Snipers have proven to be extremely valuable and have become crucial components of military strategy over the last century. A sniper is a skilled sharpshooter capable of eliminating enemies unseen from a distance and providing reconnaissance. Snipers have been deployed as early as the American Revolution and have seen action in almost all major wars since World War 1.
World War 2 was no different and saw extensive use of snipers, especially by the Soviet Union, which prioritized the training of snipers in the decade leading up to the war. The investment paid off, as 95 of the 100 best snipers were from the Soviet Union. This article examines the six best snipers of World War II who became historical icons for their remarkable marksmanship and bravery.
6: Roza Georgiyevna Shanina
Shanina volunteered to join the sniper academy after learning about the death of her brother during the siege of Leningrad in 1941. She was dubbed “the unseen terror of East Prussia” by a Canadian newspaper after proving her unusual skill to hit two targets in quick succession and had 59 confirmed kills to her name. She was appointed the Senior sergeant in 1944 but unfortunately died aged 20 in the face of the East Prussian Offensive.
5: Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov
Okhlopkov was from a Yakut family, a Turkic ethnicity found in the northern parts of Russia. He was drafted into the Red Army along with his brother in 1941. However, his brother died early in the war following which Okhlopkov dedicated his life to avenging. He was initially a commander of a machine gun squad but was later made a sniper owing to his phenomenal marksmanship. He had 429 confirmed kills to his name, was given the title Hero of the Soviet Union and had a ship named after him.
4: Matthäus Hetzenauer
Hetzenauer was the most successful sniper of the German Army in the Second World War. He saw action on the front in Carpathians, Hungary, and Slovakia. Credited with 345 kills, Hetzenauer holds the record for the longest kill shot from the Second World War at 1100 meters. He was awarded Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 April 1945 for showing immense bravery without fear for his own safety under heavy artillery fire and numerous sniper kills of enemy commanders and important leaders.
3: Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko
Hero of the Soviet Union, Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko was a Red Army officer with approximately 500 confirmed kills. He was an art student in college but dropped out after he was conscripted into the army. The most successful Soviet sniper of all time had no proper sniper training but learned himself during the early stages of the war. He was injured sometime in 1944 and spent the rest of his military career training as many as 250 snipers.
2: Lyudmila Mykhailivna Ppavlichenko
Pavlichenko volunteered to join the Red Army when Germany began its invasion of the Soviet Union at a time women were not accepted as soldiers. She was the most successful female sniper of the Second World War, with 309 confirmed kills. The Ukrainian-born Soviet sniper was evacuated to Moscow after being hit by mortar fire. She recovered completely, but never returned to the frontline and instead became a trainer of other Soviet snipers. The success of Lyudmila Pavlichenko made her a popular figure, due to which she was sent on support campaigns to Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
1: Simo Häyhä
Nicknamed “The White Death”, Simo Häyhä is arguably the most famous sniper from the Second World War. He fought in Kollaa and Ulismaa after the Red Army invaded Finland during the Winter War of 1939 to 1940. It is believed that he killed as many as 542 enemy soldiers with his marksmanship, making him the deadliest sniper of all time. Simo Häyhä went into a coma when he was shot in the face near the end of the and regained consciousness on March 13, 1940, the day war ended.