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Snipers

Discussion in 'Weapons & Technology in WWII' started by De Vlaamse Leeuw, Oct 23, 2002.

  1. De Vlaamse Leeuw

    De Vlaamse Leeuw Member

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    Which country had the best snipers? Or the most?
    Where were they used? Did they have special weapons made just for them or did they use the regular weapon that the Wehrmacht soldier used?

    Thanx
     
  2. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    We had the best sniper:

    Simo Häyhä. Finland. 1939 - 1940.
    Simo Häyhä became a most feared sniper during the 1939-40 (30 November 1939 14 March 1940) Winter invasion of Finland by the Soviet Union. Using nothing more than an iron sighted Mosin-Nagant Model 28, Simo is credited with killing 505 Russians during a nine month period - a feat still unmatched today by any sniper in any conflict.

    But if you take the number of them as well then I think it´s the Russians.

    ;)
     
  3. Sniper

    Sniper Member

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    I'll go with Kai on this one. The Fins rate No. 1 in the best sniper category, any man who can hit a target at distance uning an iron sighted Mosin Nagant has my vote, but as for having the most snipers. I haven't seen the figures but my guess is the Russians had the most, just based on shear weight of numbers (of troops).

    Most countries snipers used selected weighted and balanced models of the standard arm of that country. Such as the Lee Enfield No. 4 Sniper, which was the standard rifle modified with special sniper sights. The Germans used the K98, fitted with telescopic sights, the Russians used the Mosin Nagant similarly fitted out.

    ___________________

    Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponents fate
    - Sun Tzu, The Art of War (or how to be a good sniper :D )
     
  4. dasreich

    dasreich Member

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    What effect did snipers have in ww2? I mean how important were they? I rarely come across anything mentioning such soldiers in the war.

    On a side note: The movie "Enemy at the Gates" is all about a German and Russian sniper dueling in Stalingrad. I thought it was a pretty decent movie.
     
  5. Erich

    Erich Alte Hase

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    DR :

    Please go to today's topics and scroll down as we are talking about snipers of WW 2. there is some good info to be had if you do a search with your PC. I've listed a link you might be interested in.
    As for enemy at the gates. please understand the duel between the two foes is a bit of fiction. You can find quite a bit of info on some other threads last year, but sorry I cannot tell you if it under the Deutschland forum or not.

    E
     
  6. Sami

    Sami Member

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    Hello All,

    I agree with Kai-Petri, Simo Häyhä is without a doubt the nr.1

    But some corrections:
    - The Winter War ended on 13 March 1940
    - The time Mr.Häyhä scored the 500+ kills was under 3 months! (as he was wounded before the war ended).

    No pun inteded K-P, I assume they are just typos, but to some this might be new information.

    Cheers,
    Sami

    P.S. Mr.Häyhä said (when he was interviewed by a group of americans a couple of years ago) that "...they wanted to kill me!"
    He was referring to the scoped rifle he was awarded as a gift. Mr.Häyhä thought it was suicide to use that (as your head is a few inches higher than without a scope) and kept on using his iron-sighted rifle.
     
  7. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Thanx Sami!

    No Problem! I just picked it from a net site copying it but I should have been more careful!!

    Anyway, I was looking for more info on Suko Kolkka. Do you know more on him?

    Suko Kolkka. Finland, 1939 - 1940.
    During 105 days of combat Suko was credited with 400+ enemy kills as a sniper in the Winter War (30 November 1939 13 March 1940). He used an iron sighted Mosin-Nagant rifle. He often took the war to the rear of the Soviet lines, causing much fear and frustration as this area was supposedly safe. In addition to the kills he made as a sniper, Kolkka also was apparently quite fond of the submachine gun as he made an additional 200 kills with it during this same time frame. Hunted often by the Soviets, he outlasted them all, killing the sniper sent to hunt him at 600 yards with a single shot after a running duel of several days. Like Simo Häyhä, Suko Kolkka exhibited the hard determination and skill that kept Finland a sovereign nation even after its inevitable defeat. At the end of the Winter War a Soviet General is said to have quipped, "We gained 22,000 square miles of territory. Just enough to bury our dead."
     
  8. charlie don't surf

    charlie don't surf Member

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    What were the finnish demands for having a confirmed kill?

    regards
     
  9. Sami

    Sami Member

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    - Actually Mr. Kolkka is a mystery to me. Of all the books I've read about the Winter War (and there has been "a few"), I haven't met the name in any of them.

    That of course doesn't mean that he didn't exist, but like Mr.Häyhä, apparently a low profile man. I also believe that his first name is Sulo instead of Suko.

    The database of deceased
    http://tietokannat.mil.fi/menehtyneet/index_en.php3
    will bring up one hit if using
    lastname: kolkka
    firstname: sulo

    No idea if that is the same person. If it is, it can be a partial explanation why so little is known of him. Poor guy died before the Finnish offensive even began.

    - Yep, I've read that too. The sniper duel part sounds a lot like Mr.Häyhä's.

    Cheers,
    Sami
     
  10. Sami

    Sami Member

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    - In the case of Mr. Häyhä, after the men started to talk about his kills, and the rumors went up to higher levels, an officer was assigned to verify each kill. If the officer didn't see a man go down, no kill.

    Cheers,
    Sami
     
  11. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    That is excellent-I mean did anybody before think Suko was Häyhä??I´ll go on checking on this but the idea is totally huge! One should have known...but we´ll see! Please tell if more info comes up!

    KPH
     
  12. charlie don't surf

    charlie don't surf Member

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    Thanks Sami!

    regards
     
  13. Friedrich

    Friedrich Expert

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    I would say the Russians had. because of a listing you guys posted some time. The best sniper was Simo Häyä, but there were like some 10 Russian snipers in the list with lots of kills. Beside, they had female snipers who were very good too! :eek:
     

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