Interesting Historic Photo

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MTMilitiaman said:
Considering 40% of the casualties during WWII were Russians, I wonder how many of them survived the ordeal?
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That is the price you pay when you invade Poland, Finland, Estonia..........commies got off easy.....and only killed about a million pole women and children, such a nice and friendly leader and country.
 
We let our Mosins do our talking!:thumbup:
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I wonder if one of my ex sniper Mosins was fondled by a young Russian lady?
 
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When it’s your Homeland that’s been invaded, it’s all hands on deck!

A tough, mostly working class people living a spartan life without a lot of creature comforts makes for a truly formidable opponent; both male and female. Add in a ruthless dictator and an army command that both have no qualms at all about executing their own people if they refuse orders and you're literally facing an enemy in a back-to-the-wall fight to the death.

Germany never had a chance against Russia in a drawn out war ... which is fine by me. My great uncle and grandfather served against the Axis, and I’m glad they did.

As for that cool photo: some of the women pictured certainly do look like they could wield their Nagant in one hand while curling a small block V8 with the other... :what:

Stay safe!
 
Like our own “greatest generation” they did what they had to do when they had no other choice.

I don’t wish hard times on my kids and grandkids- or anyone else’s... but they will come eventually (sooner, if some of the idiots in Washington that were just elected get their way...).
 
I would love to have an opportunity to have a conversation with one of these ladies who took care of business in Stalingrad, or the Finns that fought in the winter war. The experiences they had and the knowledge they possess would be invaluable still today. They things they went through make what we did in afg and iraq pretty tame in comparison.
 
Riomouse911 said:
When it’s your Homeland that’s been invaded, it’s all hands on deck!

A tough, mostly working class people living a spartan life without a lot of creature comforts makes for a truly formidable opponent; both male and female. Add in a ruthless dictator and an army command that both have no qualms at all about executing their own people if they refuse orders and you're literally facing an enemy in a back-to-the-wall fight to the death.

Germany never had a chance against Russia in a drawn out war ... which is fine by me. My great uncle and grandfather served against the Axis, and I’m glad they did.

As for that cool photo: some of the women pictured certainly do look like they could wield their Nagant in one hand while curling a small block V8 with the other... :what:

Stay safe!
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Germany never had a chance of winning a war against the west, If germany had taken a path like they did in Austria/Czech/pick your country.....with Poland the world would be a very different place....The USSR was not a good place or a friendly people.....just ask the Finns.....or the Poles after the soviets invaded poland......hay wait a sec....why did the west go to war against Germany.....they invaded....who......Oh I remember POLAND......and then the Soviets went to war against who after they bashed the Finns.....oh yea Poland.......and then what happened.....oh yea, they went after Estonia and the other Baltic countries.....and what did the west do.....oh yea we sent them planes, tanks, trucks.....and a metric <removed> ton of fuel to keep all that running......I guess it is a reward for being just as bad as the german leader......and old uncle Joe was all too keen to jump on the Poles after they smashed him up and made him look like a total idiot in the 30's.....uncle joe hated the Poles, no doubt about that.....and any excuse to kill a few million of them and hit the delete button on their country was just fine.....after all they are buddy buddy with hitler, and the west is not going to mess with the both of them right.

Take the west out of WWII, and we would have been sending germany tons of goodies to kill the commies, we might have even tried a polar bear type deal again......but no....

To this day the russians get a pass......be they attacking a country out of the blue, think Ukarine....or blowing an airliner out of the sky (think malaysia) the world does not want to tick off the russians.....and like small children they will keep pushing the limits to see just what they can get away with.

And yes you are correct....I do think that country needs to be handed a massive smack down.
 
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So about 1980 a guy offered me an SVT40 in very nice condition and it had a story. As we know most second hand gun stories have to be taken with a grain of salt, say a grain about like the 30 pound block one leaves in the pasture for the cows. Anyhow he said it had been his Dad's and that his Dad had been in the Merchant Marine in WW twice and on a ship taking stuff to our then new and temporary allies in the USSR. Supposedly he hornswaggled a 36 hour shore leave in a Soviet port where he had to stay in the immediate port area only a mile or so from his ship's berth. Supposedly he hooked up with a Soviet Female Sniper and being an American had the souvinier gene. He wanted a rifle she or one of her squad members had killed Germans with and a deal was arranged where in some number of bottles of vodka found their way to her squad and she miss placed the semi auto rifle.

Made an good story and might even me true, or at least involve vodka...….

Regrettably I did not have the money and at the time $200 seemed to much even with the story. Did learn not to fire an SVT on a six lane indoor 50 foot range though...….ow.

-kBob
 
Many of course have heard/read of the most famous Soviet sniper, Vasiliy Zaitsev, for his exploits in Stalingrad. His success and that of others (another one was actually more well-known and celebrated at the time) actually led to a bit of, well, over-zealous imitation. By this time Soviet soldiers in Stalingrad often operated in small groups (an adaptation they adopted early, and which partly accounted for them holding on to a sliver of the city), with great autonomy.

So it was not that hard for some to free-lance as snipers when they became inspired. Unfortunately they weren't snipers, didn't put the time and planning into it, and sometimes screwed up real sniper operations by drawing attention to shooting positions through careless behavior.

"Sniperism" was a thing, and eventually Soviet commanders had to rein it in a bit.

Read a memoir of one of the top German snipers on the eastern front. It wasn't even a "position" or part of their operations to start, it sort of evolved, and he became a sniper because he was a good shot - and he used a Mosin he had picked up. Eventually he was sent back to Austria for "training" - in a craft he had learned in the field. At that time he received a German sniping rifle. So the Wehrmacht gave snipers more emphasis due to experience, but the Soviets - as the photo suggests - put serious resources into sniping and it was a standard part of their operations.
 
kBob said:
So about 1980 a guy offered me an SVT40 in very nice condition and it had a story. As we know most second hand gun stories have to be taken with a grain of salt, say a grain about like the 30 pound block one leaves in the pasture for the cows. Anyhow he said it had been his Dad's and that his Dad had been in the Merchant Marine in WW twice and on a ship taking stuff to our then new and temporary allies in the USSR. Supposedly he hornswaggled a 36 hour shore leave in a Soviet port where he had to stay in the immediate port area only a mile or so from his ship's berth. Supposedly he hooked up with a Soviet Female Sniper and being an American had the souvinier gene. He wanted a rifle she or one of her squad members had killed Germans with and a deal was arranged where in some number of bottles of vodka found their way to her squad and she miss placed the semi auto rifle.

Made an good story and might even me true, or at least involve vodka...….

Regrettably I did not have the money and at the time $200 seemed to much even with the story. Did learn not to fire an SVT on a six lane indoor 50 foot range though...….ow.

-kBob
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Can you still hear, or are your ears still ringing.
 
16in50calNavalRifle said:
Many of course have heard/read of the most famous Soviet sniper, Vasiliy Zaitsev, for his exploits in Stalingrad. His success and that of others (another one was actually more well-known and celebrated at the time) actually led to a bit of, well, over-zealous imitation. By this time Soviet soldiers in Stalingrad often operated in small groups (an adaptation they adopted early, and which partly accounted for them holding on to a sliver of the city), with great autonomy.

So it was not that hard for some to free-lance as snipers when they became inspired. Unfortunately they weren't snipers, didn't put the time and planning into it, and sometimes screwed up real sniper operations by drawing attention to shooting positions through careless behavior.

"Sniperism" was a thing, and eventually Soviet commanders had to rein it in a bit.

Read a memoir of one of the top German snipers on the eastern front. It wasn't even a "position" or part of their operations to start, it sort of evolved, and he became a sniper because he was a good shot - and he used a Mosin he had picked up. Eventually he was sent back to Austria for "training" - in a craft he had learned in the field. At that time he received a German sniping rifle. So the Wehrmacht gave snipers more emphasis due to experience, but the Soviets - as the photo suggests - put serious resources into sniping and it was a standard part of their operations.
Click to expand...

That is a very good book.
 
fpgt72 said:
To this day the russians get a pass......be they attacking a country out of the blue, think Ukarine....or blowing an airliner out of the sky (think malaysia) the world does not want to tick off the russians.....and like small children they will keep pushing the limits to see just what they can get away with.

And yes you are correct....I do think that country needs to be handed a massive smack down.
Click to expand...

Do you actually believe what your wrote?
 
16in50calNavalRifle said:
Many of course have heard/read of the most famous Soviet sniper, Vasiliy Zaitsev, for his exploits in Stalingrad. His success and that of others (another one was actually more well-known and celebrated at the time) actually led to a bit of, well, over-zealous imitation. By this time Soviet soldiers in Stalingrad often operated in small groups (an adaptation they adopted early, and which partly accounted for them holding on to a sliver of the city), with great autonomy.

So it was not that hard for some to free-lance as snipers when they became inspired. Unfortunately they weren't snipers, didn't put the time and planning into it, and sometimes screwed up real sniper operations by drawing attention to shooting positions through careless behavior.

"Sniperism" was a thing, and eventually Soviet commanders had to rein it in a bit.

Read a memoir of one of the top German snipers on the eastern front. It wasn't even a "position" or part of their operations to start, it sort of evolved, and he became a sniper because he was a good shot - and he used a Mosin he had picked up. Eventually he was sent back to Austria for "training" - in a craft he had learned in the field. At that time he received a German sniping rifle. So the Wehrmacht gave snipers more emphasis due to experience, but the Soviets - as the photo suggests - put serious resources into sniping and it was a standard part of their operations.
Click to expand...


"The Deadliest Snipers Of World War II
Jun 20, 2017 Lincoln Riddle

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Finnish Ski Troops During the Winter War

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Highly trained and deadly, snipers are and have been an important aspect of warfare. The term, however, first came into use in British India in the 1700s and was used for hunting the snipe bird, which was highly elusive. Today a sniper is someone who is a highly skilled sharpshooter.

Snipers were deployed as early as the American Revolution. They also saw action in World War 1, usually in the trenches.

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US Marines practicing with sniper rifles.
World War II was a different war in all regards and snipers were no exception, especially in the Soviet Union. It would appear the Soviets mastered the craft as most of this top 10 list of deadliest snipers of that war is composed of Soviet snipers.

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10. Stepan Vasilievich Petrenko-USSR
A Ukranian Senior Sergeant, Stephan was a skilled marksman compiling 422 kills. In 1945, Petrenko was given the Hero of the Soviet Union Award, one of the highest prizes earned regarding heroic accomplishment in the USSR. Petrenko lived from 1922 to 1984.

9. Vasilij Ivanovich Golosov-USSR
Tied with Petrenko at 422 kills, Golosov was an expert marksman. He earned the Distinguished Sniper Award during the war. This is given to snipers who have killed more than 50 people. In total, 261 soldiers were granted this award by the USSR. That number includes both men and women as the Soviet Union had more than 2,000 female snipers. It is believed that of his 422 kills, around 70 were snipers he killed in battle.

8. Fyodor Trofimovich Dyachenko-USSR
The Soviet Red Army trained more than 400,000 people as snipers, although only approximately 9,000 went on to receive higher training. Dyachenko was one of those, and he excelled, killing 425 during the war. His primary goal was to kill officers that would be difficult to replace, and because of his efforts, he received a Distinguished Service Cross from the USSR.

7. Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov-USSR
1092px-map_of_russia_-_sakha_yakutia_republic_2008-03-svg-640x369.png
The part of Russia he was from is indicated in red. At the time, it was the USSR. His village was located in the center of this red region. Author: Marmelad – CC BY-SA 2.5
Okhlopkov’s story and the path to his 429 kills are interesting. As the story goes, both Oklhopkov and his brother joined the military. They were Yakut, which is an ethnicity found in the northern part of Russia. Apparently, his brother was killed early in the war. From then Oklhopkov dedicated everything to avenging his brother’s death. In the process, he killed 429 people while sniping, and more in regular combat. He went on to win several high ranking awards and had a ship named after him in 1974, which he did not see as he died in 1968.

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Okhlopkov suffered many combat wounds, including one to the chest which almost took his life. The incident occurred in 1944 and put an end to his military service. It is estimated he killed more than 1,000 people during World War II using a variety of weapons.

6. Mikhail Ivanovich Budenkov-USSR
Budenkov raked in 437 kills in his time as a sniper, becoming a motivation for other aspiring snipers. He was a Russian sergeant and utilized both his sniper rifle and other weapons in combat. His 437 kills take into account only those killed while sniping.

5. Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelintsev-USSR
At number five with 456 kills is Vladimir Pchelintsev. He knew the lands he fought on very well, allowing him to succeed as opposed to soldiers who were not familiar with the area. Many of his kills, however, cannot be confirmed for varying reasons.

4. Ivan Nikolayevich Kulbertinov- USSR
While Kulbertinov did not experience as much critical acclaim for his work, he is fourth on the list of deadliest snipers. With 489 kills, he is only 53 kills behind the number one. He did not receive attention as he was often working around or near the highly celebrated female sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who had more than 300 sniper kills.

3. Nikolay Yakovlevich Ilyin- USSR
Ilyin had 494 confirmed kills. A locksmith before the war, he had to work hard to get to sniper level after joining the Red Army. He got most of his kills during the Battle of Stalingrad. Ilyin died in combat in 1943, and would later earn several high ranking awards once the war had ended in 1945, for his efforts.

2. Ivan Mikhailovich Sidorenko-USSR
Ivan had about 500 kills during the war. He had more kills than anyone else from the Soviet Union. Before joining the military, Sidorenko studied art and went to college. He dropped out of college and became a member of the Red Army. He had no proper training in sniping and taught himself in the early part of the war. During the war, he once used incendiary bullets (bullets that can cause fires) to destroy three vehicles and a tank.

Sometime in 1944, Sidorenko was injured. He spent his remaining military time as an instructor, teaching young snipers how to be more accurate.

1. Simo Häyhä-Finland
simo_hayha_honorary_rifle-445x640.jpg

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The most deadly sniper of World War II: Simo Häyhä. He had 542 confirmed kills, with an unconfirmed total number of 705. Not only is he the most deadly sniper of World War II, but he is also believed to be the most deadly sniper of all time.

All his kills were against the Red Army, who nicknamed him White Death.

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Hayha in the 1940s sometime after being shot in the face.
Häyhä wore white camouflage, to match his environment, the snow. He would even keep snow in his mouth, believing the steam produced from his mouth could fog up his scope, causing issues. He was shot in the war, which disfigured his face, but he lived to be 96, only dying in 2002.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/forgotten-blitz-scotland-left-thousands-dead-b-2.html "

Regards,
hps
 
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