The best snipers of World War II. German, Soviet, Finnish riflemen played quite an important role in wartime. And in this review an attempt will be made to consider those of them that have become the most effective.
The emergence of sniper art
Since the emergence of personal weapons in armies, which provided the opportunity to hit the enemy at long distances, accurate shooters began to be distinguished from soldiers. Subsequently, separate units of rangers began to form from them. As a result, a separate type of light infantry was formed. The main tasks that the soldiers received included the destruction of officers of enemy troops, as well as the demoralization of the enemy through accurate shooting at significant distances. For this purpose, shooters were armed with special rifles.In the 19th century, modernization of weapons occurred. The tactics changed accordingly. This was facilitated by the emergence of an optical sight. During the First World War, snipers were part of a separate cohort of saboteurs. Their goal was to quickly and effectively defeat enemy personnel. At the very beginning of the war, snipers were mainly used by the Germans. However, over time, special schools began to appear in other countries. In conditions of protracted conflicts, this “profession” has become quite in demand.
Finnish snipers
Between 1939 and 1940, Finnish marksmen were considered the best. World War II snipers learned a lot from them. Finnish riflemen were nicknamed “cuckoos”. The reason for this was that they used special “nests” in trees. This feature was distinctive for the Finns, although trees were used for this purpose in almost all countries.So who exactly do the best snipers of World War II owe to? The most famous “cuckoo” was Simo Heihe. He was nicknamed the "white death". The number of confirmed murders he committed exceeded the mark of 500 liquidated Red Army soldiers. In some sources, his indicators were equal to 700. He was quite seriously wounded. But Simo was able to recover. He died in 2002.
Propaganda played its role
The best snipers of the Second World War, namely their achievements, were actively used in propaganda. Quite often it happened that the personalities of the shooters began to acquire legends.
The famous domestic sniper Vasily Zaitsev was able to destroy about 240 enemy soldiers. This figure was average for effective marksmen of that war. But due to propaganda, he was made the most famous Red Army sniper. At the present stage, historians seriously doubt the existence of Major Koenig, Zaitsev’s main opponent in Stalingrad. The main achievements of the domestic shooter include the development of a sniper training program. He personally took part in their preparation. In addition, he formed a full-fledged sniper school. Its graduates were called “hares.”
Top marksmen
Who are they, the best snipers of World War II? You should know the names of the most successful shooters. Mikhail Surkov is in first position. He destroyed about 702 enemy soldiers. Following him on the list is Ivan Sidorov. He killed 500 soldiers. Nikolai Ilyin is in third position. He killed 497 enemy soldiers. Following him with the mark of 489 killed is Ivan Kulbertinov.The best snipers of the USSR of World War II were not only men. In those years, women also actively joined the ranks of the Red Army. Some of them subsequently became quite effective shooters. Soviet women killed about 12 thousand enemy soldiers. And the most effective was Lyudmila Pavlichenkova, who had 309 killed soldiers.
The best snipers of the USSR in World War II, of which there were quite a lot, have a large number of effective shots to their credit. More than 400 soldiers were killed by approximately fifteen riflemen. 25 snipers killed more than 300 enemy soldiers. 36 riflemen killed more than 200 Germans.
There is little information about enemy shooters
There is not so much data about “colleagues” on the enemy side. This is due to the fact that no one tried to boast of their exploits. Therefore, the best German snipers of the Second World War are practically unknown in ranks and names. One can only say with certainty about those shooters who were awarded the Knight's Iron Cross. This happened in 1945. One of them was Frederick Payne. He killed about 200 enemy soldiers.
The most productive player was probably Matthias Hetzenauer. They killed about 345 soldiers. The third sniper who was awarded the order was Joseph Ollerberg. He left memoirs in which quite a lot was written about the activities of German riflemen during the war. The sniper himself killed about 257 soldiers.
Sniper terror
It should be noted that the Anglo-American allies landed in Normandy in 1944. And it was in this place that the best snipers of the Second World War were located during that period. German riflemen killed many soldiers. And their effectiveness was facilitated by the terrain, which was simply replete with bushes. The British and Americans in Normandy faced real sniper terror. Only after this did the Allied forces think about training specialized shooters who could work with an optical sight. However, the war has already come to an end. Therefore, the snipers of America and England were never able to set records.Thus, the Finnish “cuckoos” taught a good lesson in their time. Thanks to them, the best snipers of World War II served in the Red Army.
Women fought equally with men
Since ancient times, it has been the case that men are engaged in war. However, in 1941, when the Germans attacked our country, the entire people began to defend it. Holding weapons in their hands, at machines and on collective farm fields, Soviet people - men, women, old people and children - fought against fascism. And they were able to win.The chronicle contains a lot of information about women who received military awards. And the best snipers of the war were also present among them. Our girls were able to destroy more than 12 thousand enemy soldiers. Six of them received the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And one girl became a full holder of the Soldier's Order of Glory.
Legend girl
As mentioned above, the famous sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenkova killed about 309 soldiers. Of these, 36 were enemy riflemen. In other words, she alone was able to destroy almost an entire battalion. A film was made based on her exploits called “The Battle of Sevastopol.” The girl went to the front voluntarily in 1941. She took part in the defense of Sevastopol and Odessa.
In June 1942, the girl was wounded. After that, she no longer took part in hostilities. The wounded Lyudmila was carried from the battlefield by Alexei Kitsenko, with whom she fell in love. They decided to file a report on marriage registration. However, the happiness did not last too long. In March 1942, the lieutenant was seriously wounded and died in the arms of his wife.
In the same year, Lyudmila became part of the delegation of Soviet youth and left for America. There she created a real sensation. After returning, Lyudmila became an instructor at a sniper school. Under her leadership, several dozen good shooters were trained. This is how they were - the best snipers of the USSR in World War II.
Creation of a special school
Perhaps Lyudmila’s experience was the reason why the country’s leadership began to teach girls the art of shooting. Courses were specially formed in which girls were in no way inferior to men. Later, it was decided to reorganize these courses into the Central Women's Sniper Training School. In other countries, only men were snipers. During World War II, girls were not taught this art professionally. And only in the Soviet Union did they comprehend this science and fight on an equal basis with men.The girls were treated cruelly by their enemies
In addition to the rifle, sapper shovel and binoculars, the women took grenades with them. One was intended for the enemy, and the other for oneself. Everyone knew that German soldiers treated snipers cruelly. In 1944, the Nazis managed to capture domestic sniper Tatyana Baramzina. When our soldiers discovered her, they could recognize her only by her hair and uniform. The enemy soldiers stabbed the body with daggers, cut out the breasts, and gouged out the eyes. They stuck a bayonet into my stomach. In addition, the Nazis shot at the girl point-blank with an anti-tank rifle. Of the 1,885 graduates of the sniper school, about 185 girls could not survive to Victory. They tried to protect them and did not throw them into particularly difficult tasks. But still, the glare of optical sights in the sun often gave away the shooters, who were later found by enemy soldiers.
Only time has changed the attitude towards female shooters
The girls, the best snipers of World War II, whose photos can be seen in this review, experienced terrible things in their time. And when they returned home, they sometimes encountered contempt. Unfortunately, in the rear, a special attitude was formed towards girls. Many unfairly called them field wives. This is where the contemptuous looks that female snipers received came from.For a long time they did not tell anyone that they were at war. They hid their rewards. And only after 20 years did attitudes towards them begin to change. And it was at this time that the girls began to open up, talking about their many exploits.
Conclusion
In this review, an attempt was made to describe those snipers who became the most productive during the entire period that the Second World War was going on. There are quite a lot of them. But it should be noted that not all arrows are known. Some tried to talk about their exploits as little as possible.
– josser
A good sniper can undermine the enemy's morale by taking out key figures. They can prevent the enemy from completing his task.
But the next ten people aren't just good snipers; these are great snipers. They are the best of the best. They are the Military Channel's top 10 snipers.
Navy SEAL snipers
After pirates failed to capture his ship, the Maersk Alabama, Captain Richard Phillips surrendered to the bandits in order to guarantee the safety of his crew.
The pirates kept Captain Phillips aboard a lifeboat for several days while attempting to negotiate with the US Navy. But eventually the boat ran out of fuel and the pirates agreed to allow the US Navy to attach a tow rope from the USS Bainbridge to the boat.
This was their fatal mistake.
This step allowed three US Navy SEAL snipers to take positions on the overhang of the Bainbridge's stern - just 75 feet (23 m; hereinafter - approx..).
Overcome by seasickness and in an excited state, the pirates became more and more aggressive. The command on the spot, concerned about the mortal danger threatening Phillip, gave the snipers the go-ahead to destroy the pirates to save the life of the captain.
The SEALs had to fire synchronized shots in order to take down the pirates and keep the captain alive. The snipers were on a ship sailing on the ocean, and their targets were in a boat bouncing on the waves, and they only had one chance to do everything right.
The snipers had their sights on the heads of two pirates in the control room window. But they were not sure about the whereabouts of the third pirate. The third sniper was expecting visual contact.
Once he gets it, they can all fire. And now, an opportunity - the third pirate, tormented by seasickness, sticks his head out of the boat window.
The third cat transmits - the target has been detected. All three snipers take their shots.
Rob Furlong
Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong (not pictured here) holds the record for the longest target hit by a sniper. He killed a member of an al-Qaeda mortar crew from a distance of 2,340 meters.
Not bad for a Canadian, huh?
Chuck Mawhinney
Even his own wife had no idea that Chuck Mawhinney (not pictured here) was one of the best snipers in the US Marine Corps in Vietnam until his friend wrote a book detailing Mawhinney's service.
The book “Dear Mother. Vietnam Snipers" shed light on Mawinney's record of 103 confirmed kills in Vietnam, with another 213 unconfirmed. This is a disgusting record, one that Mawhinney was in no hurry to make public, believing that no one would be enthusiastic about it.
Mawhinney left Vietnam in 1969, after 16 months as a sniper, when a military chaplain thought Mawhinney might be suffering from battle exhaustion. After a short period of service as a fire instructor at Camp Pendleton, Mawhinney left the Marines and returned home to rural Oregon.
“I just did what I was taught,” he told The Standard. – I was in a very hot place outside the USA for a long time. I didn't do anything special." Come on, don't be modest, Chuck. You're still in the top ten.
Snipers of the American Revolution
It would not be too much of a sin to say that the United States owes its independence to the sniper.
No, seriously, that's how it was.
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. And one of the main turning points in the battle was the death of British Army General Simon Fraser from a shot by sniper Timothy Murphy on October 7, 1777.
Murphy, one of Daniel Morgan's Kentucky Fusiliers, hit General Frazier at a range of about 500 yards using one of the famous Kentucky long guns.
The United States owes its independence to another sniper - this time due not to a well-aimed shot, but to the lack of one.
During the Battle of Brandywine, just months before Murphy killed Frazier, Captain Patrick Ferguson held a tall, distinguished American officer at gunpoint with his rifle. The officer's back was to Ferguson, and the sniper decided that it would be ungentlemanly to shoot in such a situation.
Only later did Ferguson learn that George Washington was on the battlefield that day.
Vasily Zaitsev
Several of our top 10 snipers were portrayed in movies or served as inspiration for movie characters, but none of them ultimately became more famous than Vasily Zaitsev, whose recordings formed the basis of the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates.
You know, if a recognizable actor with great looks like Jude Law plays you in a movie about your life, then you managed to leave your mark on history.
It is a pity that the fight at the center of the picture was fictitious.
Professional historians, as well as amateur researchers, tried to figure out whether the fight between the Russian ace sniper and his equivalent German shooter even took place. Documentary evidence on this issue is contradictory, and ordinary common sense says that the Soviet media invented the duel as a propaganda tool. However, she didn't need to fuss too much.
Zaitsev’s combat achievements speak for themselves: 149 confirmed killed enemy soldiers and officers, despite the fact that the number of unconfirmed killed could reach 400.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko
When Russian sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko was interviewed by Time magazine in 1942, she ridiculed the American media.
“One journalist even criticized the length of the skirt of my military uniform, saying that in America women wear shorter skirts, and besides, my uniform makes me look fat,” she said.
Surely the length of the skirt did not matter to the 309 Nazi soldiers whose deaths were attributed to Pavlichenko, or to the many Russians whom she inspired with her courage and skill.
According to the Financial Times, Pavlichenko was born on July 12, 1916 in southern Ukraine and had a boyish disposition from the very beginning. Forget about playing with dolls - Pavlichenko had to hunt sparrows with a slingshot; and of course, in this activity she was superior to most boys of her age.
When Germany declared war on Russia in 1941, Pavlichenko wanted to fight. But once she got to the front, everything turned out to be not as simple as it had previously seemed.
“I knew that my task was to shoot living people,” she recalled in a Russian newspaper. “In theory everything was smooth, but I knew that in practice it would be completely different.” She turned out to be right.
Although Pavlichenko could see the enemy from where she crouched on the ground during her first day on the battlefield, she could not bring herself to fire.
But everything changed when a German shot a young Russian soldier who was near Pavlichenko. “He was such a good, happy boy,” she said, “And he was killed right next to me. After that, nothing could stop me.”
Francis Peghamagabo
The exploits and achievements of World War I sniper Francis Peghamagabo sound like they were straight out of a comic book or a summer blockbuster.
Ojibois warrior Peghamagabo, who fought alongside the Canadians at the battles of Montsorrel, Passchendaele and Scarpe, is credited with 378 kills as a sharpshooter.
As if that weren't enough, he was also awarded medals for serving as a signalman under heavy enemy fire, leading a critical rescue mission when his commander was incapacitated, and for delivering his squad's missing ammunition under enemy fire.
The Toronto Star suggested that Peghamagabo brought to the war the skills he had honed as a child on the Shawanaga Reservation near Georgian Bay, but historian Tim Cook had a different theory about why Peghamagabo and other Canadian First Nations went to war. war and fought so selflessly across the seas: “They felt that their sacrifice would give them the right to demand more rights in society.”
But this was not the case with Peghamagabo. Although he was a hero among his comrades in Europe, once he returned home to Canada, he was practically forgotten.
Adelbert F. Waldron III
Try searching for information about the top US snipers and you'll come across a couple of names. Carlos Hascock is a legend, but he doesn't have the highest body count. Charles Benjamin "Chuck" Mawhinney is undoubtedly a talented sniper, but he is not a champion either.
And who then? Staff Sergeant Adelbert F. Waldron III. He is one of the most successful snipers in US history, with 109 confirmed kills.
Excerpt from the book “In the Crosshairs. Snipers in Vietnam" by Colonel Michael Lee Lanning describes how good Waldron's shot was: "One day he was sailing down the Mekong River on the Tango when an enemy sniper on the shore struck the ship. While everyone else on the boat was struggling to find the enemy, who was firing from the shoreline 900 meters away, Sergeant Waldron took his rifle and with one shot took down the Viet Cong from the top of a coconut tree (and this from a moving platform). Such were the abilities of our best sniper."
Waldron is one of the few to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice, both of which he received in 1969.
He died in 1995 and was buried in California.
Simo Häyhä
Finn Simo Häyhä may be one of the most successful snipers of all time. But don't be too upset if you've never heard of it. Almost unknown outside his home country, Häyhä applied his skills to a war that American children never experienced in school.
When the Russians invaded Finland during the Winter War of 1939-1940, Häyhä hid in the snow and killed over 500 Russians in a short three-month period. He was known as the "White Death".
He was shooting the old fashioned way, without laser sights or .50 caliber ammunition. All Häyhä had was his senses and an ordinary rifle with open sights and a bolt action.
In the end, Finland lost the Winter War, but for Russia it was not a real victory. The Finns suffered 22,830 casualties compared to 126,875 casualties for the Russians, who had an invading army of one and a half million men.
As one Red Army general recalled, “We conquered 22,000 square miles of territory. Just enough to bury your dead.”
Carlos Hascock
Even if he doesn't hold the records for the number of confirmed hits or the longest shot, the legend of Carlos Hascock lives on. He is the Elvis of snipers, he is Yoda.
The Marine Corps' highest marksmanship award bears his name; as well as the shooting range at Camp Ligen (Marine Corps training center in North Carolina; approx.). The Marine Corps Library in Washington was dedicated in his honor. The Virginia unit of the Civil Air Patrol decided to name itself after him.
Hascock, sometimes called "White Feather" for the feather he wore in his hat, joined the Marines at age 17. The Corps didn't have to wait long to realize that the broke boy from Arkansas had talent. While still in training, he proved himself to be an excellent shooter and almost immediately began winning prestigious shooting competitions. But the military had their own plans for Hascock, which involved more than simply winning cups; in 1966 he was sent to Vietnam.
According to the Los Angeles Times, during his two tours of duty, Hascock volunteered for so many missions that his superiors were forced to keep him in the barracks so he could rest.
“It was a hunt that I enjoyed,” he once told the Washington Post. - Engage in a duel with another person. In Vietnam they didn't give you second place—second place was a body bag. Everyone was scared, but those who weren’t were lying. But fear can be used to your advantage. It makes you more alert, more sensitive, that's what I came up with. He pushed me to be the best."
And he was the best. During his two tours of duty, Hascock had 93 confirmed kills; actual total may be higher. Hascock's unconfirmed hits are believed to number in the hundreds. However, the numbers were so high that North Vietnam at one point offered a $30,000 bounty on his head.
Ultimately, neither the bounty nor the enemy sniper could do anything about Carlos Hascock. He died in 1999 at the age of 57 after a battle with multiple sclerosis.
Sniper is one of the most difficult and unusual military professions. Although the most ordinary guys join it.
Find out the five toughest male shooters, whose accuracy and resourcefulness terrified the enemy.
5. Carlos Norman (05/20/1942-02/23/1999)
Source: top5s.net
One of the most famous snipers in the history of the US military. He became famous for his participation in the Vietnam War. Considered one of the legendary figures of the United States Marine Corps. He has 93 enemy lives to his name.
4. Adelbert F. Waldron (03/14/1933-10/18/1995)
Source: top5s.net
Famous American sniper. Participated in the Vietnam War. Waldron holds the record for confirmed victories among US shooters. He has 109 victories. In the 1970s, Waldron taught sniper training at the SIONICS training camp in Georgia. One of the few who was twice awarded the Order for Distinguished Military Service.
3. Vasily Zaitsev (03/23/1915 - 12/15/1991)
Source: top5s.net
Sniper of the 62nd Army of the Stalingrad Front, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Battle of Stalingrad between November 10 and December 17, 1942, he killed 225 soldiers and officers of the German army and their allies, including 11 snipers. He developed several sniper hunting techniques that are used by the current generation of snipers.
2. Francis Peghamagabo (9.03.1891-5.08.1952)
Source: top5s.net
Hero of the Second World War. Canadian Francis killed 378 German soldiers, was awarded a medal three times and was seriously wounded twice. But after returning home to Canada, one of the most effective snipers of World War II was forgotten.
1. Simo Häyhä (12/17/1905-04/1/2002)
Soviet snipers actively worked on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War and sometimes played a huge role in the outcome of the battle. Sniper work was dangerous and hard. The guys had to lie for hours or even days in constant tension and full combat readiness in a 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, the best sniper of the guard unit, Sergeant Major Nikolai Ilyin, used it to defeat the enemy. 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 the 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 farm 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 the 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 prompted the Germans to produce optical sights on a large scale and train snipers.” Of course, one cannot help but say how the results of Soviet snipers were recorded. Here it is appropriate to refer to the materials of the meeting held in the summer of 1943 with the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars K.E. Voroshilova. According to the 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). Natalya 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!” 
Tanya Baramzina
Tatyana Nikolaevna Baramzina was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a sniper in the 70th Infantry Division of the 33rd Army. Tanya fought on the Belarusian front and was parachuted behind enemy lines to carry out a secret mission. Before this, she already had 16 German soldiers on her account, and during this task she killed another 20 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 of the Soviet Union on March 24, 1945.
Nadezhda Kolesnikova
Nadezhda Kolesnikova was a volunteer sniper who served on the Volkhov Eastern Front in 1943. She is given credit for the destruction of 19 enemy soldiers. Like Kolesnikova, a total of 800 thousand 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 for the female sniper with the same name in the film Enemy at the Gates (her role was played by Rachel Weisz). Tanya was an American of Russian descent who came to Belarus to pick up her grandparents, but they had already been killed by the Germans. Then she becomes a sniper of the Red Army, joining the sniper group “Zaitsy”, formed by the famous Vasily Zaitsev, who is also represented in the film mentioned above. He's played by Jude Law. Tanya killed 24 enemy soldiers before being wounded in the stomach by a mine explosion. After that, she was sent to Tashkent, where she spent a long time recovering from her wound. Fortunately, Tanya survived the war.
Ziba Ganieva
Ziba Ganieva was one of the most charismatic figures of 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 of the 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 duty after 11 months in hospital. Ganieva was awarded the military orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star.
Rosa Shanina
Rosa Shanina, who was called the “Invisible Terror of East Prussia,” began fighting when she was not even 20 years old. She was born in the Russian village of Edma on April 3, 1924. She wrote to Stalin twice asking that she 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 of Vilnius. Rosa Shanina had 59 confirmed killed soldiers, 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
Guard Sergeant Lyuba Makarova was one of the lucky 500 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
Claudia Kalugina was one of the youngest soldiers and snipers of the Red Army. She started fighting when she was only 17 years old. She began her military career by working at a munitions factory, but she soon entered sniper school and was subsequently sent to the 3rd Belorussian Front. Kalugina fought in Poland and later took part 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 her father died 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 took part in the Battle of Berlin in 1945. There she commanded an entire company of 100 female snipers. Nina had 89 enemy soldiers killed.
Nina Pavlovna Petrova
Nina Pavlovna Petrova is also known as "Mama Nina" and could well be the oldest female sniper of World War II. She was born in 1893, and by the beginning of the war she was already 48 years old. After she entered 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 road accident just a week after the end of the war at the age of 53.
Lyudmila 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 amateur shooter. After graduating from sniper school at the age of 24, she was sent to the 25th Chapaevskaya 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 kills of enemy soldiers, including 29 enemy snipers. Pavlichenko survived the war after she was discharged from active service due to the injuries she sustained. She was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and her face was even depicted on a postage stamp.
Especially for readers of my blog, the site - based on an article from wonderslist.com - was translated by Sergey Maltsev
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