Stories about hundreds and thousands of snipers are, of course, an exaggeration. There is evidence that the entire Finnish army at that time was armed with only 200 sniper rifles. It would be more correct to say that a lot of shooters fought on the Finnish side, and not snipers in the strict sense of the word. These shooters were part of the divisions of the shutskor - structures akin to our people's militia. All these people were hunters before the war, in wooded Finland every man is a hunter. The Shyutskorovites built their “nests” on hills, in the attics of houses, and much less often in trees. They often worked in pairs. While one sat with a weapon in the “nest”, the other slept in a bunker arranged below, at the foot of a tree or somewhere nearby. If the "cuckoo" was spotted, and it became necessary to leave, the shooter slid off the barrel along the rope and hid in a shelter. It was not a problem for the Finns to go into the forest on skis. The entire population of Finland are excellent skiers, the Shutskor people were both at home in the forest, and legends about instantaneous disappearances were born. The stories about snipers chained to the trunks of pines were partly generated by Soviet propaganda, which had to somehow explain the effectiveness of the Finnish shooters, partly by the fact that sometimes the shooters actually insured themselves by tying themselves to the trunk with a rope or chain. "Bird talk" snipers - also from the category of myths. It is likely that the arrows gave each other some kind of signals, imitating bird calls, but since it was winter, they hardly used the calls of the cuckoo for this, the bird, as you know, is a migratory one.
For the entire period of the Soviet-Finnish war, only one officially documented episode of the destruction of the Finnish “cuckoo” sniper is known. It was January 3, 1940. Soldiers of the 1st company of the 1st battalion of the 4th border regiment shot down the shooter. He actually sat on a tree.
Finnish war
The cruel lesson of the Red Army was taught by the Finns during the winter campaign of 1939. The Finnish command was well prepared for the war. During the attack of the Soviet infantry, the Finnish snipers purposefully knocked out the officers - fortunately, they stood out sharply in the infantry line with their white officer coats and shiny criss-cross belts.
During the Finnish war, Soviet commanders encountered an inexplicable and terrible phenomenon - "cuckoo" snipers. Their work was extraordinarily effective and recognized as the most effective sniper practice. The combat tactics of the "cuckoo" snipers were incomprehensible for their non-standard, restlessness and deceit. The Finns were the first to point out that there were no forbidden tricks in sniper practice. There were no number of these techniques, and they hardly repeated each other.
Winter disguise sniper
The Finnish snipers got the name "cuckoo" because at first they fired from the trees and spoke with bird voices. Sitting comfortably on the mighty branches of a century-old pine tree, the Finn waited for the appearance of a more important target and “filmed” it. On the tree where the sniper's nest was located, the Red Army soldiers opened hurricane fire from all trunks, but the sniper was no longer there - the cunning Finn on a rope immediately descended under the cover of a thick pine trunk into a previously dug dugout, where he waited for the shelling. Sometimes, according to circumstances, in order to calm the enemy, the Finn pulled the rope and pulled a scarecrow in a camouflage suit with a rifle from the sniper's nest, which fell very beautifully, waddling from branch to branch, or stuck between branches in the most unnatural pose. After the shelling, the sniper got out of the dugout, climbed a tree and again set to work.
They started shooting at the tree again. Usually, from the Maxim machine guns (it is stable when firing and provides a very accurate and aimed fight), the tree was shot up and down until it fell. But while the machine gunners, deaf from the shooting, were enthusiastically “sawing” the tree, another Finn from the side shot everyone who was behind the machine gunners, and then took on them. The machine gunners perfectly jammed the shots of the Finnish sniper.
Finnish "cuckoos" sat in the trees in turn - while one looked out for prey, the other calmly slept downstairs, in a warmed dugout. In this way, round-the-clock duty was provided on the forest roads, which prevented the penetration of Soviet reconnaissance and sabotage groups beyond the front line.
For Finnish snipers there was no difference on which side of the front line to shoot - on their own or adjacent. During the offensive of the Red Army, many Finnish snipers remained camouflaged in snowdrifts, near the predicted location of strategically important objects of the Red Army: airfields (on lakes covered with ice), artillery batteries, headquarters, communication centers, communications, transport interchanges, concentration of manpower, etc. e. Usually these were flat places in the forests, protected along the perimeter by terrain folds, which were quite easy to calculate.
Finnish snipers, after waiting for time, began to act at the most unexpected moment. The reconnaissance units thrown to capture and capture the "cuckoos" were blown up by mines, with which the Finn surrounded the position in advance. But even the survivors returned with nothing. The Finnish sniper got up on his skis and went to his own. It was common for a Finn who grew up in the north to ski 100–120 km in winter and spend the night in snow at a temperature of minus 40 °.
But the Soviet leadership did not recognize the martial art of “cuckoo” snipers and blamed junior commanders for failures (who were afraid to take the initiative and take a step to the right and left of the charters). The high authorities became thoughtful only when the "cuckoos" shot down several staff vehicles with representatives of the command, along with the retinue accompanying them. The executions took place in different places, but according to one scenario: a Finnish sniper shot through the rear wheel, immobilizing the car, and calmly shot everyone who was in it. Only after that the command began to understand that it was necessary to organize oncoming ambushes on the ways of advancing Finnish snipers. But it was too late. The Finnish campaign is over. The Finnish snipers suffered few casualties and none were captured alive.
The "cuckoo" snipers, who moved freely in the forests, caused the Red Army a lot of trouble in terms of sabotage. The pilots told how the "cuckoos" opened the floodgates of the lake, on the ice of which they located the airfield. In the moonlight, more than two dozen combat aircraft began to fall through the ice. The sight was terrible. The fire of sniper rifles prevented the Finns from approaching the locks and closing them.
However, it is worth noting that they Soviet troops presented a very tempting target. As one of the Finnish soldiers said: “I like to fight with the Russians, they go on the attack in full height". The tactics of a massive offensive, the "human wave", turned into huge losses for the Soviet Union in that war.
The tactics developed by the Finns for the work of snipers in winter time turned out to be so successful that later it was used by both Russians and Germans. And even now there is practically nothing to add to it.
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The ideal weapon for Simo was the Finnish modification of the M/28 or M28/30 Mosin rifle. From it, the sniper destroyed most of the soldiers. He also masterfully owned the Suomi submachine gun and the Lahti salorant M-26 submachine gun, of which he eliminated almost 200 opponents.
A distinctive feature of the Finnish sniper was that he did not use a sniper scope. This was due to the fact that, firstly, the glare from the sight gave out a dislocation, and secondly, the glass of the sight used to freeze. In severe winter conditions, the sight thus lost its performance.
At his location, Simo rolled the snow crust, sometimes even filling it with water, so that the snow would not scatter from the shot, betraying the ambush site. In order to prevent him from being detected while hiding in a snowdrift, the Finnish sniper constantly chewed the snow. This technique is still successfully used by the Spetzazovites - due to the balancing of temperatures, the arrow does not give out steam from the mouth.
Although Simo Häyhä did not take down four with one shot, as a British officer recently did, this Finn is known for being the most prolific elite shooter in history.
"I tried to do what I was ordered to do in the best possible way." This simple phrase was said by sniper Simo Häyhä when, already in his old age, he was asked how he felt after destroying 700 Red Army soldiers (of which 502 to 542 were documented and from his rifle) during the so-called "Winter War".
Ethical issues aside, it must be admitted that this number of those killed allowed the Finn, nicknamed " White death» Become one of the highest scoring elite shooters in history. And in just 100 days, during which the tiny army of his country put the gigantic army in check military machine Stalin.
Although Simo, with his face disfigured after being wounded, did not take down four with one shot, as a British officer recently did with four militants from IS (the organization is banned in the territory of the Russian Federation - ed. note), he died in 2002 knowing that he would go into textbooks history as one of the best snipers in the world.
First steps
Simo Häyhä, future nightmare Soviet soldiers, was born in the village of Rautjärvi on December 17, 1905. At least that's what historians Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter and Toni Wirtanen say in their book Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40. -40"). Although, depending on the source, the shooter could have been born on a variety of dates.
“Simo was the penultimate child of eight. He went to the village school and started helping his parents on the family farm early. Since childhood, he was fond of skiing, shooting, hunting and playing pesapallo - a kind of Finnish baseball, ”the authors of the book write. In addition, fate decreed in such a way that Simo's native village was located right on the border with the Russians, whom he would later destroy by the dozens.
The researchers note in their work that at the age of 17 (a disputed date, there is a widespread belief that at 25) Häyhä joined the Finnish Civil Guard (Suojeluskunta), a military formation born from the “White Guard”, which in civilian life fought against the so-called "Red Guard". While in the service, our hero spent hours perfecting his shooting accuracy. This hard training, combined with a natural talent, made him one of the best shooters in the unit.
“He was an experienced shooter. He took first place in the competition, hitting the same tiny target six times within a minute, located at a distance of 150 meters, ”says the book. In 1925-1927 (at the age of only 20 years old and with his height of 1.52 meters) he passed the compulsory military service in the scooter battalion.
Subsequently, he completed courses for junior officers and was promoted to the rank of corporal. Just a few months later, he passed his sniper exams. However, he soon quit and returned to his parent's farm, where he led a measured life. Until the Winter War began.
ice war
To understand how a Finnish farmer became one of the most successful snipers in history, one has to go back to 1939, when Hitler and Stalin had just divided up conquered Poland by signing a military treaty. By that time, the Soviet leader had already annexed Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and was eager to further expand his possessions in Europe.
That is why his eyes turned to Finland, conquering which could provide direct access to the Baltic Sea and take the borders away from Leningrad, which was too close to a potential enemy.
They don’t take money for demand, the Soviet leader apparently thought, and, wanting to prove himself with the best side, invited the Finnish delegation to the Kremlin on October 14, 1939, to convince its members that the most correct thing they can do is to accept the hammer and sickle on their banners. What the ambassadors did under “the pressure of threats and the promise of compensation,” writes historian and journalist Jesús Hernández in his book “ Short story World War II" ("Breve historia de la Segunda Guerra Mundial").
The emissaries returned home, and a month later they rejected the proposal of the USSR. And they logically chose to remain within the former borders.
If it took the Finns a month to make a decision, it took Stalin only a few hours. “Without a declaration of war, the Red Army attacked Finland on November 30, 1939. Unlike the Poles, the Finns retreated behind a strong defensive line to repel the Russians, ”says Hernandez.
On that day, the Seventh Army of the Red Army approached the borders of a new enemy. At the same time, her numerous tank forces were mobilized, as Chris Bellamy points out in the book Absolute War.
Finnish ghosts
Thus began the so-called "Winter War", which for Stalin's gigantic army seemed like a military walk. However, in the icy expanses of Finland, the Red Army ran into an obstacle that its inexperienced fighters often could not overcome: the steadfastness of the Finns.
“Finnish resistance was fierce, and the actions of the Soviet soldiers, despite their overwhelming numbers, were extremely ineffective. Many of the units deployed were recruited in Central Asia […] and were not prepared or equipped for warfare in winter conditions,” notes popular historian Martin H. Folly in his Atlas of World War II.
Context
Finns in the Winter War and the Siege of Leningrad
InoSMI 11.08.2016Russia and Finland: the border is no longer a wall
Helsingin Sanomat 22.03.2016Finland dreamed of revenge
Reflex 06/29/2016 In addition, the Red Army faced the deadly weapon of the White Death, which, like its Finnish comrades, understood that winter was a potential ally for Finland. "Unpreparedness Soviet army to fight in the winter was due in part to overly optimistic projections about the length of the campaign,” explains Bellamy.No wonder Marshal Voronov himself later admitted how difficult it was for his soldiers in these snowy regions and at such low temperatures: “The troops were poorly prepared for operations in the forest and for sub-zero temperatures. […] In the harsh climate of Finland, the mechanisms of semi-automatic weapons failed.”
In addition, the "White Death" and the Finnish army during the "Winter War" resorted to tactics guerrilla war. And while the Russians moved their giant infantry units along the clogged roads, the defenders of Finland preferred to sit in the forests and attack only at convenient moments. And it was a good idea, because for every Finn, 100 Red Army soldiers came.
“Silently moving on skis along narrow forest paths, the Finnish troops, like ghosts, fell upon the frightened Russian soldiers and immediately disappeared into the fog. Due to lack military equipment The Finns used their imagination to blow up enemy tanks and came up with Molotov cocktails that would later be known as Molotov cocktails, Hernandez writes.
Attack!
When the war started, Häyhä decided to rejoin the Finnish army to fight the invaders. And from that moment he received the nickname "White Death". And not only because he killed on the spot any Russian he aimed his rifle at, but also because he appeared on the battlefield dressed like a real ghost - in a white cape, a white mask that covered almost the entire face, and gloves of the same color. This resemblance to a ghost (and the number of people killed) made him one of the most formidable snipers for Stalin's troops.
Simo liked to shoot in severe frosts (at 20-40 degrees below zero, according to some researchers), while he kept snow in his mouth so that the steam from his breath would not betray him. This was not the only "trick" he used. Finn, for example, froze the crust in front of the rifle barrel with water, so that when fired, the snow would not fly up, indicating its exact location, and, of course, in order to support the weapon and better aim.
And one more detail that "The Redwood Stumper 2010: The Newsletter of the Redwood Gun Club" gives: our hero hated optical sights for two reasons. Firstly, because of the shine of the lenses, which also often betrayed the location of the sniper. And secondly, because of the fragility of the glass in the cold. Therefore, Häyhä preferred to shoot from an open sight.
All these tricks allowed him to shoot with his sniper rifle 505 enemy soldiers, which is documented. However, as always happens, some researchers, like Robert A. Sadowski, indicate a higher figure - 542 killed. To this number should be added another 200 unconfirmed hits made from a submachine gun that Simo used at short distances (some historians also give 300 hits in this case). And what is absolutely incredible - the Finnish shooter destroyed so many Red Army soldiers in just 100 days, the author of the book "Finland is at war" concludes.
Weapon of choice
After the end of the war, Häyhä said that he usually went on a “hunt” with two barrels.
1-Mosin rifle M28
This rifle has proven to be excellent since it was adopted. Russian army at the beginning of the twentieth century. A large volume of production made it possible to supply it to Finland in the 20s. However, here preference was given to a model with a weighted barrel. Finnish snipers usually used the 28/33, but Simo preferred the older M28, finding it more reliable and less noticeable due to the small scope.
2-Suomi M-31 SMG
This submachine gun served him for shooting at short distances. It was adopted by the Finnish army in 1931 under the name Suomi KP-Model 1931, or simply KP-31 (Konepistooli, or "automatic pistol" 31). Its production ceased in 1944, but during the "Winter War" this weapon demonstrated its effectiveness. This model served as a model for Soviet designers when creating the famous PPD and PPSh. Their Finnish predecessor was an efficient and reliable weapon, but very expensive to manufacture.
Calla doesn't give up
One of the battles in which our hero inflicted the most significant damage to the enemy was the Battle of Kolle near the Finnish-Soviet border. Since the beginning of the Winter War, the USSR mobilized the 56th rifle division, transferring her to this area on December 7, 1939, in the calculation not that her participation could ensure the defeat of most of the Finnish forces.
However, the Finns were not going to allow this. The defense was led by Colonel Teittinen, who in the first weeks of the war had to repulse the onslaught of four enemy divisions with the help of a single regiment, which sat in the trenches dug by hand.
As usual, Soviet tactics were simple - a frontal attack on the Finnish defensive line. And it could have been successful, taking into account the numerical superiority of the Red Army, but failed due to the better knowledge of the area by the defenders. The 34th Infantry Regiment, in which Häyhä served, was sent to the scene of hostilities. In a few weeks, the Finnish sniper laid down from 200 to 500 (according to various sources) enemy soldiers.
“In the Battle of Kolle, Simo used his old rifle, from which he also fired at the Civil Guard. He himself did not count the dead, his comrades did. In early December, there were already 51 shot dead Red Army soldiers in three days,” the co-authors of the book “Finland is at War” note.
These figures were so incredible that the officers did not believe them at first. Colonel Teittinen sent an officer to follow Simo and keep count of the casualties. “When Häyhä was approaching 200, having endured a particularly powerful duel with an enemy sniper, the officer returned with a report. Subsequently, the shooter was promoted to sergeant, ”they write.
During the Battle of Kolle (where the slogan “They will not pass!” spread among the Finnish defenders), it became clear that despite the superior forces of the enemy, the Finns were not going to give up an inch of their land.
And they confirmed this in the battle on the "Hill of Death", which took place during the battle and in which 32 Finnish soldiers repulsed the attack of 4 thousand Red Army soldiers, while losing only four killed against the background of 400 dead enemy soldiers. Mount Kolla remained standing on Finnish territory.
fatal shot
In all subsequent weeks, the Soviet riflemen chased Simo, but he was out of reach. Stalin's artillery was also helpless against him. He seemed invulnerable to bullets. But this opinion was soon refuted - in March 1940, the legendary sniper was wounded. “On March 6, 1940, Häyhä was wounded in the face by an explosive bullet that entered in the area of \u200b\u200bthe upper lip and pierced right through the cheek,” is described in the book “Finland is at War”.
The lower part of his face was disfigured and his jaw was crushed. Fortunately, despite the great blood loss, the comrades managed to evacuate Simo in an insensible state to the rear, and he woke up only on March 13. Some time later, Finland signed a peace treaty with the USSR, ceding part of its territory.
Being a national hero, Simo Häyhä was forced to leave his home, since it was now located on the territory that had ceded to the USSR. He had another way out, how to go to his parent's farm. It took 10 operations to restore the disfigured part of the face. And yet, Simo lived quietly raising cattle until April 1, 2002, when he left this world.
Remus 22-08-2005 22:40
In some old movie, a German machine gunner chained to something appeared. Once I was interested in such things in terms of the psychology of extreme situations. Everything in life is possible, but there was no reliable evidence.
bader 23-08-2005 18:25
Somewhere such a topic slipped that towards the end of the war such cases of chaining took place. I don’t know about the “cuckoos”, but I came across machine gunners in the literature. But I haven’t seen official confirmation anywhere, so it’s most likely nonsense, although .... in life, and even more so in war, anything can happen.
Mosinman 23-08-2005 21:50
The Germans practiced this even in the First World War. The idea is that first you will shoot yourself, and then, even if it comes to your mind to surrender, you will know that they will not be taken alive, because you have beaten a lot of people. Therefore, you will shoot to the end.
It seems that on the Zeelovsky Heights and the Dnieper, such machine gunners met.
ranger 02-09-2005 14:05
This is not bullshit. This is history. This was the case with the Germans in both wars and the Japanese. Moreover, even before 1941, and even in WW2 and even more so - and not only against us, but also on the islands against the amers.
------------------
Shoot fast and think - you'll live longer... If you survive!
Sissy 18-09-2005 02:23
No, I can say quite officially that garbage. There were snipers, yes, but to a rock or a tree only if you are from a psychiatric ward. The Germans had their own grouping in Finland, but strictly under their command, and for example, their power was not extended to the Finns. It was strictly there, yes, there were many cases that German sentries fired on Finnish long-range detachments, and for this, as a rule, death followed the tribunal. In general, the Germans were poorly prepared for the warriors in these latitudes and therefore fought almost only trench battles and stood at the expense of their technical strength.
There were personal beds, yes, for example, the Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, who had an account in the army of +500, according to some information, the exact 542 (in the Finnish army, only a partner or officer could be a witness), he used an open sight (I hope everyone understands) used at least 40 % of cases (it is worth saying that the melting in the forest is from 30-150m maximum). And it's not about cuckoos, but about the ability and choice of personnel, as a rule, loners worked. Legends were born later as well as after the First World War about German snipers.
ASlon 18-09-2005 02:35
Sissy
could you give a link (or advise other sources) with some information about this sniper. (Simo Hayha) You can even in Finnish .. I am fond of the history of the Winter War and the actions of the Finnish army in particular. I will be very grateful.
Sissy 18-09-2005 02:48
Yes, you don’t need links, just the name and surname Simo Häyhä, and then just choose the language, there are many links to English on it or on its statistics, there are opinions that there are no equals, but not Zaitsev, of course. There was no promotion for the whole world, and again, the score is not kept by soldiers, there is not enough smoke like that of fighters. If I'm short of time or too lazy, then I can sit, if there are wishes for languages, then write.
ASlon 18-09-2005 02:59
Sissy
I’m not very good with English, but I’ll try to search, there is a link by name, maybe you can indicate other sources with interesting (or little-known) facts on this issue. Really interesting.
Sissy 18-09-2005 03:07
Well, I forgot where I have it. Here is everything you need, at least according to statistics.
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII
ASlon 18-09-2005 03:26
Thanks a lot! Indeed As. Strange that I had never heard of him before.
Sissy 18-09-2005 03:32
And in Finland, few people know about it. This is how it says to an amateur / connoisseur / historian or for learning.
Sissy 18-09-2005 13:12
If he asks a male from 18-30 years old, then they know who they are talking about somewhere 50/50, but I’m already silent about the female part.
Remus 18-09-2005 23:15
Then all is not lost.
Legends naturally appear later. For different reasons. According to the archives, at the beginning of the war, the Finnish army had only about 200 rifles with optical sights. Naturally, I had to turn around. Simo Häyhä himself explained the work from an open sight very simply - you need to stick your head out less.
Sissy 02-10-2005 21:29
Yes, there are enough legends, but the brightest ones are about Lauri Törni and Simo Häyhä.
apple 03-10-2005 01:13
What CAVE IGNORANCE!!! The tale of the chaining of machine gunners (snipers ???, grenade launchers ???, radio operators ???, tankers ???, pilots ???, officers of the General Staff ???) really originates in WWI. Famous "children's" uniformologists Fred and Lillian Funken (republished from AST) suggested that the legend originates from the fact that members of the machine gun crews of the German army were equipped with wide leather belts with metal carbines, designed for emergency carrying of machine guns on the battlefield . And, they say, the soldiers found the killed enemy machine gunners and, based on these belts, they made a conclusion about chaining. I don’t know how the “chained” comrades are, but after such an outrage I wouldn’t shoot, but yelled until I was hoarse: “They are shissen!!! (French) captivity!!!" But everything is much more banal. WWI was not only the first world, but also the first ideological. Some lucky journalist came up with the idea, among other inventions about the atrocities of the enemy, to ascribe to the Germans such things! And I went for a walk through the pages of various "Russian invalids" and "Niv" another fairy tale ... In their hatred, people did not want to advance further than a convenient stamp. So "The Terrible Tale" is also mentioned by the Strugatskys, the historian Rodin attributed the "rite of chaining" to the Austro-Hungarians, the director Rodin made a film in which they chained (???) a sniper (???) "finnik" in a German uniform (??? ) SS troops (???) ...
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
Student 03-10-2005 02:51
Yeah .. One of the roots of such legends is misunderstandings, sort of like with a machine gun harness.
For example, in Krymskaya, the French press wrote that a Russian soldier is so patriotic and superstitious that he always carries a bag with native land th. In fact, this "land" was grated rye crackers - they fed disgustingly in the besieged city. And the legend of the native land still roams.
Sincerely, Student
Kalmar 10-10-2005 02:37
I agree that there is no point in chaining a sniper. He is a free hunter, a valuable fighter who will not be sacrificed. As for the machine gunner, it is quite possible at the request of the riveted. Like a kamikaze. To not be afraid.
apple 10-10-2005 22:16
quote: Originally posted by Kalmar:
I agree that there is no point in chaining a sniper. He is a free hunter, a valuable fighter who will not be sacrificed. As for the machine gunner, it is quite possible at the request of the riveted. Like a kamikaze. To not be afraid.On mobilization, many Finns came with their own rifles. There were not enough weapons for everyone in the army. Most are hunters. Perhaps that is why there were so many good snipers among the Finns. And civilians always have weapons of higher quality than army ones.
2. It is unlikely that army snipers were armed with their own rifles. After all, already from the middle of the 19th century, the best hunting samples were alterations of the army ones. For example, the famous "berdanka". Yes, a huge minus of mass weapons is low quality. But a giant plus is the mass production of ammunition.
Student 11-10-2005 13:16
A simple aspect - the chain can be interrupted by a bullet. And you can’t fight with the chain from the Admiralty anchor. Here it is, the reason.
Sincerely, Student
Kalmar 12-10-2005 12:18
quote: Originally posted by apple:1. Still not logical. If a sniper is not allowed, then why is it possible to weld a tanker in a tank or rivet a pilot to the skin of an aircraft? Why was it necessary to spend gigantic funds and efforts on maintaining the NKVD detachments, if it was possible to learn from the experience of German comrades and chain the minelayers themselves in the trenches? Why is it possible to bring up a heap of literature on kamikaze or selflessness in general, but nowhere in serious studies do they talk about chaining? Maybe because it didn't exist at all?
So after all, no one brought the facts. All this is at the level of rumors.
quote: 2. It is unlikely that army snipers were armed with their own rifles. After all, already from the middle of the 19th century, the best hunting samples were alterations of the army ones. For example, the famous "berdanka". Yes, a huge minus of mass weapons is low quality. But a giant plus is the mass production of ammunition.
But this, excuse me, is a historical fact. The Finns came with their rifles. Just like American contractors are in Iraq today. And their weapons are much more abrupt than the army ones. I myself have a weapon of higher quality and more expensive than the army. Read what weapons the forum users own. No army will run away. Just compare the quality of match weapons and army ones.
Student 12-10-2005 13:26
Gentlemen, Finland is an interesting country. With a modest military budget, there were many enthusiasts, there were also paramilitary organizations - shutskor and the women's "lotta-svard", and so they were also engaged in sports shooting. From military weapons, i.e. Mosinok. And the trunks were placed there not very simple, I mean sporting rifles. And they will be extremely stupid to argue that the sports Mosinka of a Shutskor shooter with a big name has worse accuracy than an army rifle. Meanwhile, a rifle could also be a prize at competitions, exactly the one with excellent barrel processing. And there is nothing strange if the owner or owner took their Mosinka to the front - the cartridge is the same, and the rifle itself is also an analogue of the army. At higher quality.
An analogy for the type of Soviet weapons - few people will compare the accuracy of 1891 \ 30 with AV or AVL. Although both are essentially Mosinka.
Sincerely, Student
Sergey-M 15-10-2005 16:50
Grandfather told. Before the war, they lived in a border village in western Ukraine. The bunkers of the Vladimir-Volyn UR, hastily built the day before, were located in the district. A couple of months before the start of the war, residents were evacuated hundreds of kilometers from the border, so as not to fall under the distribution. When the front line swept through them to the east and people returned to their village, in these very bunkers they discovered dead Red Army soldiers chained. The name of one of these hero-machine gunners now bears the local frontier post. Maybe a fable about chains, but I heard from several eyewitnesses of those events.
By the way, the outpost then held out for a day, but there is no information about the UR.
VOYAKA 20-10-2005 07:25
Student, excuse my ignorance, but it seems to me that chains are interrupted by a bullet only in films ... Moreover, as you put it, anchors ... Correct me if I'm wrong.
Sincerely.
apple 20-10-2005 15:32
Student, excuse my ignorance, but it seems to me that chains are interrupted by a bullet only in films ... Moreover, as you put it, anchors ... Correct me if I'm wrong.
Aha! That is, the problem is not whether this is a propaganda myth, but in the thickness of the chain? Well ... Also an option !!!
bucherets 20-10-2005 16:23
quote: Originally posted by VOYAKA:
... it seems to me that chains are interrupted by a bullet only in films ...
Here in this film the hero Ville Haapsalo just tried to do it. He didn't succeed.
And if you approach the matter purely practically, what is the use of chaining a sniper. With a machine gunner still back and forth, but here's a sniper? The essence of a sniper: shot once or twice - changed position. Otherwise, they will be discovered and destroyed. Those. a chained sniper simply won't shoot.
Student 20-10-2005 19:38
If a 7.62 rifle bullet calmly hits three or four millimeters of steel, then you can rivet the chain!
Another thing is that it will cut with fragments of the shell, and you can catch a ricochet. You can ... But it's better than the guaranteed death of the "chain sniper".
Sincerely, Student
pasha333 20-10-2005 19:39
Machine gunner - the same thing - if not from Ukrp. fire points - also fill up.
Well, what's the point? If they chain him up and he wants to survive anyway, it’s better to wave something white right away when they come up - there will be more chances to survive than to shoot to the last.
By the way, I re-read how many German sources I have never seen anything like ours or theirs. About the Japanese - yes, the Finns, in my opinion, too.
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