2/24/10
SNIPER OF SOVIET
Snipers of the Soviet Union played an important role mainly on the Eastern Front of World War II, apart from other preceding and subsequent conflicts. In World War II, Soviet snipers used the 7.62x54R rifle cartridge with light, heavy, armour-piercing (B-30), armour-piercing-and-incendiary (B-32), zeroing-and-incendiary (P3), and tracer bullets. Most Soviet WWII snipers carried a combat load of 120 rifle cartridges in the field.Unlike the militaries of other nations, these snipers could be men or women. In 1943, there were over 2,000 women functioning in this role.
DOCTRINE
Soviet and Soviet-derived military doctrines include squad-level snipers, which may be called "sharpshooters" or "designated marksmen" in other doctrines (see the "Sniper" article). They do so because the long-range engagement ability was lost to ordinary troops when submachine guns (which are optimized for close-range, rapid-fire combat) were adopted.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko with her Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle.
The statue of Rubakho, soviet sniper who killed more than 300 Axis soldiers. This statue can be seen in the Russian Black Sea Fleet Museum, Sevastopol.
Soviet military doctrine used snipers for providing long-distance suppressive fire and for eliminating targets of opportunity, especially leaders, because during The Great Patriotic War, Soviet military leaders and combat theorists (Vasily Zaytsev contributed greatly to Soviet sniper doctrine, although he was officially neither of these) found that military organisations have difficulty replacing experienced non-commissioned officers and field officers during times of war. They also found that the more expensive and less rugged sniper rifles could match the cost-effectiveness of a cheaper assault rifle given good personnel selection, training, and adherence to doctrine. The Soviet Union also used women for sniping duties extensively, including Lyudmila Pavlichenko and Nina Lobkovskaya. The most successful Soviet use of snipers during the Great Patriotic War was during their defensive stages of the war (1941-1943), after which the advantage of defence shifted to the German side and German snipers became a real danger to the advancing Soviets.
After the introduction of the SVD, the Soviet army deployed snipers at platoon level. Those snipers were often chosen from personnel who did well in terms of rifle marksmanship while members of DOSAAF. Such snipers were estimated to have a 50% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at 800 m (1/2 mile), and an 80% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at 500 m. For distances not exceeding 200 m the probability was estimated to be well above 90%. To attain this level of accuracy the sniper could not engage more than two such targets per minute.
Ivan Sidorenko
Born September 12, 1919
Sidorenko with his Hero of the Soviet Union Golden Star medal
Place of birth Smolensk, Russia
Allegiance Soviet Union
Years of service 1939–1945
Rank Major
Unit 1st Baltic Front, 1122nd Rifle Regiment
Battles/wars World War II
• Eastern Front
Awards Hero of the Soviet Union
Early years
Born a peasant in Smolensk, Russia, Sidorenko attended ten grades of school, and later studied at the Penza Art College at Penza, south-east of Moscow. In 1939, he dropped out of college, and was conscripted into the Red Army, for training at the Simferopol Military Infantry School, in the Crimea.
Born a peasant in Smolensk, Russia, Sidorenko attended ten grades of school, and later studied at the Penza Art College at Penza, south-east of Moscow. In 1939, he dropped out of college, and was conscripted into the Red Army, for training at the Simferopol Military Infantry School, in the Crimea.
World War II service
In 1941, he participated at the Battle of Moscow, as a Junior Lieutenant of a mortar company. During the battle, he spent a lot of time teaching himself to snipe. His hunts for enemy soldiers were successful, prompting Sidorenko's commanders to order him to train others—who were chosen for their eyesight, weapons knowledge, and endurance. He first taught them theory, and then slowly started taking them out on combat missions with him. The Germans soon began fielding snipers of their own in Sidorenko's area of operation, to counter the new threat posed by him and his men.
Sidorenko became assistant commander of the Headquarters of the 1122nd Rifle Regiment, fighting as part of the 1st Baltic Front. Though he mainly instructed, he occasionally fought in battles, taking one of his trainees with him. In one of these excursions, he destroyed a tank and three tractors using incendiary bullets. However, he was wounded several times, most seriously in Estonia, in 1944; he remained hospitalized until the end of the war. While recuperating from this wound, Sidorenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, on June 4, 1944. Sidorenko was prohibited from seeing combat again, by his superiors, as he was a valuable sniper trainer.
By the end of the war, Sidorenko was credited with about five hundred confirmed kills,and had trained over two hundred and fifty snipers.Ranked a Major, he was the most successful Soviet sniper of the Second World War,and used the Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle, equipped with a telescopic sight.Sidorenko's feat was not unique, however: several other Soviet snipers scored nearly as many kills.Also, Simo Häyhä of Finland is credited with having 542 confirmed kills.
In 1941, he participated at the Battle of Moscow, as a Junior Lieutenant of a mortar company. During the battle, he spent a lot of time teaching himself to snipe. His hunts for enemy soldiers were successful, prompting Sidorenko's commanders to order him to train others—who were chosen for their eyesight, weapons knowledge, and endurance. He first taught them theory, and then slowly started taking them out on combat missions with him. The Germans soon began fielding snipers of their own in Sidorenko's area of operation, to counter the new threat posed by him and his men.
Sidorenko became assistant commander of the Headquarters of the 1122nd Rifle Regiment, fighting as part of the 1st Baltic Front. Though he mainly instructed, he occasionally fought in battles, taking one of his trainees with him. In one of these excursions, he destroyed a tank and three tractors using incendiary bullets. However, he was wounded several times, most seriously in Estonia, in 1944; he remained hospitalized until the end of the war. While recuperating from this wound, Sidorenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, on June 4, 1944. Sidorenko was prohibited from seeing combat again, by his superiors, as he was a valuable sniper trainer.
By the end of the war, Sidorenko was credited with about five hundred confirmed kills,and had trained over two hundred and fifty snipers.Ranked a Major, he was the most successful Soviet sniper of the Second World War,and used the Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle, equipped with a telescopic sight.Sidorenko's feat was not unique, however: several other Soviet snipers scored nearly as many kills.Also, Simo Häyhä of Finland is credited with having 542 confirmed kills.
Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov (Russian: Фё́дор Матве́евич Охло́пков; (March 2, 1908 - May 28, 1968), was a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with as many as 513 kills. He was born in the village of Krest-Khaldzhay of what is now Tomponsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russian Federation.
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He worked at a Kolkhoz farm, as a machine-operator, hunter and gold miner. In 1941, when the war against Fascist Germany broke out, Okhlopkov and his brother joined the army, and his brother was soon killed. Okhlopkov was at first a machine-gunner, then commander of a sub-machine gun company, and in October 1942 he became a sniper.
Okhlopkov was one of the most effective snipers in the Red Army during the World War II. He was granted the status of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1965 (#10678) as well as an Order of Lenin, after complaints he had been overlooked for the citations due to his ethnicity (he was an ethnic Yakut). In 1974, a commercial cargo ship was named in his honour. Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov
Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev
March 23, 1915 – December 15, 1991 (aged 76)
Vasily Zaytsev in Stalingrad, October 1942.
Place of birth Yeleninskoye, Russian Empire
Place of death Kiev, USSR
Allegiance Soviet Union
Years of service 1937–1945
Rank Captain
Battles/wars Great Patriotic War
Battle of Stalingrad
Awards Hero of the Soviet Union
Order of Lenin
Order of the Red Banner, 2 times
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class
Medal for the Defence of Stalingrad
Medal For the Victory Over Germany
Vasily Grigorevich Zaytsev (Russian: Василий Григорьевич Зайцев, IPA: [vʌˈsʲilʲɪj ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjevʲɪtɕ ˈzajtsɨf]; March 23, 1915 – December 15, 1991) was a Soviet sniper during World War II, notable particularly for his activities between November 10 and December 17, 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad. He killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 enemy snipers.[1]
Prior to November 10, he had already killed 32 Axis soldiers with the standard-issue Mosin-Nagant rifle.[1] Between October 1942 and January 1943, Zaytsev had made 242 verified kills, but the real number may be much higher.[2]
Zaytsev was nearly killed by an enemy sniper.[3] His military rank at the time was
Prior to November 10, he had already killed 32 Axis soldiers with the standard-issue Mosin-Nagant rifle.[1] Between October 1942 and January 1943, Zaytsev had made 242 verified kills, but the real number may be much higher.[2]
Zaytsev was nearly killed by an enemy sniper.[3] His military rank at the time was
Early life and World War II
Zaytsev's rifle on display
Zaytsev was born in Yeleninskoye and grew up in the Ural Mountains. His surname is based on the Russian word zayats (заяц) meaning "hare". Before going to Stalingrad, he served in the Soviet Navy as a clerk but upon reading about the brutality of the fighting in Stalingrad, volunteered for front-line duty. Zaytsev served in the 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th Rifle Division of the 62nd Army. He is notable for having participated in the Battle of Stalingrad. There, the Soviets set up a snipers' training school in the Metiz factory; it was run by Zaytsev. The snipers Zaytsev trained were nicknamed zaichata, meaning "leverets" (baby hares). Antony Beevor wrote in Stalingrad that this was the start of the "sniper movement" in the 62nd Army. Conferences were arranged to spread the doctrine of "sniperism" and exchange ideas on technique and principles that were not limited to marksmanship skills. It is estimated that the snipers Zaytsev trained killed more than 3000 enemy soldiers.
Zaytsev took part in the battle for Stalingrad until January 1943, when he suffered an injury to his eyes from a mortar attack. He was attended to by Professor Filatov, who is credited with restoring his sight. On February 22, 1943 Zaytsev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He then returned to the front and finished the war on the Dniestr River with the military rank of Captain. After the end of the war, Zaytsev visited Berlin, where he met friends who served with him. After the war, Zaytsev managed a factory in Kiev, and remained in that city until he died in 1991 at the age of 76 just 10 days before the final dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In 2001, a feature length film, Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, was loosely based on the Battle of Stalingrad, most notably displaying an ongoing rivalry with a Nazi marksman, Major Erwin König. Although Zaytsev really took part in the Battle of Stalingrad, the movie was mostly fiction. While it is likely that a three day duel between Zaytsev and a talented German sniper did actually take place, since Zaytsev himself indicates this in his own memoirs, there is no evidence that any Major Erwin König ever existed.
Commemoration
On January 31, 2006, Vasily Zaytsev was reburied on Mamayev Kurgan with full military honors. Zaytsev's dying wish was to be buried at the monument to the defenders of Stalingrad. His coffin was carried next to a monument where his famous quote is written: "For us there was no land beyond (the) Volga."
The telescopic sight from Heinz Thorvald's (aka König's) rifle, allegedly Zaytsev's most treasured trophy, is still exhibited in the Moscow armed forces museum today.[citation needed] Zaytsev claims in his memoir Notes of a Sniper that he stalked Major Konig for a week and eventually found the so called "Konig" under a sheet of metal. Zaytsev then slid a glove over a plank of wood and exposed it, upon which the German sniper shot right through it. Then Vasily's partner, Nikolay Kulikov, raised a helmet on a stick and the German sniper shot that, too. This time, however, Vasily saw where the German sniper was located and shot him, killing him. Vasily and his partner Kulikov went to the German sniper's body and took his documents and rifle. The alleged duel is depicted in David L. Robbins' book War of the Rats and fictionalized in the film Enemy at the Gates, which drew its inspiration from approximately three pages of the nonfiction book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, written by historian William Craig. Whether this duel actually took place is disputed by some historians, due to lack of any evidence as to whether there was a German sniper of such name or rank who ever existed during World War II.[4] Zaytsev himself did make mention of the duel in his own autobiography, Notes of a Sniper, in which he commented that he had been up against a very skilled German sniper named Herr Koning from Berlin. In the documentary, Russia's War: Blood upon the Snow, Zaytsev says he never would have guessed that such a bigshot had flown to Stalingrad but when he and his men dragged the German out, they found him to be the head of Berlin's sniper school.
On January 31, 2006, Vasily Zaytsev was reburied on Mamayev Kurgan with full military honors. Zaytsev's dying wish was to be buried at the monument to the defenders of Stalingrad. His coffin was carried next to a monument where his famous quote is written: "For us there was no land beyond (the) Volga."
The telescopic sight from Heinz Thorvald's (aka König's) rifle, allegedly Zaytsev's most treasured trophy, is still exhibited in the Moscow armed forces museum today.[citation needed] Zaytsev claims in his memoir Notes of a Sniper that he stalked Major Konig for a week and eventually found the so called "Konig" under a sheet of metal. Zaytsev then slid a glove over a plank of wood and exposed it, upon which the German sniper shot right through it. Then Vasily's partner, Nikolay Kulikov, raised a helmet on a stick and the German sniper shot that, too. This time, however, Vasily saw where the German sniper was located and shot him, killing him. Vasily and his partner Kulikov went to the German sniper's body and took his documents and rifle. The alleged duel is depicted in David L. Robbins' book War of the Rats and fictionalized in the film Enemy at the Gates, which drew its inspiration from approximately three pages of the nonfiction book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, written by historian William Craig. Whether this duel actually took place is disputed by some historians, due to lack of any evidence as to whether there was a German sniper of such name or rank who ever existed during World War II.[4] Zaytsev himself did make mention of the duel in his own autobiography, Notes of a Sniper, in which he commented that he had been up against a very skilled German sniper named Herr Koning from Berlin. In the documentary, Russia's War: Blood upon the Snow, Zaytsev says he never would have guessed that such a bigshot had flown to Stalingrad but when he and his men dragged the German out, they found him to be the head of Berlin's sniper school.
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