kolesnikova was a volunteer sniper who served on the Volkhov Eastern Front in 1943. She is credited with the destruction of 19 enemy soldiers. Like Kolesnikova, only 800,000 female soldiers fought in the Red Army as snipers, tank gunners, privates, machine gunners, and even pilots. Not many participants in the hostilities survived: out of 2,000 volunteers, only 500 could remain alive. For her service, Kolesnikova was awarded a medal for courage after the war.
Tanya Chernova
Not many people know this name, but Tanya became the prototype of a female sniper with the same name in the movie "Enemy at the Gates" (her role was played by Rachel Weisz). Tanya was a Russian-American who came to Belarus to fetch her grandparents, but they had already been killed by the Germans. Then she becomes a Red Army sniper, joining the Hares sniper group, formed by the famous Vasily Zaitsev, who is also featured in the film mentioned above. He is played by Jude Law. Tanya killed 24 enemy soldiers before being wounded in the stomach by a mine. After that, she was sent to Tashkent, where she recovered from her wound for a long time. Fortunately, Tanya survived the war.
Ziba Ganieva
Ziba Ganiyeva was one of the most charismatic figures in the Red Army, having been a Russian celebrity and Azerbaijani film actress in the pre-war era. Ganieva fought in the 3rd Moscow Communist Rifle Division Soviet army. She was a brave woman who went behind the front lines as many as 16 times and killed 21 German soldiers. She took an active part in the battle for Moscow and was seriously wounded. Her injuries prevented her from returning to action after 11 months in the hospital. Ganiyeva was awarded the military orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star.
Rosa Shanina
Roza Shanina, who was called the "Invisible Horror of East Prussia", began to fight when she was not even 20 years old. She was born in the Russian village of Yedma on April 3, 1924. She wrote to Stalin twice to be allowed to serve in a battalion or reconnaissance company. She became the first female sniper to be awarded the Order of Glory and participated in the famous battle for Vilnius. Rosa Shanina had 59 confirmed destroyed soldiers on her account, but she did not live to see the end of the war. While trying to save a wounded Russian officer, she was seriously wounded by a shell fragment in the chest and died on the same day, January 27, 1945.
Lyuba Makarova
Guards Sergeant Lyuba Makarova was one of the 500 lucky ones who survived the war. Fighting in the 3rd Shock Army, she was known for her active service on the 2nd Baltic Front and the Kalinin Front. Makarova chalked up 84 enemy soldiers and returned to her native Perm as a military hero. For her services to the country, Makarova was awarded the Order of Glory 2nd and 3rd degree.
Claudia Kalugina
Klavdia Kalugina was one of the youngest soldiers and snipers in the Red Army. She started fighting when she was only 17 years old. She began her military career working at an ammunition factory, but she soon enrolled in a sniper school and was subsequently sent to the 3rd Belorussian Front. Kalugina fought in Poland and then participated in the Battle of Leningrad, helping to defend the city from the Germans. She was a very accurate sniper and chalked up as many as 257 enemy soldiers. Kalugina remained in Leningrad until the end of the war.
Nina Lobkovskaya
Nina Lobkovskaya joined the Red Army after the death of her father in the war in 1942. Nina fought in the 3rd shock army, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant. She survived the war and even participated in the Battle of Berlin in 1945. She commanded a whole company of 100 female snipers there. Nina had 89 destroyed enemy soldiers on her account.
Nina Pavlovna Petrova
Nina Pavlovna Petrova is also known as "Mother Nina" and could very well be the oldest female World War II sniper. She was born in 1893, and by the beginning of the war she was already 48 years old. After she entered the sniper school, Nina was assigned to the 21st Guards Rifle Division, where she actively performed her sniper duties. Petrova chalked up 122 enemy soldiers. She survived the war but died in a tragic car accident just a week after the end of the war at the age of 53.
Ludmila Pavlichenko
Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was born in Ukraine in 1916, was the most famous Russian female sniper, nicknamed "Lady Death". Before the war, Pavlichenko was a university student and an amateur shooter. After graduating from the sniper school at the age of 24, she was sent to the 25th Chapaev Rifle Division of the Red Army. Pavlichenko was probably the most successful female sniper in military history. She fought in Sevastopol and Odessa. She had 309 confirmed enemy soldiers killed, including 29 enemy snipers. Pavlichenko survived the war, after she was discharged from active duty due to her injuries. She was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and her face was even depicted on postage stamp.
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Date: 2011-03-22
To the first world war the work of a sniper has grown and developed into a whole independent branch of combat activity, in conditions of positional standing; but already the experience of 1918 made it possible to evaluate the sniper in the field war. The Germans, the inventors of sniping, introduced one shooter with a rifle equipped with a telescopic sight into each light machine gun link. German snipers, in the first period of trench warfare, disabled the British, on the entire front, several hundred people a day, which within a month gave a loss figure equal in number to an entire division. The British quickly responded to the threat by establishing their own sniper school and eventually completely suppressed the enemy shooters. Almost all participants in the world war, especially on the German sectors of the front, had to deal with one or another manifestation of the work of a German sniper. "I personally remember well what a difficult atmosphere was created in the regiments of the 71st Infantry Division in the winter of 1916-1917, the German snipers (probably from the 208th German division), who made literally "Paradise valleys" from some sections of our trenches on the left bank of the river Seret (in Romania). the depth of the trench defeat), they literally did not allow showing half a head, not only because of the parapet, but even into the hole of the disguised machine-gun nest under the parapet, not to mention the breaks in the trenches flanked from their position. A high percentage of officers disabled in the very first minutes of the battle also suggested, even then, the idea that someone was beating them, what is called “to choose from”, - of course, it was snipers who were beating. "(E. N. Sergeev). It was on the fronts of the First World War that the basic principles and specific methods of sniping were determined (for example, sniper pairs - a “shooter-fighter” and an observer-target designator).
It was only later, in the Red Army, that it was possible to create our own Russian sniper school, putting the training of shooters on stream.
Despite the fact that during the First World War the Germans were the first to take the initiative in the use of specially trained soldiers and rifles with an optical sight, active work in the field of sniping in the Wehrmacht began only after encountering the Soviet tactics of "sniper terror". In the winter of 1941-1942. snipers appeared on the Russian positions and the sniper movement began to actively develop, supported by the political departments of the fronts. The German command remembered the need for training and their "super accurate shooters." Sniper schools and front-line courses began to be organized in the Wehrmacht, and the “share” of sniper rifles in relation to other types of light small arms gradually began to grow.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the German army used a 7.92 mm Mauser rifle of the 1935 model of the year (K98) with a 1.5x sight of the 1941 model of the year or a fourx Zeiss sight. In terms of its main combat properties, this weapon did not differ much from the Soviet Mosin rifle, so that in terms of armament, the forces of the parties were approximately equal.
The sniper version of the 7.92 mm Mauser 98K carbine was tested back in 1939, but this version began to be mass-produced only after the attack on the USSR. Since 1942, 6% of all carbines produced had an optical sight bracket, but throughout the war there was a shortage of sniper weapons in the German troops. For example, in April 1944, the Wehrmacht received 164,525 carbines, but only 3,276 of them had optical sights, i.e. about 2%. However, according to the post-war assessment of German military experts, “type 98 carbines equipped with standard optics could by no means meet the requirements of combat. Compared to Soviet sniper rifles ... they were significantly different for the worse. Therefore, each Soviet sniper rifle captured as a trophy was immediately used by Wehrmacht soldiers ”(R. Lidshun, G. Vollert. “Small arms yesterday”).
By the way, the ZF41 optical sight with a magnification of 1.5x was attached to a guide specially machined on the aiming block, so that the distance from the shooter's eye to the eyepiece was about 22 cm. from the shooter's eye to the eyepiece, should be quite effective, since it allows you to aim the crosshair at the target without stopping the observation of the area. At the same time, the small magnification of the sight does not give a significant discrepancy in scale between objects observed through the sight and on top of it. In addition, this option for placing optics allows you to load a rifle with clips without losing sight of the target and the muzzle of the barrel. But naturally, a sniper rifle with such a low-powered scope could not be used for long-range shooting. However, such a device was still not popular among Wehrmacht snipers - often such rifles were simply thrown onto the battlefield in the hope of finding something better for themselves.
German sniper's arsenal: Mauser-7.92 rifle, Walther PPK and Walter P-38 pistols
German sniper scope 2.5 magnification
German and Finnish snipers on ultra-precise rifles "Mauser-7.92" had sights with a magnification of only 2.5 times. Germans (and they were smart people) believed that it was no longer necessary. German snipers had sights with a tenfold increase, but only virtuosos fired with them. Such a sight was obtained as a trophy by Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev in a duel with the head of the Berlin school of snipers.
Low to intermediate level shooters hit better with low magnification scopes. The process of aiming with a telescopic sight is very strict, when aiming you have to be very collected and very attentive. The optical sight does not so much facilitate aiming as it mobilizes the efforts of a trained shooter to aim and hold the weapon. It is in this regard that the optical sight allows shooters with high training to realize their reserve capabilities. An optical sight is a means of realizing a shooter's training. And the greater the degree of training and acquired stability the shooter has, the greater the increase in the sight he can afford. Only professional snipers with well-placed workmanship, proven stability, with nervous system, balanced to complete indifference, with no pulsation and possessing hellish patience, can afford to work with a sight magnification of 6 times or more. For such shooters, the target in the sight behaves calmly and does not try to control the shot. (A. Potapov "The Art of the Sniper")
Since 1943, the Wehrmacht used the Walther system self-loading carbine (1943 model), the 7.92-mm G43 (or K43) self-loading rifle had its own sniper version with a 4x optical sight. However, due to low reliability and low accuracy, the "Walter" was not popular among the troops - just like the Tokarev SVT rifle in the Red Army. The German military leadership required all G43 rifles to have a telescopic sight, but this was no longer possible. Nevertheless, out of 402,703 issued before March 1945, almost 50,000 had an optical sight already installed. In addition, all rifles had a bracket for mounting optics, so in theory any rifle could be used as a sniper weapon.
1944 was a turning point for sniper art in the German troops. The role of sniping was finally appreciated by the high command: numerous orders emphasized the need for the competent use of snipers, preferably in pairs of “shooters plus an observer”, developed different kinds camouflage and special equipment. It was assumed that during the second half of 1944 the number of sniper pairs in the grenadier and people's grenadier units would be doubled. Heinrich Himmler also became interested in sniping in the SS troops, he approved a program for specialized in-depth training of fighter shooters.
In the same year, by order of the Luftwaffe command, the training films "Invisible Weapons: Sniper in Combat" and "Field Training of Snipers" were filmed for use in training ground units.
Fragment from the training film "Field training of snipers: masters of disguise".
Fragment from the training film "Invisible Weapons: Sniper in Combat"
Both films are shot quite competently and very high quality, even from today's height: here are the main points of special sniper training, the most important recommendations for operations in the field, and all this in a popular form, with a combination of game elements.
A memo widely circulated at that time called "The Ten Commandments of the Sniper" read:
- Fight selflessly.
- Fire calmly and carefully, concentrate on each shot. Remember that rapid fire has no effect.
- Shoot only when you're sure you won't be detected.
- Your main opponent is an enemy sniper, outwit him.
- Do not forget that a sapper shovel prolongs your life.
- Constantly practice in determining distances.
- Become a master of terrain and disguise.
- Train constantly - on the front line and in the rear.
- Take care of your sniper rifle don't give it to anyone.
- Survival for a sniper in nine parts - camouflage and only one - shooting.
In the German army, snipers were used at various tactical levels. It was the experience of applying such a concept that allowed E. Middeldorf in his book to propose the following practice in the post-war period: “In no other issue related to infantry combat operations are there such big contradictions as in the issue of using snipers. Some consider it necessary to have a full-time sniper platoon in every company, or at least in a battalion. Others predict that snipers operating in pairs will have the greatest success. We will try to find a solution that satisfies the requirements of both points of view. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between "amateur snipers" and "professional snipers". It is desirable that each squad has two non-professional amateur snipers. They need to give the assault rifle a 4x optical sight. They will remain ordinary shooters who have received additional sniper training. If it is not possible to use them as snipers, then they will act as ordinary soldiers. As for professional snipers, there should be two in each company or six in the company control group. They must be armed with a special sniper rifle with initial speed bullets over 1000 m/sec., with a telescopic sight with a 6-fold increase in large aperture. These snipers will generally "free hunt" within the company's area. If, depending on the situation and terrain conditions, the need arises to use a platoon of snipers, then this will be easily feasible, since there are 24 snipers in the company (18 amateur snipers and 6 professional snipers), which in this case can be combined together " . Note that this concept of sniping is considered one of the most promising. (Oleg Ryazanov "Super-sharp shooters" from the Wehrmacht)
Matthias Hetzenauer (1924-2004) with a Kar98k rifle with a 6x optical sight.
Sniper of the 3rd Mountain Division (Geb.Jg. 144/3. Gebirgs-Devision). From July 1944 to May 1945 - 345 confirmed killed soldiers of the Red Army. Awarded the Knight's Cross with Swords and Oak Leaves. One of the most productive snipers in Germany.
In the Great Patriotic War, "the Russians were superior to the Germans in the art of night combat, combat in wooded and swampy areas and combat in winter, in the training of snipers, as well as in equipping the infantry with machine guns and mortars" (Eike Middeldorf "Tactics in the Russian Campaign").
German snipers:
Erwin Konig 400/Heinz Thorvald
Matthaus Hetzenauer 345
Josef Sepp Allerberger257
Bruno Sutkus 209
Friedrich Pein 200
Gefreiter Meyer 180
Helmut Wirnsberger 64
An extremely interesting interview with three former Wehrmacht snipers (Sniper's Notebook) gives some idea of \u200b\u200bthe German shooters:
This is a general interview with two of the most successful Wehrmacht snipers. To get a broader overview of the experience, an interview with a third, also a very good sniper, has been added.
The fact is that these three soldiers had really good training and a lot of experience to give accurate and informative answers to questions.
During the interview they will be named A, B and C. During the war they were all in the 3. Gebirgsdivision.
Brief information about the respondents.
A: Matthaus H. from Tyrol, on the Eastern Front was from 1943 until the end of the war, the most successful sniper in the Wehrmacht with 345 confirmed kills.
B: Sepp A. from Salzburg, was on the Eastern Front from December 1942 until the end of the war, second in rank with 257 confirmed.
C: Helmut W. of Styria, on the Eastern Front from September 1942 until the end of the war, with 64 confirmed destroyed. After he was wounded, he was an instructor.
What weapon did you use?:
A: K98 with 6x scope, G43 with 4x scope
B: Captured Russian sniper rifle with telescopic sight, K98 with 6x
C: K98 with 1 1/2x and 4x scopes, G43 with 4x scopes.
What scopes did you use?
A: 4x scope used up to 400m, 6x was good up to 1000m
B: I had a Russian sniper rifle for 2 years, and I don't remember the exact type of scope, but it worked well. On K98 I used 6x.
C: 1 1/2x was not efficient enough and was replaced by the better performing 6x.
What do you think about high magnification?
A, B: 6x is enough, there was no need for a higher one.
C: 4x is enough for most missions.
The maximum shooting distance at which you could hit the following targets?
Head: A, B, C: up to 400m
Embrasure: A: up to 600m
Human figure: A: 700m - 800m
B, C: about 600m
Are these distances acceptable to you personally, typical only for the best or for all snipers?
A, B: only for the best snipers
C: For me personally, but also for most German snipers. Some hit targets at longer distances.
B: Complementary: Really 100% defeat is only possible up to 600m.
What was the farthest target you hit and what was it?
A: It was a standing soldier about 1100m away. At this distance, you are unlikely to hit, but we wanted to show the enemy that he was not safe at this distance. We also wanted to demonstrate our skills to the officer corps.
C: 600m, if there was a target further away, I waited until it closed the distance because it was easier to shoot and it was easier to confirm. The G43 had insufficient ballistic capabilities, so I only fired it up to 500m.
How many second shots were needed?
A: Almost never needed a second shot.
B: 1 or 2. The second shot was very dangerous because of the enemy snipers.
C: 1 or 2 at the most.
If you could choose which rifle would you prefer?
a) a manually operated rifle like the K98:
A: K98 due to high precision
b) Self-loading rifle like G43:
A: Not the G43 because it's only good up to 400m and doesn't have enough accuracy.
B: Not G43, too heavy.
C: Yes, because it was reliable and not much worse than the K98.
If you could choose today between a self-loading rifle with the same accuracy as the K98 and K98, which would you choose?
A: I would choose the K98 because a sniper who is used as a sniper doesn't need a self-loading rifle.
B: If it has the same weight....self-loading.
C: Self-loading can shoot faster when attacking.
How were you attached to your units?
All of them belonged to snipergroup Btl.; C was the commander of this unit. This unit consisted of up to 22 soldiers, of which six were permanently with Btl., the rest were attached to companies. The results of the observation, the use of ammunition and the destroyed targets were reported daily to the headquarters of Btl.
At the start of the mission, Btl. During the war, when there were fewer good snipers, they were sometimes ordered by the division headquarters.
In each company, some soldiers were equipped with rifles with telescopic sights, but they did not have any special training. They fired reliably up to 400m and did a very good job. Good work. These soldiers were serving in their normal mode of service within companies and were not able to get that high "lethality" as real snipers.
Tactics and goals?
A, B, C: always in a team of two. One is shooting, the other is watching. The most common missions: the destruction of enemy observers (heavy weapons), commanders. Sometimes targets like anti-tank gun crews, machine gun crews, and so on. The snipers followed the attacking forces and fought the most fortified enemy positions (with heavy weapon crews and so on).
A: I had to sneak through the enemy defense line before our attack in order to destroy enemy commanders and crews during our artillery preparation.
b) Attack at night:
A, B, C: We didn't fight during the night because the snipers were too precious.
c) Attack in winter:
A: I walked behind the attacking force in winter camouflage to counter the machine gun and anti-tank positions that countered our attack.
B, C: A good camouflage suit and warm clothing is essential, otherwise the possibility of long-term observation is reduced.
d) Defense
A, B, C: mainly free hunting in the company defense sector. Usually all targets or only the most important targets were to be destroyed. When the enemy attacked, their commanders were easy to identify because they had different equipment, camouflage uniforms and so on. So we fired them at great distances and in such a way that the enemy advance was stopped. (One day A remembers that he destroyed the commanders of eight attacks).
As soon as enemy snipers appear, they are fought to the point of destruction. These duels against enemy snipers caused many casualties in our ranks.
Snipers take up their positions before sunrise and stay there until sunset.
Sometimes, if the path to your own position was blocked by the enemy, you had to stay two or three days in this position without support.
e) Defense at night
A, B, C: Snipers were not used during the night. They weren't allowed into the security service or anything like that. Sometimes during the night they set up their position to be ready during the day.
f) You used when shooting Moonlight?
A: Yes, if the moonlight was strong enough and I used a 6x telescopic sight, it was possible.
g) Containment Combat:
A, C: Usually 4 to 6 snipers fired at every enemy soldier that appeared. Machine guns were not often used in these rear areas, so one or two shots from a sniper delayed the enemy for a long time, and their own positions were not unmasked.
B: No experience. In this situation, everyone shoots at everything.
What tactic have you had the most success with?
A: A sniper's success is not measured by the people he killed, but by the impact he had on the enemy. For example, if the enemy loses commanders in an offensive, the offensive must be stopped. Of course, we had the highest indicators of those destroyed in defensive battles, when the enemy attacked several times a day.
B: On the defensive because no other kills have been confirmed.
C: The biggest success in the longest period of trench warfare due to good surveillance capabilities.
Percentage of destroyed for each distance:
Up to 400m: A: 65%
Up to 600m: A: 30%
Up to 800m: others
A: 65% up to 400m was not due to shooting distance, but due to being able to identify the target as "worth it". So, I often waited until I could identify the target.
B: Can't remember percentage, but most targets were hit up to 600m.
C: Did most shots up to 400m because it was a safe distance and it was easy to see if it hit or not.
How many shots did you fire from one position?
A, B, C: as many as needed
b) Defense in an equipped position:
A, B, C: 1 to 3 at most.
c) Enemy attack:
A, B, C: each, worth it, goals.
d) Confronting enemy snipers:
A, B, C: 1 or 2
e) delaying fight
A, B, C: 1 or 2 was enough because the sniper wasn't alone.
B: Complementary: Kills are not confirmed during an attack or an enemy attack.
What else is important besides excellent shooting?
A: Apart from normal sniper skills, wit always wins. A man's "little tactics" win the battle. To get a high kill rate, it is also important that the sniper is not used for any other duty besides sniping.
B: Calmness, superiority, courage.
C: Patience and service life, excellent observation ability.
Who were the snipers recruited from?
A: Only born "lone fighters" like hunters, poachers and so on.
B: I don't remember. I had 27 kills with my Russian rifle before being admitted to sniper training.
C: Only soldiers with combat experience, with excellent marksmanship skills and two years of service, were admitted to sniper training.
What sniper courses did you take?
A, B, C: sniper course on Toepl Seetaleralpe.
C: I was there as a teacher (instructor).
Did you use binoculars and what amplification?
A: It was 6x30, but it wasn't enough for longer distances. Got 10x50 lateron and this one was good.
B: Binoculars as needed as an addition to the scope on the rifle.
C: Every sniper had binoculars and it was necessary. Up to 500m 6x30 was enough.
Would you prefer to watch through the periscope from the trench?
A: It was a good addition. We had one Russian.
C: If caught among the trophies, then it was used.
Were there scissor telescopes in use?
A, C: Yes, sometimes we used it with an artillery spotter.
What camouflage did you use?
A, B, C: Camouflage suits, painted face and hands, rifle camo in winter with blenket and coloring.
B: I have been using the umbrella for two years. I painted it like environment. At the beginning I painted my hands and face very carefully, less at the end.
Have you used other things to deceive the enemy?
B: Yes, for example, false position with rifles that fire with wire structures.
Did you use some screen?
What do you think about tracer cartridges?
A, B, C: should not be used in combat because one cannot unmask one's own position.
They were used in training and in rifle testing. Also, each sniper had a few to check the distance.
Have you used so-called sighting cartridges that explode when they hit the ground?
A, B, C: Yes, small flames appear when they hit a target, so you can see if they hit. We also used them to set fire to a wooden building in order to smoke the enemy out of it. They were used at distances up to 600m.
How did you work with a side wind?
A: Feeling and experience sometimes tested with tracer rounds. The training on the Seetaleralpe was very good because there was a lot of wind there.
B: Feeling if there was strong wind we didn't shoot.
C: We didn't shoot if there was wind.
A, B, C: No, feeling, experience, fast aiming and fast shooting.
Did you use anti-tank rifles?
A: Yes, disabled some weapons crews through their screen. It was possible to shoot at targets up to 300m because it was not an accurate enough weapon. Very heavy and was not used by snipers. Didn't use it against soft targets.
How did you confirm the destroyed?
A, B, C: Either through an officer, or two soldiers who watched the destruction.
So, the number of confirmed destroyed is much lower than the real number.
X. Hesketh-Pritchard: "Sniping in France" (SERVICE OF THE SUPER-STROKE GUNS IN THE WORLD WAR ON THE WESTERN EUROPEAN FRONT). Translation from English, edited and with a preface by E.N. SERGEEVA, 1925
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII
Oleg Ryazanov "History of sniper art" http://www.bratishka.ru/zal/sniper/
A. Potapov "The Art of the Sniper", 2002
Many soldiers and officers of the Red Army became heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is perhaps difficult to single out military specialties that would stand out in particular when awarding military awards. Among famous Heroes The Soviet Union has sappers, tankers, pilots, sailors, infantrymen and military doctors.
But I would like to highlight one military specialty, which occupies a special place in the category of feat. These are snipers.
A sniper is a specially trained soldier who is fluent in the art of marksmanship, camouflage and observation, hitting targets with the first shot. Its task is to defeat the command and liaison staff, the destruction of camouflaged single targets.
At the front, when special military units (companies, regiments, divisions) oppose the enemy, the sniper is an independent combat unit.
We will tell you about sniper heroes who have made a significant contribution to the common cause of victory. You can read about female snipers who participated in the Great Patriotic War in ours.
1. Passar Maxim Alexandrovich (08/30/1923 - 01/22/1943)
A participant in the Great Patriotic War, a Soviet sniper, during the fighting destroyed 237 enemy soldiers and officers. Most of the enemies were eliminated by him during Battle of Stalingrad. For the destruction of Passar, the German command appointed a reward of 100 thousand Reichsmarks. Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).
2. Surkov Mikhail Ilyich (1921-1953)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, sniper of the 1st battalion of the 39th rifle regiment of the 4th rifle division of the 12th army, foreman, holder of the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Star.
3. Kovshova Natalia Venediktovna (11/26/1920 - 08/14/1942)
Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union.
On the personal account of the sniper Kovshova 167 killed fascist soldiers and officers. During the service, she taught the fighters the skill of marksmanship. On August 14, 1942, near the village of Sutoki, Novgorod Region, she died in an unequal battle with the Nazis.
4. Tulaev Zhambyl Yesheevich (02 (15). 05.1905 - 01.17.1961)
Member of the Great Patriotic War. Hero of the Soviet Union.
Sniper of the 580th Infantry Regiment of the 188th Infantry Division of the 27th Army of the North-Western Front. Foreman Zhambyl Tulaev from May to November 1942 exterminated 262 Nazis. Prepared more than 30 snipers for the front.
5. Sidorenko Ivan Mikhailovich (09/12/1919 - 02/19/1994)
Captain Ivan Sidorenko, assistant chief of staff of the 1122nd Rifle Regiment, distinguished himself as the organizer of the sniper movement. By 1944, he personally destroyed about 500 Nazis from a sniper rifle.
Ivan Sidorenko trained more than 250 snipers for the front, most of whom were awarded orders and medals.
6. Okhlopkov Fedor Matveevich (03/02/1908 - 05/28/1968)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union.
By June 23, 1944, Sergeant Okhlopkov destroyed 429 Nazi soldiers and officers from a sniper rifle. Was wounded 12 times. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin were awarded only in 1965.
7. Aliya Nurmukhambetovna Moldagulova (10/25/1925 - 01/14/1944)
Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously), corporal.
Sniper of the 54th Separate Rifle Brigade of the 22nd Army of the 2nd Baltic Front. Corporal Moldagulova for the first 2 months of participation in the battles destroyed several dozen enemies. On January 14, 1944, she took part in the battle for the village of Kazachikha, Pskov Region, and led the fighters into the attack. Breaking into the enemy's defenses, she destroyed several soldiers and officers from a machine gun. She died in this battle.
8. Budenkov Mikhail Ivanovich (05.12.1919 - 02.08.1995)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, senior lieutenant.
By September 1944, Guard Senior Sergeant Mikhail Budenkov was a sniper in the 59th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 21st Guards Rifle Division of the 3rd Shock Army of the 2nd Baltic Front. By that time, he had 437 enemy soldiers and officers destroyed by sniper fire. He entered the top ten snipers of the Great Patriotic War.
9. Etobaev Arseny Mikhailovich (09/15/1903- 1987)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, civil war 1917-1922 and the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929. Cavalier of the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Star, full cavalier of the Order of the Patriotic War.
The sniper destroyed 356 German invaders and shot down two planes.
10. Salbiev Vladimir Gavrilovich (1916- 1996)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, twice holder of the Orders of the Red Banner and the Order of the Patriotic War II degree.
Salbiev's sniper account has 601 enemy soldiers and officers killed.
11. Pchelintsev Vladimir Nikolaevich (30.08.1919- 27.07.1997)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, sniper of the 11th Infantry Brigade of the 8th Army of the Leningrad Front, Hero of the Soviet Union, Sgt.
One of the most effective snipers of World War II. Destroyed 456 enemy soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers.
12. Kvachantiradze Vasily Shalvovich (1907- 1950)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, foreman.
Sniper of the 259th Infantry Regiment of the 179th Infantry Division of the 43rd Army of the 1st Baltic Front.
One of the most productive snipers of the Great Patriotic War. Destroyed 534 enemy soldiers and officers.
13. Goncharov Pyotr Alekseevich (01/15/1903- 31.01.1944)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, senior sergeant of the guard.
On his sniper account, more than 380 enemy soldiers and officers were killed. He died on January 31, 1944, when breaking through the enemy defenses near the village of Vodiane.
14. Galushkin Nikolai Ivanovich (07/01/1917- 22.01.2007)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Russian Federation, lieutenant.
He served in the 49th Infantry Regiment of the 50th Infantry Division. According to reports, he destroyed 418 German soldiers and officers, including 17 snipers, and also trained 148 fighters in sniper business. After the war, he was active in military-patriotic work.
Member of the Great Patriotic War, commander of the sniper company of the 81st Guards Rifle Regiment, guard lieutenant.
By the end of June 1943, already the commander of a sniper company, Golosov personally destroyed about 420 Nazis, including 70 snipers. In his company, he trained 170 snipers, who in total destroyed more than 3,500 fascists.
He died on August 16, 1943 in the midst of the fighting for the village of Dolgenkoe, Izyumsky district, Kharkov region.
16. Nomokonov Semyon Danilovich (08/12/1900 - 07/15/1973)
Member of the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet-Japanese War, twice holder of the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner.
During the Great Patriotic War, he destroyed 360 German soldiers and officers, including one major general. During the Soviet-Japanese War, he destroyed 8 soldiers and officers of the Kwantung Army. The total confirmed score is 368 enemy soldiers and officers.
17. Ilyin Nikolai Yakovlevich (1922 - 08/04/1943)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, foreman, deputy political instructor.
In total, the sniper accounted for 494 killed enemies. On August 4, 1943, in a battle near the village of Yastrebovo, Nikolai Ilyin died, struck down by a machine-gun burst.
18. Antonov Ivan Petrovich (07/07/1920 - 03/22/1989)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, shooter of the 160th separate rifle company of the Leningrad naval base of the Baltic Fleet, sailor, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Ivan Antonov became one of the pioneers of the sniper movement in the Baltic.
From December 28, 1941 to November 10, 1942, he destroyed 302 Nazis and taught the art of marksmanship to the enemy 80 snipers.
19. Dyachenko Fedor Trofimovich (06/16/1917 - 08/08/1995)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, major.
By February 1944, Dyachenko destroyed 425 enemy soldiers and officers, including several snipers, with sniper fire.
20. Idrisov Abuhaji (Abukhazhi) (05/17/1918- 22.10.1983)
Member of the Great Patriotic War, sniper of the 1232nd Infantry Regiment of the 370th Infantry Division, senior sergeant, Hero of the Soviet Union.
By March 1944, he already had 349 destroyed Nazis on his account, and he was introduced to the title of Hero. In one of the battles in April 1944, Idrisov was wounded by a fragment of a mine that exploded nearby, he was covered with earth. Comrades dug him up and sent him to the hospital.
World War II snipers are almost exclusively Soviet fighters. After all, only in the USSR in the prewar years was shooting training virtually universal, and since the 1930s there were special sniper schools. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that both in the top ten and in the top twenty of the best shooters of that war there is only one foreign name- Finn Simo Häyhä.
On account of the top ten Russian snipers - 4200 confirmed enemy fighters, the top twenty - 7400. The best shooters of the USSR - more than 500 killed each, while the most productive sniper of World War II among the Germans has an account of only 345 targets. But the real accounts of snipers are actually more than the confirmed ones - about two to three times!
It is also worth recalling that in the USSR - the only country in the world! - not only men, but also women fought as snipers. In 1943, there were more than a thousand female snipers in the Red Army, who during the war years killed a total of more than 12,000 fascists. Here are the three most productive: Lyudmila Pavlichenko - 309 enemies, Olga Vasilyeva - 185 enemies, Natalia Kovshova - 167 enemies. According to these indicators Soviet women left behind most of the best snipers from among their opponents.
Mikhail Surkov - 702 enemy soldiers and officers
Surprisingly, it is a fact: despite the largest number of defeats, Surkov was never awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, although he presented himself to him. The unprecedented score of the most productive sniper of the Second World War has been questioned more than once, but all the defeats are documented, as required by the rules in force in the Red Army. Sergeant Major Surkov really killed at least 702 fascists, and taking into account the possible difference between real and confirmed defeats, the number could go into the thousands! The amazing accuracy of Mikhail Surkov and the amazing ability to track down his opponents for a long time, apparently, can be explained simply: before being drafted into the army, he worked as a hunter in the taiga in his homeland - in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Vasily Kvachantiradze - 534 enemy soldiers and officers
Sergeant Major Kvachantiradze fought from the first days: in his personal file It is especially noted that he has been a participant in the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. And he ended his service only after the victory, having gone through the entire great war without concessions. Even the title of Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Kvachantiradze, who killed over five hundred enemy soldiers and officers, was awarded shortly before the end of the war, in March 1945. And the demobilized foreman returned to his native Georgia as a holder of two orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree and the Order of the Red Star.
Simo Häyhä - over 500 enemy soldiers and officers
If in March 1940 the Finnish corporal Simo Häyhä had not been wounded by an explosive bullet, perhaps the title of the most productive sniper of World War II would have belonged to him. The entire term of the Finn's participation in the Winter War of 1939-40 is limited to three months - and with such a terrifying result! Perhaps this is due to the fact that by this time the Red Army did not yet have sufficient experience in counter-sniper combat. But even with this in mind, one cannot but admit that Häyhä was a professional of the highest class. After all, he killed most of his opponents without using special sniper devices, but by shooting from an ordinary rifle with an open sight.
Ivan Sidorenko - 500 enemy soldiers and officers
He was supposed to become an artist - but he became a sniper, having managed to finish before that military school and command a mortar company. Lieutenant Ivan Sidorenko is one of the few sniper officers on the list of the most productive shooters of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. Despite the fact that he fought hard: for three years on the front line, from November 1941 to November 1944, Sidorenko managed to get three severe wounds, which eventually prevented him from studying at the military academy, where he was sent by his superiors. So he went to the reserve as a major - and a Hero of the Soviet Union: this title was awarded to him at the front.
Nikolai Ilyin - 494 enemy soldiers and officers
Few of the Soviet snipers had such an honor: to shoot from a nominal sniper rifle. Sergeant Ilyin deserved it, becoming not only a well-aimed shooter, but also one of the initiators of the sniper movement on the Stalingrad front. On his account there were already more than a hundred killed Nazis, when in October 1942 the authorities handed him a rifle named after Hero of the Soviet Union Hussein Andrukhaev, an Adyghe poet, political instructor, who was one of the first during the war years to shout in the face of the advancing enemies "Russians do not surrender!". Alas, after less than a year, Ilyin himself died, and his rifle became known as the rifle "Named after the Heroes of the Soviet Union Kh. Andrukhaev and N. Ilyin."
Ivan Kulbertinov - 487 enemy soldiers and officers
There were many hunters among the snipers of the Soviet Union, but there were few Yakut reindeer hunters. The most famous of them was Ivan Kulbertinov - the same age as the Soviet government: he was born exactly on November 7, 1917! Having got to the front at the very beginning of 1943, already in February he opened his personal account of killed enemies, which by the end of the war had brought to almost five hundred. And although the chest of the hero-sniper was decorated by many honorary awards, he never received the highest title of Hero of the Soviet Union, although, judging by the documents, he was presented to him twice. But in January 1945, the authorities handed him a personalized sniper rifle with the inscription "To the best sniper senior sergeant I. N. Kulbertinov from the Army Military Council."
Vladimir Pchelintsev - 456 enemy soldiers and officers
The best Soviet snipers. Vladimir Pchelintsev. Source: www.wio.ru
Vladimir Pchelintsev was, so to speak, a professional sniper who graduated from sniping and a year before the war received the title of master of sports in shooting. In addition, he is one of two Soviet snipers who spent the night in the White House. It happened during a business trip to the United States, where Sergeant Pchelintsev, who had been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union six months earlier, went to the International Student Assembly in August 1942 to tell how the USSR was fighting fascism. He was accompanied by fellow sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko and one of the heroes partisan struggle Nikolay Krasavchenko.
Petr Goncharov - 441 enemy soldiers and officers
Pyotr Goncharov became a sniper by chance. A worker at the Stalingrad plant, at the height of the German offensive, he joined the militia, from where he was taken into the regular army ... as a baker. Then Goncharov rose to the rank of convoy, and only a chance led him to snipers, when, having got to the front line, he set fire to an enemy tank with accurate shots from someone else's weapons. And Goncharov received his first sniper rifle in November 1942 - and did not part with it until his death in January 1944. By this time, the former worker already wore the shoulder straps of a senior sergeant and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which he was awarded twenty days before his death.
Mikhail Budenkov - 437 enemy soldiers and officers
The biography of Senior Lieutenant Mikhail Budenkov is very bright. Retreating from Brest to Moscow and reaching East Prussia, fighting in a mortar crew and becoming a sniper, Budenkov, before being drafted into the army in 1939, managed to work as a ship mechanic on a ship that sailed along the Moscow Canal, and as a tractor driver in his native collective farm ... But the vocation nevertheless, it made itself felt: the accurate shooting of the commander of the mortar crew attracted the attention of the authorities, and Budenkov became a sniper. Moreover, one of the best in the Red Army, for which in the end in March 1945 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Matthias Hetzenauer - 345 enemy soldiers and officers
The only German sniper in the top ten most productive snipers of the Second World War did not get here by the number of killed enemies. This figure leaves Corporal Hetzenauer far beyond even the top twenty. But it would be wrong not to pay tribute to the skill of the enemy, thereby emphasizing what a great feat the Soviet snipers accomplished. Moreover, in Germany itself, Hetzenauer's successes were called "phenomenal results of waging a sniper war." And they were not far from the truth, because the German sniper scored his result in just less than a year, having completed sniper courses in July 1944.
In addition to the above masters of shooting art, there were others. The list of the best Soviet snipers, and these are only those who destroyed at least 200 enemy troops, includes more than fifty people.
Nikolai Kazyuk - 446 enemy soldiers and officers
The best Soviet snipers. Nikolay Kazyuk.
