The most successful sniper in the world. Snipers of the Great Patriotic War. Number of enemies destroyed

– josser

A good sniper can undermine the enemy's morale by taking out key figures. They can prevent the enemy from completing his task.

But the next ten people aren't just good snipers; these are great snipers. They are the best of the best. They are the Military Channel's top 10 snipers.

Navy SEAL snipers

After pirates failed to capture his ship, the Maersk Alabama, Captain Richard Phillips surrendered to the bandits in order to guarantee the safety of his crew.

The pirates kept Captain Phillips aboard a lifeboat for several days while attempting to negotiate with the US Navy. But eventually the boat ran out of fuel and the pirates agreed to allow the US Navy to attach a tow rope from the USS Bainbridge to the boat.

This was their fatal mistake.

This step allowed three US Navy SEAL snipers to take positions on the overhang of the Bainbridge's stern - just 75 feet (23 m; hereinafter - approx..).

Overcome by seasickness and in an excited state, the pirates became more and more aggressive. The command on the spot, concerned about the mortal danger threatening Phillip, gave the snipers the go-ahead to destroy the pirates to save the life of the captain.

The SEALs had to fire synchronized shots in order to take down 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 a short period of service as a fire instructor at Camp Pendleton, Mawhinney left the Marines and returned home to rural Oregon.

“I just did what I was taught,” he said in interview 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 a tall, distinguished American officer at gunpoint with his rifle. The officer's back was to Ferguson, and the sniper decided that it would be ungentlemanly to shoot in such a situation.

Only later did Ferguson learn that George Washington was on the battlefield that day.

Vasily Zaitsev

Several of our top 10 snipers were portrayed in movies or served as inspiration for movie characters, but none of them ultimately became more famous than Vasily Zaitsev, whose recordings formed the basis of the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates.

You know, if a recognizable actor with great looks like Jude Law plays you in a movie about your life, then you managed to leave your mark on history.

It is a pity that the fight at the center of the picture was fictitious.

Professional historians, as well as amateur researchers, tried to figure out whether the fight between the Russian ace sniper and his equivalent German shooter even took place. Documentary 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 crouched on the ground during her first day on the battlefield, she could not bring herself to fire.

But everything changed when a German shot a young Russian soldier who was near Pavlichenko. “He was such a good, happy boy,” she said, “And he was killed right next to me. After that, nothing could stop me.”

Francis Peghamagabo

The exploits and achievements of World War I sniper Francis Peghamagabo sound like they were straight out of a comic book or a summer blockbuster.

Ojibois warrior Peghamagabo, who fought alongside the Canadians at the battles of Montsorrel, Passchendaele and Scarpe, is credited with 378 kills as a sharpshooter.

As if that weren't enough, he was also awarded medals for serving as a signalman under heavy enemy fire, leading a critical rescue mission when his commander was incapacitated, and for delivering his squad's missing ammunition under enemy fire.

The Toronto Star suggested that Peghamagabo brought to the war the skills he had honed as a child on the Shawanaga Reservation near Georgian Bay, but historian Tim Cook had a different theory about why Peghamagabo and other Canadian First Nations went to war. war and fought so selflessly across the seas: “They felt that their sacrifice would give them the right to demand more rights in society.”

But this was not the case with Peghamagabo. Although he was a hero among his comrades in Europe, once he returned home to Canada, he was practically forgotten.

Adelbert F. Waldron III

Try searching for information about the top US snipers and you'll come across a couple of names. Carlos Hascock is a legend, but he doesn't have the highest body count. Charles Benjamin "Chuck" Mawhinney is undoubtedly a talented sniper, but he is not a champion either.

And who then? Staff Sergeant Adelbert F. Waldron III. He is one of the most successful snipers in US history, with 109 confirmed kills.

Excerpt from the book “In the Crosshairs. Snipers in Vietnam" by Colonel Michael Lee Lanning describes how good Waldron's shot was: "One day he was sailing down the Mekong River on the Tango when an enemy sniper on the shore struck the ship. While everyone else on the boat was struggling to find the enemy, who was firing from the shoreline 900 meters away, Sergeant Waldron took his rifle and with one shot took down the Viet Cong from the top of a coconut tree (and this from a moving platform). Such were the abilities of our best sniper."

Waldron is one of the few to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice, both of which he received in 1969.

He died in 1995 and was buried in California.

Simo Häyhä

Finn Simo Häyhä may be one of the most successful snipers of all time. But don't be too upset if you've never heard of it. Almost unknown outside his home country, Häyhä applied his skills to a war that American children never experienced in school.

When the Russians invaded Finland during the Winter War of 1939-1940, Häyhä hid in the snow and killed over 500 Russians in a short three-month period. He was known as the "White Death".

He was shooting the old fashioned way, without laser sights or .50 caliber ammunition. All Häyhä had was his senses and an ordinary rifle with open sights and a bolt action.

In the end, Finland lost the Winter War, but for Russia it was not a real victory. The Finns suffered 22,830 casualties compared to 126,875 casualties for the Russians, who had an invading army of one and a half million men.

As one Red Army general recalled, “We conquered 22,000 square miles of territory. Just enough to bury your dead.”

Carlos Hascock

Even if he doesn't hold the records for the number of confirmed hits or the longest shot, the legend of Carlos Hascock lives on. He is the Elvis of snipers, he is Yoda.

The Marine Corps' highest marksmanship award bears his name; like the shooting range at Camp Lidjen ( The educational center Marine Corps in North Carolina; note). The Marine Corps Library in Washington was dedicated in his honor. The Virginia unit of the Civil Air Patrol decided to name itself after him.

Hascock, sometimes called "White Feather" for the feather he wore in his hat, joined the Marines at age 17. The Corps didn't have to wait long to realize that the broke boy from Arkansas had talent. While still in training, he proved himself to be an excellent shooter and almost immediately began winning prestigious shooting competitions. But the military had their own plans for Hascock, which involved more than simply winning cups; in 1966 he was sent to Vietnam.

According to the Los Angeles Times, during his two tours of duty, Hascock volunteered for so many missions that his superiors were forced to keep him in the barracks so he could rest.

“It was a hunt that I enjoyed,” he once told the Washington Post. - Engage in a duel with another person. In Vietnam they didn't give you second place—second place was a body bag. Everyone was scared, but those who weren’t were lying. But fear can be used to your advantage. It makes you more alert, more sensitive, that's what I came up with. He pushed me to be the best."

And he was the best. During his two tours of duty, Hascock had 93 confirmed kills; actual total may be higher. Hascock's unconfirmed hits are believed to number in the hundreds. However, the numbers were so high that North Vietnam at one point offered a $30,000 bounty on his head.

Ultimately, neither the bounty nor the enemy sniper could do anything about Carlos Hascock. He died in 1999 at the age of 57 after a battle with multiple sclerosis.

Snipers have always been the elite of any country's armed forces, as they possessed a whole set of qualities that had to be either innate or acquired through years of training. We will tell you about the five best shooters in history.

Carlos Hascock

Carlos Hascock during the Vietnam War

Carlos Hascock was a famous American sniper during the Vietnam War. Having joined the army at the age of 17, he was greeted very coolly by his future fellow soldiers. Everyone doubted that the guy in the hat was capable of anything, but their doubts came to an end after the first shooting at the range. The young man did not miss a single time. The command could not miss such a talent, and in 1966 Carlos went to Vietnam, where at least 300 enemy soldiers died from his bullets. Ultimately, North Vietnam put a huge bounty on his head. Hascock's notable feature was the white feather he always wore in his hat, despite his fellow soldiers' concerns about camouflage.

One of Carlos's most famous shots was the killing of a Vietnamese sniper when the bullet went through the optical sight of his own rifle. This case formed the basis of many Hollywood blockbusters. In addition, Hascock was able to set a record for the range of a successful shot - 2250 meters, which was broken only in 2002.

But the war came to an end, and Carlos returned home without a single injury. He died in his bed, just short of his 57th birthday. Hascock is rightfully considered one of the most famous soldiers in the US Army.

Simo Häyhä

Next on our list is a sniper from snowy Finland. Simo Häyhä became not just a soldier, but a real symbol for both Finland itself and the Soviet Union. During the few months of the Winter War, which lasted from 1939 to 1940, Häyhä killed between 500 and 750 Soviet soldiers. A feature of the work of the “White Death” (this is the nickname Simo received among Soviet soldiers) was the use of weapons without an optical sight. History knows few examples of snipers using such rifles. The reliable distance at which the Finnish sniper’s bullets reached opponents is 450 meters.

The name of Simo Häyha raised the morale of Finnish soldiers even in the most difficult situations for them, and he himself quickly became a national hero of Finland. In addition to his small height (152 cm), which helped him with camouflage, Häyhä used various tricks: for example, he kept snow in his mouth so that the steam from his mouth would not give it away to his enemies while breathing, or he froze the crust in front of the barrel of his rifle with water so that when shooting Don't kick up the snow.

The famous Finnish sniper lived a long life and died in 2002 at the age of 96.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko

The list could not help but include a sniper who frightened the Germans during World War II as much as the “White Death” frightened Soviet soldiers in its time. We are talking about Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the most successful female sniper in world history. From the first days of the war, she was eager to fight and, having completed sniper courses, ended up in the ranks of a rifle company.

As Pavlichenko herself admitted, the hardest thing is to kill for the first time. In total, the legendary “Lady Death” accounted for 309 killed soldiers and officers.

Vasily Zaitsev

Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Zaitsev (left) during Battle of Stalingrad, December 1942.

The name of another Soviet sniper terrified German soldiers. We are, of course, talking about Vasily Zaitsev. He, like many Soviet soldiers, mercilessly destroyed enemy soldiers, but the most famous battle was a sniper duel with a German ace sniper, who was tasked with destroying Zaitsev. After many hours of tense waiting, Vasily was able to calculate the sniper’s location by the brilliance of the optical sight and fire one accurate shot. The man killed was a major in the army of the Third Reich.

Zaitsev, who headed the school of masters, made a significant contribution to the development of sniper art, writing several books on combat and developing new tactics for sniper hunting.

Chris Kyle

One of the best snipers of our time, who has proven this title in real combat, is Texas native Chris Kyle, who from the age of 8 decided that accurate shooting was his life’s work. By 2003, the young man had experience participating in special operations, and the command decided to send him to Iraq. There he showed himself to be a real master. A year later, when he had more than 150 people on his account, the nickname “Shaitan from Ramadi” was attached to him, and a reward of $20,000 was placed on his head. The American sniper is famous for his shot from a distance of 1920 meters, when the bullet overtook the Iraqi militia who was threatening the advance of American tanks.

Chris Kyle was killed in 2013 by another Iraq War veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. During his service, Chris Kyle defeated 255 opponents.

Illustration: depositphotos | BestPhotoStudio

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Sniper is one of the most difficult and unusual military professions. Although the most ordinary guys join it.

Find out the five toughest male shooters, whose accuracy and resourcefulness terrified the enemy.

5. Carlos Norman (05/20/1942-02/23/1999)

Source: top5s.net

One of the most famous snipers in the history of the US military. He became famous for his participation in the Vietnam War. Considered one of the legendary figures of the United States Marine Corps. He has 93 enemy lives to his name.

4. Adelbert F. Waldron (03/14/1933-10/18/1995)

Source: top5s.net

Famous American sniper. Participated in the Vietnam War. Waldron holds the record for confirmed victories among US shooters. He has 109 victories. In the 1970s, Waldron taught sniper training at the SIONICS training camp in Georgia. One of the few who was twice awarded the Order for Distinguished Military Service.

3. Vasily Zaitsev (03/23/1915 - 12/15/1991)

Source: top5s.net

Sniper of the 62nd Army of the Stalingrad Front, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Battle of Stalingrad between November 10 and December 17, 1942, he killed 225 soldiers and officers of the German army and their allies, including 11 snipers. He developed several sniper hunting techniques that are used by the current generation of snipers.

2. Francis Peghamagabo (9.03.1891-5.08.1952)

Source: top5s.net

Hero of the Second World War. Canadian Francis killed 378 German soldiers, was awarded a medal three times and was seriously wounded twice. But after returning home to Canada, one of the most effective snipers of World War II was forgotten.

1. Simo Häyhä (12/17/1905-04/1/2002)

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.

There has always been a sniper elite warrior. Not everyone can cultivate the character of such strength.

1. 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.

2. 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.

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.

In 2001, the film “Enemy at the Gates” was released worldwide. Main character film - 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 the launched Soviet Union propaganda, 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.

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.

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 the detachment special purpose. 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.

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.

The best snipers of the 20th century:

The process of evolution took place in such a way that men, being hunters in their blood, tried to be accurate shooters. This desire has become very firmly established in our world. It is worth considering in detail the five most famous snipers of the last century.

The profession of a sniper is one of the most difficult and unusual military occupations, which has long been overgrown with a whole string of all kinds of legends and stories. But it should be remembered that you cannot become a sniper just by choice. This requires a lot of training and combat missions.

Every man, at least once, dreamed of becoming a sniper.

Here is some information about real sniper aces who thrilled their opponents with resourcefulness and skill:

5. Carlos Norman, lived from 05/20/1942 to 02/23/1999

This is a true legend in the activities of the US Army. He earned enormous prestige when he fought against the Vietnamese. He holds an honorary title and is still remembered by US Marines. During his service, he managed to neutralize about 93 targets.

4. Adelbert F. Waldron, lived from 03/14/1933 to 10/18/1995

The most famous American sniper. He was a brave marksman during the Vietnam War. He had the honor of being the most effective in terms of destroying opponents. He is credited with 103 neutralizations of enemies to his advantage. After the war, from 1970, Waldron taught recruits how to shoot in the SIONICS department, which was based in Georgia. He is also a hero who has received an award given for valiant service.

3. Vasily Zaitsev, lived from 03/23/1915 to 12/15/1991

This was a sniper as part of the 62nd Army, which was located on the Stalingrad front. He is also declared a war hero. During the period when the battle for Stalingrad was gaining momentum, namely from November 10 to December 17, 1942, he managed to neutralize 225 targets. Among them were 11 snipers and many fascist officers. He developed most of the tactics and techniques of sniper fire, and they became the basis for textbooks.

2. Francis Pegamagabo, lived from 03/09/1891 to 08/05/1952

This is a real Hero and an excellent military sniper. Francis is of Canadian descent. When the war ended, he managed to kill 378 German soldiers. He is a three-time Medal of Honor recipient and has had two close calls with severe wounds. Unfortunately, this professional marksman was forgotten upon his arrival home in Canada.

1. Simo Häyhä, lived from 12/17/1905 to 04/1/2002

This future phenomenal shooter was born in an area bordering two countries, the USSR and Finland. His childhood was spent hunting and fishing. When he turned 17, he started working as a security guard. Then, in 1925, he was taken to serve. After 9 years of productive service, he is being trained as a sniper.

His talents were revealed in 1939-1940, when there were hostilities. Over the course of 3 months, he managed to kill 505 soldiers from the USSR. But his merits were not perceived unambiguously. The main reason for the disagreement was the discovery of the corpses of soldiers on enemy territory. Simo could also shoot a pistol perfectly, and therefore it was assumed that he took advantage of this and such victims were not counted towards him in the total number. His colleagues called him “White Death.” When March 1940 arrived, he had the misfortune of being wounded. The bullet went through the jaw and seriously damaged the face. In the first days of the war, Simo expressed a desire to go to the front, but he was refused due to past injuries.