The most productive snipers in the world. Best snipers

Snipers are special people. You can be a good shooter, but not be a sniper. This requires extraordinary endurance, patience, enormous preparation and waiting for days for just one shot. Here we present ten best snipers in the world, each of them is unique and inimitable.

Thomas Plunkett

Plunket is an Irishman from the British 95th Rifles. Thomas became famous for one episode. It was in 1809, Monroe's troops were retreating, but a battle took place at Cacabelos. Plunket managed to “remove” the French general Auguste-Marie-François Colbert. The enemy felt completely safe, because the distance to the shooter was 600 meters. Then the British shooters used Brown Bess muskets and more or less confidently hit the target at a distance of up to 50m.
Plunkett's shot was a real miracle; with his Baker rifle he exceeded the then best results 12 times. But this was not enough. The shooter decided to prove his skill and accurately hit the second target from the same position. He killed the general's adjutant, who rushed to the aid of his commander.

Sergeant Grace

Grace was a sniper with the 4th Georgia Infantry Division. It was he who killed the highest-ranking military officer in the Union army during the North-South War in the United States. On May 9, 1864, at the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania, General John Sedgwick led the Union artillery. Confederate snipers began hunting the general from a distance of about a kilometer. The staff officers immediately lay down and asked the general to take cover. He said that no one would be able to get in from such a distance and the officers were acting like cowards. According to legend, Sedgwick had not even finished speaking when Grace’s bullet entered under his left eye and blew his head apart.

Charles Mawhinney

Charles was fond of hunting since childhood. It was there that he honed his shooting skills, which would come in handy in 1967 when he joined the Marines. Mawhainni went to Vietnam as part of the United States Marine Corps.
Usually the shot was fatal at a distance of 300-800 meters. Charles became the best sniper of the Vietnam War, hitting his targets from a distance of a kilometer. This legend has 103 confirmed defeats. Due to the difficult military situation and the risk of searching for dead enemies, another 216 casualties are considered probable.
After finishing his service in the Marine Corps, Charles did not advertise his achievements. Only a few colleagues knew about his work. Another 20 years later, a book was published in which Mawhainni's sniper talents were described in detail. This forced Mawhainni to come out of the shadows. He became a mentor at a sniper school and always said that safari, hunting the most terrible animals, can never be compared in danger to hunting a person. After all, animals don’t have weapons...

Rob Furlong

Rob Ferlang holds the record for the longest confirmed successful shot. The corporal hit his target from a distance of 2430 meters, which is equal to the length of 26 football fields!
In 2002, Furlong participated in Operation Anaconda, as part of a team of two corporals and three master corporals. They spotted three armed al-Qaeda militants in the mountains. While the enemy set up camp, Furlong took one at gunpoint with his MacMillan Tac-50 rifle. The first shot missed the target. The second bullet hit one of the militants. But at the moment the second bullet hit, the corporal had already fired the third shot. The bullet had to cover the distance in 3 seconds, this time is enough for the enemy to take cover. But the militant realized that he was under fire only when a third bullet pierced his chest.

Vasily Zaitsev (23.03.1915 – 15.12.1991)

The name of Vasily Zaitsev became famous in the world thanks to the film “Enemy At The Gates”. Vasily was born in the Urals in the village of Eleninka. He served in the Pacific Fleet from 1937 - as a clerk, then as head of the financial department. From the first days of the war, he regularly submitted reports of transfer to the front.
Finally, in the summer of 1942, his request was granted. Zaitsev began his work near Stalingrad with a “three-line”. In a short time, he managed to hit more than 30 opponents. The command noticed a talented shooter and assigned him to a sniper squad. In just a few months, Zaitsev had 242 confirmed hits. But the real number of killed enemies during the battle for Stalingrad reached 500.
The episode from Zaitsev’s career highlighted in the film took place in general. Indeed, at this time a German “super sniper” was sent to the Stalingrad area to fight Soviet snipers. After his murder, a sniper rifle was left with optical sight. An indicator of the level of a German sniper is a 10x magnification of the scope. A 3-4x scope was considered the norm for that time; it was very difficult to handle a larger one.
In January 1943, as a result of a mine explosion, Vasily lost his sight, and only with the enormous efforts of doctors was it possible to restore it. After that, Zaitsev ran a sniper school and wrote two textbooks. It is he who owns one of the “hunting” techniques that is still used today.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko (12.07.1916-10.10.1974)

Since 1937, Lyudmila was involved in shooting and gliding sports. The beginning of the war found her in graduate practice in Odessa. Lyudmila immediately went to the front as a volunteer, she was only 24 years old. Pavlichenko becomes a sniper, one of 2,000 female snipers.
She hit her first targets in the battles near Belyaevka. She took part in the defense of Odessa, where she managed to defeat 187 enemies. After that, she defended Sevastopol and Crimea for eight months. During this time, she also trains snipers. Throughout the war, Lyudmila accumulated 309 fascists. After being wounded in 1942, she was recalled from the front and sent with a delegation to Canada and the USA. After returning, she continued training snipers at the Vystrel school.

Corporal Francis Pegamagabo (9.03.1891-5.08.1952)

Another hero of World War II. 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 the war was forgotten.

Adelbert F. Waldron (14.03.1933-18.10.1995)

Wardon holds the record for confirmed victories among US shooters. He has 109 victories.

Carlos Norman (20.05.1942-23.02.1999)

Norman fought in the Vietnam War. Carlos has 93 confirmed victories. In the Vietnamese army, killed enemy snipers were valued at $8; Norman was offered $30,000.

Simo Häyhä (17.12.1905-1.04.2002)

Simo was born on the border of Finland and Russia into a family of farmers, and as a child he fished and hunted. At the age of 17 he joined the security detachment, and in 1925 he entered the Finnish army. After 9 years of service, he completed sniper training.
During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, he killed 505 Soviet soldiers in less than 3 months. There are some discrepancies in its performance. This is due to the fact that the corpses of those killed were on enemy territory, in addition, Simo shot perfectly with both a pistol and a rifle, and hits from these weapons are not always taken into account in the overall standings.
During the war he received the nickname " White death" In March 1940 he was seriously wounded; a bullet shattered his jaw and disfigured his face. It took a long recovery. It was not possible to go to the front during World War II due to the consequences of his wounds, although Häyhä asked to do so.
Simo's effectiveness is primarily due to his talented use of the peculiarities of the theater of war. Häyhä used an open sight, because optical sights become covered with frost in the cold, give off glare through which the enemy detects them, require a higher head position from the shooter (which also increases the risk of being noticed), as well as a longer aiming time. In addition, he poured water on the snow in front of the rifle so that after the shot snowflakes would not fly up and unmask the position, he cooled his breath with ice so that there would be no clouds of steam, etc.

The Second World War became that period in the history of mankind when people performed the most incredible feats and showed all their hidden talents. Naturally, those fighters whose abilities could be used in military operations were most valued. The Soviet command especially singled out snipers, who, using their skills, could destroy up to a thousand enemy soldiers with well-aimed shots during their service. Lists of the best snipers of the Second World War with names and an indication of the number of enemies hit often appear in different versions on the Internet. In our article we have collected those who brought victory closer with all their might, despite the difficulties of life at the front and serious injuries. So, who are they - the best snipers of World War II? And where did they come from, later transforming into an elite caste of fighters?

Shooting training in the USSR

Historians from many countries around the world unanimously declare that during the Second World War, soldiers from the USSR proved to be the best snipers. Moreover, they surpassed enemy and allied soldiers not only in the level of training, but also in the number of shooters. Germany was able to get a little closer to this level only at the end of the war - in 1944. Interestingly, to train their soldiers, German officers used manuals written for Soviet snipers. Where did such a number of marksmanship come from in the pre-war period in our country?

Since 1932, shooting training has been carried out with Soviet citizens. During this period of time, the country's leadership established the honorary title "Voroshilov Shooter", confirmed by a special badge. They were divided into two degrees, the second was considered the most honorable. To obtain it, it was necessary to pass a number of difficult tests that were beyond the power of ordinary shooters. Every boy, to be honest, and girls too, dreamed of showing off the Voroshilov Shooter badge. For this reason, they spent a lot of time in shooting clubs, practicing hard.

In the thirty-fourth year of the last century, exhibition competitions were held between our and American shooters. The unexpected result for the United States was their loss. The Soviet riflemen snatched victory by a huge margin, which indicated their excellent preparation.

The work on shooting training was carried out for seven years and was suspended with the outbreak of the first hostilities. However, by this time the Voroshilov Rifleman badge was proudly worn by more than nine million civilians of both sexes.

Sniper caste

Now it’s no secret that snipers belong to a special caste of fighters who are carefully protected and transferred from one area of ​​military conflict to another in order to demoralize the enemy. Besides psychological impact at the enemy, these shooters are distinguished by real lethal power and have very impressive “death” lists. For example, the best snipers of World War II from the USSR had long lists out of five hundred to seven hundred killed. In this case, only confirmed deaths are taken into account, but in reality their number could exceed one thousand soldiers per shooter.

What makes snipers so special? First of all, it is worth saying that these people, by their nature, are truly special. After all, they have the ability for a long time to remain motionless, tracking down the enemy, with extreme concentration, calmness, patience, the ability to quickly make decisions and unique accuracy. As it turned out, the required set of qualities and skills were fully possessed by young hunters who spent their entire childhood in the taiga tracking down the beast. It was they who became the first snipers to fight with conventional rifles, showing simply stunning results.

Later, on the basis of these shooters, an entire unit was formed, which became the elite of the Soviet army. It is known that during the war years, sniper gatherings were held more than once, designed to increase their effectiveness as a result of the exchange of experience.

At the moment, some foreign historians are trying to challenge the results of Soviet soldiers listed in the list of the best snipers of World War II. But this is quite difficult to do, because each target is documented. In addition, most experts are confident that the number of real successful shots exceeds the number indicated in the award sheets by two or even three times. After all, not every target hit in the heat of battle could be confirmed. We should not forget the fact that many documents take into account the result of a particular sniper only at the time of presentation for the award. In the future, his exploits may not have been fully monitored.

Modern historians claim that the ten best snipers of World War II were able to destroy more than four thousand enemy soldiers. There were also women among the excellent shooters; we will talk about them in one of the following sections of our article. After all, these brave ladies skillfully outperformed their colleagues from Germany in terms of their results. So who are these people called the best snipers of the Second World War?

Of course, the list of Soviet snipers does not include ten people. According to archives, their number can number more than one hundred skilled shooters. However, we decided to present to your attention information about the ten best Soviet snipers of the Second World War, the results of which still seem fantastic:

• Mikhail Surkov.
• Vasily Kvachantiradze.
• Ivan Sidorenko.
• Nikolay Ilyin.
• Ivan Kulbertinov.
• Vladimir Pchelintsev.
• Petr Goncharov.
• Mikhail Budenkov.
• Vasily Zaitsev.
• Fedor Okhlopkov.

Each of these unique people A separate section of the article is devoted.

Mikhail Surkov

This shooter was drafted into the army from Krasnoyarsk Territory, where he spent his entire life in the taiga, hunting animals with his father. With the onset of war, he picked up a rifle and went to the front to do what he knew best - track and kill. Thanks to his life skills, Mikhail Surkov managed to destroy more than seven hundred fascists. Among them were ordinary soldiers and officers, which undoubtedly made it possible to include the shooter in the list of the best snipers of the Second World War.

However, the talented fighter was not nominated for the award, since most of his victories could not be documented. Historians link this fact with the fact that Surkov loved to rush into the epicenter of the battle. Therefore, in the future it turned out to be quite problematic to determine from whose well-aimed shot this or that enemy soldier fell. Mikhail's fellow soldiers confidently said that he destroyed more than one thousand fascists. Other people were especially amazed by Surkov’s ability throughout long hours remain invisible while tracking your enemy.

Vasily Kvachantiradze

This young man went through the entire war from beginning to end. Vasily fought with the rank of sergeant major and returned home with a long service record of awards. Kvachantiradze has more than half a thousand German fighters on his account. For his accuracy, which ranked him among the best snipers of World War II, by the end of the war he was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.

Ivan Sidorenko

This fighter is considered one of the most unique Soviet shooters. After all, before the war, Sidorenko planned to become a professional artist and had great prospects in this field. But the war had its own way and the young man was sent to a military school, after graduating from which he went to the front with the rank of officer.

The newly appointed commander was immediately entrusted with a mortar company, where he showed his sniper talents. During the war years, Sidorenko destroyed five hundred German soldiers, but he himself was seriously wounded three times. After each time, he returned to the front, but in the end the consequences of the wounds turned out to be very severe for the body. This did not allow Sidorenko to finish military academy, however, before retiring he received a Hero Soviet Union.

Nikolay Ilyin

Many historians believe that Ilyin is the best Russian sniper of World War II. He is considered not only a unique shooter, but also a talented organizer of the sniper movement. He gathered young soldiers, trained them, forming from them a real backbone of riflemen on the Stalingrad front.

It was Nikolai who had the honor of fighting with the rifle of Hero of the USSR Andrukhaev. With it, he destroyed about four hundred enemies, and in total, over three years of fighting, he managed to kill almost five hundred fascists. In the fall of 1943, he fell in battle, receiving the posthumous title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Ivan Kulbertinov

Naturally, most of the snipers in civilian life were hunters. But Ivan Kulbertinov was a hereditary reindeer herder, which was rare among soldiers. A Yakut by nationality, he was considered a professional in shooting and his results surpassed the best Wehrmacht snipers of the Second World War.

Ivan arrived at the front two years after the start of hostilities and almost immediately opened his mortal account. He went through the entire war to the end and almost five hundred fascist soldiers were on his list. It is interesting that the unique shooter never received the title of Hero of the USSR, which was awarded to almost all snipers. Historians claim that he was nominated for the award twice, but for unknown reasons the title never found its hero. After the end of the war, he was given a personalized rifle.

Vladimir Pchelintsev

This man had a difficult and interesting fate. It can be said that he was one of the few people who could be called professional snipers. Even before the age of forty-one, he studied shooting and even achieved the high title of master of sports. Pchelintsev had unique accuracy, which allowed him to destroy four hundred and fifty-six fascists.

Surprisingly, a year after the start of the war, he was delegated to the United States along with Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was later named the best female sniper of World War II. They spoke at the International Student Congress about how bravely Soviet youth were fighting for the freedom of their country and called on other states not to give in to the onslaught of the fascist infection. Interestingly, the shooters were given the honor of spending the night within the walls of the White House.

Petr Goncharov

The fighters did not always immediately understand their calling. For example, Peter did not even suspect that fate had prepared a special fate for him. Goncharov entered the war as part of the militia, then was accepted into the army as a baker. After some time, he became a convoy, which he planned to serve in the future. However, as a result of a sudden attack by the Nazis, he managed to prove himself as a professional sniper. In the midst of the unfolding battle, Peter picked up someone else's rifle and began to precisely destroy the enemy. He even managed to knock out a German tank with one shot. This decided Goncharov’s fate.

A year after the start of the war, he received his own sniper rifle, which he fought with for another two years. During this time he killed four hundred and forty-one enemy soldiers. For this, Goncharov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and twenty days after this solemn event, the sniper fell in battle without letting go of his rifle.

Mikhail Budenkov

This sniper went through the entire war from the very beginning and met victory in East Prussia. In the spring of forty-five, Budenkov received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for four hundred and thirty-seven targets hit.

However, in the first years of his service, Mikhail did not even think about becoming a sniper. Before the war, he worked as a tractor driver and ship mechanic, and at the front he led a mortar crew. His accurate shooting attracted the attention of his superiors, and he was soon promoted to sniper.

Vasily Zaitsev

This sniper is considered a true war legend. A hunter in peacetime, he knew everything about shooting firsthand, so from the first days of his service he became a sniper. Historians claim that in the Battle of Stalingrad alone, more than two hundred enemies fell from his well-aimed shots. There were eleven of them German snipers.

There is a well-known story about how the Nazis, tired of Zaitsev’s elusiveness, sent to destroy his best sniper in Germany during the Second World War - the head of the secret shooting school Erwin Koenig. Vasily’s fellow soldiers said that there was a real duel between the snipers. It lasted almost three days and ended in victory for the Soviet rifleman.

Fedor Okhlopkov

They spoke about this man with admiration during the war years. He was a real Yakut hunter and tracker, for whom there were no impossible tasks. It is believed that he managed to kill more than one thousand enemies, but most of his victories were difficult to document. It is interesting that during his years of service in the army, he used not only a rifle, but also a machine gun as a weapon. In this way he destroyed enemy soldiers, planes and tanks.

The best Finnish sniper of World War II

“White Death” - this nickname was given to a shooter from Finland who killed more than seven hundred Red Army soldiers. Simo Häyhä worked on a farm in the thirty-ninth year of the last century and did not even imagine that he would become the most productive sniper in his country.

After a military conflict arose between Finland and the USSR in November 1939, units of the Red Army invaded the territory of a foreign state. However, the fighters did not expect that the local residents would offer such fierce resistance to the Soviet soldiers.

Simo Häyhä, who fought in the thick of things, especially distinguished himself. Every day he destroyed sixty to seventy enemy soldiers. This forced the Soviet command to launch a hunt for this marksman. However, he continued to remain elusive and sowed death, hiding in the most inappropriate, as it seemed to the officers, places.

Later, historians wrote that Simo was helped by his small stature. The man barely reached one and a half meters, so he was quite successfully hiding almost in sight of the enemy. He also never used an optical rifle, because it often glared in the sun and gave away the shooter. In addition, the Finn was well versed in the peculiarities of the local terrain, which gave him the opportunity to occupy best places to observe the enemy.

At the end of the Hundred Days' War, Simo was wounded in the face. The bullet went right through and completely turned around facial bone. In the hospital, his jaw was restored, after which he safely lived to be almost a hundred years old.

Of course, war does not have a feminine face. However, Soviet girls made their invaluable contribution to the victory over fascism, fighting in different areas front. It is known that among them there were about one thousand snipers. Together they were able to destroy twelve thousand German soldiers and officers. Surprisingly, the results of many of them are much higher than those who were called the best German snipers of World War II.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko is considered the most successful shooter among women. This amazing beauty signed up to volunteer immediately after the declaration of war with Germany. Over two years of combat, she was able to eliminate three hundred and nine fascists, including thirty-six enemy snipers. For this feat she was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR; for the last two years of the war she did not take part in battles.

Olga Vasilyeva was often called the best female sniper of World War II. This fragile girl has one hundred and forty-eight fascists to her name, but in 1943 no one believed that she could become a real sniper, whom the enemy would fear. The girl left a notch on the butt of her rifle after each well-aimed shot. By the end of the war he was completely covered in marks.

Genya Peretyatko is deservedly ranked among the best female snipers of the Second World War. For a long time practically nothing was known about this girl, but she destroyed one hundred and forty-eight enemies with well-aimed and accurate shots from her rifle.

Even before the start of the war, Genya was seriously involved in shooting; it was her real passion. At the same time, the girl was interested in music. It is surprising that she skillfully combined both activities until the war intervened in her life. Peretyatko immediately signed up as a volunteer for the front, and thanks to her abilities she was quickly transferred to snipers. After the end of the war, the girl moved to the USA, where she lived for the rest of her life.

German snipers

The results of German shooters were always much more modest than those of Soviet soldiers. But among them there were unique snipers who glorified their country. Many legends circulated during the war years about Matthias Hetzenauer. He fought for only one year as a sniper, managing to destroy three hundred and forty-five Red Army soldiers. For Germany, this was simply a phenomenal result that no one managed to surpass.

Joseph Allerberger was also considered one of the best German snipers of World War II. He was able to confirm the elimination of two hundred and fifty-seven targets. His colleagues thought young man a born sniper who possessed not only accuracy and restraint, but also a certain psychology that allowed him to intuitively choose the right battle tactics.

– 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 threat to Phillip mortal danger, 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 both the pirates and the captain to remain 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 short period After serving as a fire instructor at Camp Pendleton, Mavinney 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, of Daniel Morgan's Kentucky Fusiliers (American commander and statesman; approx.), hit General Frazier from a distance of about 500 yards (457 m; approx.), 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 his rifle at gunpoint (Ferguson used the original rifled weapons your invention; approx.) a tall, distinguished American officer. 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 data on this issue are contradictory, and the usual 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 had spent her first day on the battlefield crouched, 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 operation 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 the most a large number of the dead were not his. 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 struggled to find the enemy who was hitting with coastline At a distance of 900 meters, 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 something 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.

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. Inspired by Clint Eastwood's new biopic about America's most prolific sniper, we decided to make an article about his colleagues - best shooters from all over the world.

Carlos Hatchcock

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

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

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.

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.

Vasily Zaitsev

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

Chris Kyle

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

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.

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.

A person who masters this rare profession is especially feared and hated by his enemies. As a self-sufficient combat unit, a talented sniper is capable of inflicting significant damage to enemy personnel, destroying significant amount enemy soldiers, and cause disorganization and panic in the ranks of the enemy, eliminating the unit commander. Obtaining the title of “the best sniper” is very difficult; for this you need to be not only a super-sharp shooter, but also have enormous endurance, endurance, inner calm, analytical skills, special knowledge and excellent health.

The sniper carries out most of his operations autonomously, independently studies the terrain, outlines the main and reserve firing lines, escape routes, and equips caches with food and ammunition. Armed sniper rifle With an optical sight as the main weapon, and a powerful multi-shot pistol as an additional weapon, the modern sniper organizes high-tech caches with food and ammunition at his positions for long-term battery life.

There are many known names of the most successful snipers from various wars and local conflicts that took place in the world in the last century. Some of these riflemen single-handedly destroyed so much enemy manpower during the fighting that the number of killed could range from a company to a battalion and even higher.

It is generally accepted in the world that the best sniper is a Finn Simo Hayha, nicknamed “White Death”, fought in the 39-40s of the last century against the Soviet Union in the Soviet-Finnish War. The number of victims of Simo Haya, who was a hunter before the war, according to fully confirmed data is more than 500 people, and according to unconfirmed information voiced by the Finnish command - more than 800 soldiers and officers of the Red Army.

Simo Haya developed his own method of successfully working even against a large enemy unit leading an attack on the area of ​​the sniper position. First of all, the Finn fired at the rear ranks of the advancing enemy with a Mosin rifle, trying to inflict painful wounds on the soldiers in the abdominal area, thus achieving disorganization of the attackers due to the screams of the wounded in the rear. The most effective wound in this case was considered to be liver damage. Simo Haya killed enemy soldiers who came within direct shooting distance with well-aimed shots to the head.

Simo Haya was out of action on March 6, 1940 after a severe bullet wound that turned him around bottom part skull and ripped out jaw. The best sniper, who miraculously survived, was treated for a long time. Simo Haya lived a long life; he died in 2002, at 96 years old.