World War II Snipers
73
A sniper is an infantry soldier who specializes in shooting from concealment and/or longer ranges than regular infantry, often with a specially designed or adapted sniper rifle. It requires skill in marksmanship, camouflage and field craft.
The term sniper is attested from 1824 in the sense of “sharpshooter.” The verb to snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India-in the sense of: “to shoot from a hidden place,” in allusion to snipe hunting, a game bird known for being extremely difficult to locate, approach, or shoot. Those who were skilled at the hunting of this bird were thus dubbed “snipers.”
During the American Civil War, the common term used in the United States for much the same function was “skirmisher.” A Civil War army often protected itself when on the move by using such concealed marksmen, who were deployed individually on the extremes of the moving army. Generally, such skirmishers were selected on the basis of prior proven hunting and marksmanship skills. Often these were either young soldiers with promising maneuverability and fieldcraft, or older men with refined marksmanship and tactical skills. The term sniper hence did not reach widespread use in the United States until somewhat later than the American Civil War.
In the last few decades, the term “sniper” has been used rather loosely, especially by media in association with police precision riflemen, those responsible for assassination, any shooting from all but the shortest range in war, and any criminal equipped with a rifle in a civil context. In the Bosnian War, and for much of the Siege of Beirut, the term “sniper” was used to refer to what were generally ill-trained soldiers who terrorized civilians, mainly by firing at them from hi-rise windows and rooftops. During the Siege of Sarajevo, the main street of the city became known as “Sniper Alley”.
This has rather expanded the general understanding the term. It has also given “sniper” mixed connotations. Official sources often use other terms, especially for police snipers: “counter-sniper,” “precision marksman,” “tactical marksman,” “sharpshooter,” or “precision shooter.” Some of these alternatives have been in common use for a long time; others are closer to undisguised euphemisms.
Sniper rifles of World War II
World War II
Typical World War II-era sniper rifles were generally standard-issue rifles (hand-picked for accuracy) with a 2.5x telescopic sight and cheek-rest fitted, with the bolt turned down (if necessary) to allow operation with the scope affixed. By the end of the war, forces on all sides had specially-trained soldiers equipped with sniper rifles, and they have played an increasingly important role in military operations ever since.
excerpts from wikipedia.com
Examples of sniper rifles used during World War II:
- Mosin-Nagant M91/30 used by the Soviet Union and Finland
- Mauser K98k used by Germany
- Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I (T) used by the UK and Commonwealth
- SMLE Mk III* (HT) used by Australia
- Springfield M1903A4 used by the United States
- Arisaka Type 97 used by Japan
“Highly accurate professional German Army and Waffen SS sniper units were very effective during World War II.
Their deadly precision fire was legendary. In 1945, for example, the German Army fielded many units such as
Kampfgruppe, "...Wesler, a company of snipers whose specialist activities and high 'kill' rate had so dominated one
Russian bridgehead on the River Oder that enemy activity on that sector was held in check..."
German snipers were posted everywhere throughout the German combat forces. Up to 22 German snipers were typically
deployed with a German rifle battalion. Each sniper was paired with a marksman from that battalion in a two-man team.”
Excerpt from Death by Precision Fire
Famous World War II Snipers
Name: Simo Hayha Location:Finland Kills: 542
Name:Ivan Sidorenko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:500
Name:Nikolay Yakovlevich Ilyin Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:496
Name:Kulbertinov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:487
Name: V. N. Pchelintsev Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:456
Name: Mikhail Budenkov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:437
Name:Fyodor Matveevich Okhlopkov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:429
Name:Fyodor Djachenko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:425
Name:Vasilij Ivanovich Golosov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:422
Name:Afanasy Gordienko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:417
Name:Stepan Petrenko Location:U.S.S.R. KIlls:412
Name: Sulo Kolkka Location: Finland Kills:400+
Name:Erwin Konig Location:Germany Kills:400
Name:Vasili Zaitsev Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:400
visit the link below for next remaining snipers of world war II
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII
Sniper Tactics of the Great Patriotic War
The Soviet Sniper has been glorified and romanticized in film and print but do we really have an accurate picture of Soviet sniper tactics during the Great Patriotic War or as we call it, World Ward Two. These soldiers - both men and women carried a great deal of responsibility when they entered the battle. The general perception of snipers are that they are cold hearted assassins, natural born shooters and larger than life heroes. In fact, they were former factory workers, school girls and clerks. They came from every walk of life and were humble and self-sacrificing.
Soviet snipers were a part of the military planning and tactics long before the outbreak of the war. The Soviet experience from the first world war highlighted the importance of incorporating sharpshooters or snipers into their battle plans. Marksmanship and sharp shooting skills were emphasized in both the military and in official state run youth and recreation programs. When the rifle 1891/30 was developed it was also decided to develope a sniper variant. Up until that time the official tactics for small units largely ignored the importance of utilizing snipers equipped with special purpose rifles. The Soviet Army did utilize sharpshooters but they were equipped with either standard infantry rifles or sometimes civilian hunting rifles. However, the shooting skills of the Finns during the Winter War drove home a bloody point that could not be ignored by the Soviet high command. Soviet field commanders feared the presence of Finn sharpshooters and snipers and recognized that these snipers were able to disrupt the communications and flow of battle and served to demoralize front line troops. It was the experience of these commanders that shaped sniper tactics in the Soviet Army.
The initial plan was to equip every platoon sized unit with a sniper rifle to be used their best shooter. However, with only about 50,000 rifles in the inventory, the Army was hard pressed to man every platoon with snipers as the Army expanded. An unfortunate decision by the command led to a further diluting of sniper effectiveness through the introduction of the SVT sniper rifle. This rifle suffered from a series of problems when used in the field as a result of its design as a semi-automatic rifle. For one thing, it did not respond well to extremely cold environments and suffered problems with the lubricant gumming up its working parts. Another problem was in cold shot accuracy where the first round fired would tend to wander significantly wide of the point of aim. Many snipers complained that the rifle was unwieldy and mechanically loud to operate.
By the time the Soviets were fully engaged with German forces a rush program was initiated to get the 91/30 Sniper fully into production. In 1942 production figures totaled in the 90,000 range. As more of these rifles reached units, existing tactics were put into practice and refined. To examine the tactics of the Soviet Sniper, it is necessary to review the philosophy for using snipers in the first place. Under the Soviet system, snipers were fielded in teams of two with a sniper and an observer. Both team members were qualified snipers and changed roles after each kill. The sniper was to provide both scouting duties as well as point and indirect fire to disrupt enemy activities and communications. The observer assisted in spotting potential targets, provided security and recorded and confirmed kills. Each sniper carried a "kill book" where they recorded time, date, location and details of each kill or engagement. This book was also used to record detailed information on German troop concentrations and movements. As mentioned before, the sniper was assigned at platoon level and reported directly to the platoon leader. Most sniper teams worked autonomously and ranged ahead of advancing formations or across an assigned frontal sector.
The Great Patriotic War produced some changes to the way sniper teams operated. The advancing German Army moved rapidly and unpredictably, using flanking maneuvers to surround retreating or static forces and cut them off. Soviet commanders reacted to this by concentrating their sniper teams on their flanks out away from the main body to impede Nazi advances on the flanks. This required platoon teams to gather in larger groups that worked together to provide advance warning to the majorcommand elements of German movement as well as to concentrate their firepower.
Tactics in urban areas were somewhat new to Soviet snipers as they fought in rural settings during previous conflicts. Much of the doctrine developed for urban sniper engagements was refined as sniper teams operated in those settings. Cover and concealment was fundamental operating in any environment but proved to be a challenge in the urban setting. Although the cities were in various states of ruin, the rubble that was fought in presented a unique challenge. In the countryside, cover and concealment was a matter of blending in with the natural foliage and scrub. In a city, rubble and buildings were quite angular and prone to making the rounded silhouette of the human body stand out. Snipers had to learn how to use the rubble to their advantage.
The sniper was given very specific responsibilities whether fighting in the country or the city and although those responsibilities were specific, the level of independent action afforded the sniper was unprecedented in the Soviet Army. The sniper was a scout, blocking force, psychological operations unit, and deadly marksman all rolled into one. To earn the coveted sniper badge he or she had to demonstrate skill with the standard infantry rifle, small unit tactics, engaging both land and air targets, use of grenades and sapper explosives and leadership. The men and women of the sniper corps were held to to a higher standard than mainstream troops and were expected to serve as role models.
Source: http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/soviet_sniper_article.htm
Vasily Zaytsev
(Russian: Васи́лий Григо́рьевич За́йцев (March 23, 1915–December 15, 1991) was a Soviet sniper during World War II who between November 10 and December 17, 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 enemy snipers. Prior to 10 November he had already killed 32 Axis soldiers with the standard-issue Mosin-Nagant rifle ("tryokhlineyka", three line rifle). Between October 1942 and January 1943, Zaytsev had made 242 verified kills, but the real number may be much higher, some argue it might have been as many as 400. His military rank at the time was Junior Lieutenant.
Source: wikipedia.com
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Comments
Yeah....each of these men is worth a regular batallion
Russian front is the true battleground of WW2, more massive than the Western front
They got tons of aces there sniper aces, tank aces, fighter aces, tank buster aces, only one they don't have....sub aces
the red army destroyed the fascists single handedly in ww2. lets stop even talking about the so called western front. the soviet army and red partisans deserve all the credit not only in europe but the pacific. the japanese fascists did not surrender until after the invincible red army entered the war. in spite of the slander against him, stalin showed himself to be the greatest leader in history! he exterminated the nazis and later defeated the american imperialist invaders in korea.
your a moron andy, yeah stalin was a great guy
Hey Andy,
who do you think supply the Russian in WW2 and japan surrender after the American dropped the bomb. Go back to school. I agree with Kimbo.
Personaly I think yes stalin was a good guy but sometimes how he lead his troops in the war seemed very unorthodox especialy in the battle of stalingrad but I guess there must have been some reason behind his choices but really I dont think I could figure those choices out.
Yeah.. you guys should have watched "enemy at the gates." This movie features the sniping skills of Vasily which was truly a bigger than life hero. Snipers are truly heroes. rock on!! azteg!
andy ur a dumb ass! america and the rest of the allied forces took out the nazis, surrounded hitler (which caused him to kill HIMSELF!) and dropped 2 nukes onto japan. the red army entered the war so they wouldn't look like bitches compared to the rest of the world!!!I think bob is right get ur ass back in school u wanna-be soviate!
p.s. if the red army was sooo invincible then where r they now? six feet under thats where.one thing we agree on stalin is one of the greatest leaders of the time
Simo Hayha wasn't a WWII sniper, he was a sniper in the Winter War.
huh
The Russians are Kick A-- Snipers!!!!!!
is this a disscussion or something
Simo Hayha was in the Winter War, which was a battleground in WWII, it was called the Winter War because, it took place between the Winter of 1940-41, or 41-42, but Simo Hayha also sniper at the Russian invaders the second time they attacked in 1944 or 1945.
andy ur a dumb ass! america and the rest of the allied forces took out the nazis, surrounded hitler (which caused him to kill HIMSELF!) and dropped 2 nukes onto japan. the red army entered the war so they wouldn't look like bitches compared to the rest of the world!!!I think bob is right get ur ass back in school u wanna-be soviate!
vamp, u obviously have NO DAMN IDEA what your talking about. The western allies never even entered berlin with their ground forces you idiot. The red army took berlin and hitler killed himself the day before they took the reichstag, all the while the americans, british, canadians and so on were either in the medditeranian or stuck fighting the remnants of the german army in the Ardennes. The red army entered so they wouldnt look like bitches? you should just thank your lucky ass that the red army stopped where they did because we could have easily kept marching past berlin and destroyed every last ounce of allied forces in western europe. We enetered with germany, but germany attacked us, and by 1942, we were wooping their asses all over the soviet union and beyond, so dont call our army "bitches" because our soldiers of WWII were FAR superior to your allied soldiers, and still today, they Russian soldiers are far superior than american soldiers. I will admit that we arent the best, the canadians and austrailians are BY FAR the best soldiers in the world, but our Russian soldiers FAR surpass your americans in combat skill and prowess.
andy, you truly know what your talking about! YES, I KNOW THE ALLIES SUPPLIED US, but we would have pulled through even if they werent, if it werent for us on the allied side, the western allies would have simply been pulverised by the sheer might of the german war machine, the only reason your werent is because they needed 70% of their military just to attempt holding us off, which didnt work at all.
Andy your talking out of your ass
Simo Hayha had those kills in about three months and never attended in Continuation War with Soviet Union between 41-44. He was wounded in the Winter War and so couldn´t attend the Continuation War even thou he wanted. Those kill doesn´t even include kills made by smg or lmg. And btw Winter War was fought 39-40. Hayha didn´t even use scope in his rifle...
I just want to throw my two cents in... Russian soldiers were brave men who died for their country. The problem is that they died for their country in droves. Stalin thought quite a lot of himself, and quite a lot of "his" city, Stalingrad. Yeah, they ended up being victorious in Stalingrad but at what cost? He refused to give it up due to pride, it had no strategic value. His pride killed horrifying numbers of what were no doubt brave, loyal Russians who most likely thought they were fighting for something real.
Vamp... Ugh.
interesting..hmm, can't win em all
the battle of stalingrad was indeed a long and bloody battle, but wars aren't won with weapons alone. losing Stalingrad would mean more than just his pride, his entire army would be demoralized. In fact, out of the wreckage, it turned the whole ordeal around and created an enormous morale boost to his troops.
It was like the literal equivalent to saying, "we are the red army! We are invincible! We will outlast you!"
My heart goes out to all those who had lost their lives protecting their country. RIP, brave souls.
if the whole german army was fighting the russians. The german army would have won the fight early But they had the western front
wow u guys are so serious
to respond to you rick you say that the battle of stalingrad had no strategic significance. quite the contrary stalingrad was important for the following reasons
1 stalingrad was the major city between the germans and the caucasus oil fields.
2 stalingrad bore the namesake of josef stalin and would be a great propaganda victory for the germans if it fell
i could go into others but there are plenty i suggenst you google them
yes the russian soldiers were brave but there was also the comissars sitting behind them with machine guns making them brave. if they retreated they were shot by their own men so really they were dammed if they did and damed if they didnt
i will be the first to say the U.S.S.R made one hell of a weapon... i recently purchased a Mosin Nagant 91/30 and lets just say it rings like a bell.. it easily topples over the German 8mm but doesnt match up when in comes to the American Springfield 1903
The idea that it took the Soviets to defeat Japan is laughable. The Japanese were defeated because they were beaten back to their home island and cut off from their empire. The Soviets entered war against Japan at the close of WW2 as an opportunity to grab territory. During the height of the Pacific War they wouldn't even allow crippled American aircraft to land in Soviet territory because they didn't want to antagonize the Japanese into attacking them. I am not faulting them for maintaining ambivalence toward Japan, they had Germany at their throat, but please Andy Stapp spare us your Bolshevik Babble.
The idea that the Western Front was a non-factor? Also 100% rubbish. Here's a clue for you: if the German war machine had the luxury of taking on *either* front without worrying about the other, mark it a win for the Nazis. They got caught in the Soviet-British-American vise and that's how they lost. Even so they damn near could have won, not bad for a country the size of Wisconsin.
Wow great article..love to hold a gun..but in a good way..
World War 2 was the worst and most single devasting chapter in human history,i am convinced that the western allies helped the red army to destroy the most devasting war machine in history
yeah andy you are a stupid for not to see that if the nazis had taken stalingrad all russia woud had been in trouble becouse germany would had crush it with his superior army(that had better quality,not numerical advantage like the russian had).
P S: sorry if my inglish is not clear because i´m from argentina.
Hitler was the greatest leader in the history of the world......He made some mistakes.....so he failed.....His army was invincible and technologically advanced....skilled....and devastating... But he's a bad guy after all...as he did bad things to jews... i consider him my leader...but if i were in the theater of WWII ....i would have killed him for his deeds, although i am his fan.. he was also a fool....
snipers dominate warfare when i grow up i want to be a sniper
World War II Snipers
75
rate or flag this page
By daryl2007
A sniper is an infantry soldier who specializes in shooting from concealment and/or longer ranges than regular infantry, often with a specially designed or adapted sniper rifle. It requires skill in marksmanship, camouflage and field craft.
The term sniper is attested from 1824 in the sense of “sharpshooter.” The verb to snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India-in the sense of: “to shoot from a hidden place,” in allusion to snipe hunting, a game bird known for being extremely difficult to locate, approach, or shoot. Those who were skilled at the hunting of this bird were thus dubbed “snipers.”
During the American Civil War, the common term used in the United States for much the same function was “skirmisher.” A Civil War army often protected itself when on the move by using such concealed marksmen, who were deployed individually on the extremes of the moving army. Generally, such skirmishers were selected on the basis of prior proven hunting and marksmanship skills. Often these were either young soldiers with promising maneuverability and fieldcraft, or older men with refined marksmanship and tactical skills. The term sniper hence did not reach widespread use in the United States until somewhat later than the American Civil War.
In the last few decades, the term “sniper” has been used rather loosely, especially by media in association with police precision riflemen, those responsible for assassination, any shooting from all but the shortest range in war, and any criminal equipped with a rifle in a civil context. In the Bosnian War, and for much of the Siege of Beirut, the term “sniper” was used to refer to what were generally ill-trained soldiers who terrorized civilians, mainly by firing at them from hi-rise windows and rooftops. During the Siege of Sarajevo, the main street of the city became known as “Sniper Alley”.
This has rather expanded the general understanding the term. It has also given “sniper” mixed connotations. Official sources often use other terms, especially for police snipers: “counter-sniper,” “precision marksman,” “tactical marksman,” “sharpshooter,” or “precision shooter.” Some of these alternatives have been in common use for a long time; others are closer to undisguised euphemisms.
Sniper rifles of World War II
World War II
Typical World War II-era sniper rifles were generally standard-issue rifles (hand-picked for accuracy) with a 2.5x telescopic sight and cheek-rest fitted, with the bolt turned down (if necessary) to allow operation with the scope affixed. By the end of the war, forces on all sides had specially-trained soldiers equipped with sniper rifles, and they have played an increasingly important role in military operations ever since.
excerpts from wikipedia.com
Examples of sniper rifles used during World War II:
* Mosin-Nagant M91/30 used by the Soviet Union and Finland
* Mauser K98k used by Germany
* Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I (T) used by the UK and Commonwealth
* SMLE Mk III* (HT) used by Australia
* Springfield M1903A4 used by the United States
* Arisaka Type 97 used by Japan
“Highly accurate professional German Army and Waffen SS sniper units were very effective during World War II.
Their deadly precision fire was legendary. In 1945, for example, the German Army fielded many units such as
Kampfgruppe, "...Wesler, a company of snipers whose specialist activities and high 'kill' rate had so dominated one
Russian bridgehead on the River Oder that enemy activity on that sector was held in check..."
German snipers were posted everywhere throughout the German combat forces. Up to 22 German snipers were typically
deployed with a German rifle battalion. Each sniper was paired with a marksman from that battalion in a two-man team.”
Excerpt from Death by Precision Fire
Famous World War II Snipers
Name: Simo Hayha Location:Finland Kills: 542
Name:Ivan Sidorenko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:500
Name:Nikolay Yakovlevich Ilyin Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:496
Name:Kulbertinov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:487
Name: V. N. Pchelintsev Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:456
Name: Mikhail Budenkov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:437
Name:Fyodor Matveevich Okhlopkov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:429
Name:Fyodor Djachenko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:425
Name:Vasilij Ivanovich Golosov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:422
Name:Afanasy Gordienko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:417
Name:Stepan Petrenko Location:U.S.S.R. KIlls:412
Name: Sulo Kolkka Location: Finland Kills:400+
Name:Erwin Konig Location:Germany Kills:400
Name:Vasili Zaitsev Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:400
visit the link below for next remaining snipers of world war II
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII
Sniper Tactics of the Great Patriotic War
The Soviet Sniper has been glorified and romanticized in film and print but do we really have an accurate picture of Soviet sniper tactics during the Great Patriotic War or as we call it, World Ward Two. These soldiers - both men and women carried a great deal of responsibility when they entered the battle. The general perception of snipers are that they are cold hearted assassins, natural born shooters and larger than life heroes. In fact, they were former factory workers, school girls and clerks. They came from every walk of life and were humble and self-sacrificing.
Soviet snipers were a part of the military planning and tactics long before the outbreak of the war. The Soviet experience from the first world war highlighted the importance of incorporating sharpshooters or snipers into their battle plans. Marksmanship and sharp shooting skills were emphasized in both the military and in official state run youth and recreation programs. When the rifle 1891/30 was developed it was also decided to develope a sniper variant. Up until that time the official tactics for small units largely ignored the importance of utilizing snipers equipped with special purpose rifles. The Soviet Army did utilize sharpshooters but they were equipped with either standard infantry rifles or sometimes civilian hunting rifles. However, the shooting skills of the Finns during the Winter War drove home a bloody point that could not be ignored by the Soviet high command. Soviet field commanders feared the presence of Finn sharpshooters and snipers and recognized that these snipers were able to disrupt the communications and flow of battle and served to demoralize front line troops. It was the experience of these commanders that shaped sniper tactics in the Soviet Army.
The initial plan was to equip every platoon sized unit with a sniper rifle to be used their best shooter. However, with only about 50,000 rifles in the inventory, the Army was hard pressed to man every platoon with snipers as the Army expanded. An unfortunate decision by the command led to a further diluting of sniper effectiveness through the introduction of the SVT sniper rifle. This rifle suffered from a series of problems when used in the field as a result of its design as a semi-automatic rifle. For one thing, it did not respond well to extremely cold environments and suffered problems with the lubricant gumming up its working parts. Another problem was in cold shot accuracy where the first round fired would tend to wander significantly wide of the point of aim. Many snipers complained that the rifle was unwieldy and mechanically loud to operate.
By the time the Soviets were fully engaged with German forces a rush program was initiated to get the 91/30 Sniper fully into production. In 1942 production figures totaled in the 90,000 range. As more of these rifles reached units, existing tactics were put into practice and refined. To examine the tactics of the Soviet Sniper, it is necessary to review the philosophy for using snipers in the first place. Under the Soviet system, snipers were fielded in teams of two with a sniper and an observer. Both team members were qualified snipers and changed roles after each kill. The sniper was to provide both scouting duties as well as point and indirect fire to disrupt enemy activities and communications. The observer assisted in spotting potential targets
World War II Snipers
75
rate or flag this page
By daryl2007
A sniper is an infantry soldier who specializes in shooting from concealment and/or longer ranges than regular infantry, often with a specially designed or adapted sniper rifle. It requires skill in marksmanship, camouflage and field craft.
The term sniper is attested from 1824 in the sense of “sharpshooter.” The verb to snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India-in the sense of: “to shoot from a hidden place,” in allusion to snipe hunting, a game bird known for being extremely difficult to locate, approach, or shoot. Those who were skilled at the hunting of this bird were thus dubbed “snipers.”
During the American Civil War, the common term used in the United States for much the same function was “skirmisher.” A Civil War army often protected itself when on the move by using such concealed marksmen, who were deployed individually on the extremes of the moving army. Generally, such skirmishers were selected on the basis of prior proven hunting and marksmanship skills. Often these were either young soldiers with promising maneuverability and fieldcraft, or older men with refined marksmanship and tactical skills. The term sniper hence did not reach widespread use in the United States until somewhat later than the American Civil War.
In the last few decades, the term “sniper” has been used rather loosely, especially by media in association with police precision riflemen, those responsible for assassination, any shooting from all but the shortest range in war, and any criminal equipped with a rifle in a civil context. In the Bosnian War, and for much of the Siege of Beirut, the term “sniper” was used to refer to what were generally ill-trained soldiers who terrorized civilians, mainly by firing at them from hi-rise windows and rooftops. During the Siege of Sarajevo, the main street of the city became known as “Sniper Alley”.
This has rather expanded the general understanding the term. It has also given “sniper” mixed connotations. Official sources often use other terms, especially for police snipers: “counter-sniper,” “precision marksman,” “tactical marksman,” “sharpshooter,” or “precision shooter.” Some of these alternatives have been in common use for a long time; others are closer to undisguised euphemisms.
Sniper rifles of World War II
World War II
Typical World War II-era sniper rifles were generally standard-issue rifles (hand-picked for accuracy) with a 2.5x telescopic sight and cheek-rest fitted, with the bolt turned down (if necessary) to allow operation with the scope affixed. By the end of the war, forces on all sides had specially-trained soldiers equipped with sniper rifles, and they have played an increasingly important role in military operations ever since.
excerpts from wikipedia.com
Examples of sniper rifles used during World War II:
* Mosin-Nagant M91/30 used by the Soviet Union and Finland
* Mauser K98k used by Germany
* Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I (T) used by the UK and Commonwealth
* SMLE Mk III* (HT) used by Australia
* Springfield M1903A4 used by the United States
* Arisaka Type 97 used by Japan
“Highly accurate professional German Army and Waffen SS sniper units were very effective during World War II.
Their deadly precision fire was legendary. In 1945, for example, the German Army fielded many units such as
Kampfgruppe, "...Wesler, a company of snipers whose specialist activities and high 'kill' rate had so dominated one
Russian bridgehead on the River Oder that enemy activity on that sector was held in check..."
German snipers were posted everywhere throughout the German combat forces. Up to 22 German snipers were typically
deployed with a German rifle battalion. Each sniper was paired with a marksman from that battalion in a two-man team.”
Excerpt from Death by Precision Fire
Famous World War II Snipers
Name: Simo Hayha Location:Finland Kills: 542
Name:Ivan Sidorenko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:500
Name:Nikolay Yakovlevich Ilyin Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:496
Name:Kulbertinov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:487
Name: V. N. Pchelintsev Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:456
Name: Mikhail Budenkov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:437
Name:Fyodor Matveevich Okhlopkov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:429
Name:Fyodor Djachenko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:425
Name:Vasilij Ivanovich Golosov Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:422
Name:Afanasy Gordienko Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:417
Name:Stepan Petrenko Location:U.S.S.R. KIlls:412
Name: Sulo Kolkka Location: Finland Kills:400+
Name:Erwin Konig Location:Germany Kills:400
Name:Vasili Zaitsev Location:U.S.S.R. Kills:400
visit the link below for next remaining snipers of world war II
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII
Sniper Tactics of the Great Patriotic War
The Soviet Sniper has been glorified and romanticized in film and print but do we really have an accurate picture of Soviet sniper tactics during the Great Patriotic War or as we call it, World Ward Two. These soldiers - both men and women carried a great deal of responsibility when they entered the battle. The general perception of snipers are that they are cold hearted assassins, natural born shooters and larger than life heroes. In fact, they were former factory workers, school girls and clerks. They came from every walk of life and were humble and self-sacrificing.
Soviet snipers were a part of the military planning and tactics long before the outbreak of the war. The Soviet experience from the first world war highlighted the importance of incorporating sharpshooters or snipers into their battle plans. Marksmanship and sharp shooting skills were emphasized in both the military and in official state run youth and recreation programs. When the rifle 1891/30 was developed it was also decided to develope a sniper variant. Up until that time the official tactics for small units largely ignored the importance of utilizing snipers equipped with special purpose rifles. The Soviet Army did utilize sharpshooters but they were equipped with either standard infantry rifles or sometimes civilian hunting rifles. However, the shooting skills of the Finns during the Winter War drove home a bloody point that could not be ignored by the Soviet high command. Soviet field commanders feared the presence of Finn sharpshooters and snipers and recognized that these snipers were able to disrupt the communications and flow of battle and served to demoralize front line troops. It was the experience of these commanders that shaped sniper tactics in the Soviet Army.
The initial plan was to equip every platoon sized unit with a sniper rifle to be used their best shooter. However, with only about 50,000 rifles in the inventory, the Army was hard pressed to man every platoon with snipers as the Army expanded. An unfortunate decision by the command led to a further diluting of sniper effectiveness through the introduction of the SVT sniper rifle. This rifle suffered from a series of problems when used in the field as a result of its design as a semi-automatic rifle. For one thing, it did not respond well to extremely cold environments and suffered problems with the lubricant gumming up its working parts. Another problem was in cold shot accuracy where the first round fired would tend to wander significantly wide of the point of aim. Many snipers complained that the rifle was unwieldy and mechanically loud to operate.
By the time the Soviets were fully engaged with German forces a rush program was initiated to get the 91/30 Sniper fully into production. In 1942 production figures totaled in the 90,000 range. As more of these rifles reached units, existing tactics were put into practice and refined. To examine the tactics of the Soviet Sniper, it is necessary to review the philosophy for using snipers in the first place. Under the Soviet system, snipers were fielded in teams of two with a sniper and an observer. Both team members were qualified snipers and changed roles after each kill. The sniper was to provide both scouting duties as well as point and indirect fire to disrupt enemy activities and communications. The observer assisted in spotting potential targets
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