^&confuse^&confuse^&confuse
If one is to follow that same train of thought then the US would be wimps and cowards since Korea forward- not sure that logic fits. The Russian soldier is as formidable as any on the planet- if anything it's their leadership that is highly suspect- but the actual soldier is as lethal as any that ever existed.
The Western allies did not incorporate "Snipers" in their Order of Battle (OOB) in any meaningful numbers because snipers really do not fit what the Western Front was in 1945- a rapid drive to Berlin. Ground was to be gained as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Snipers do not fit that mold. Snipers are better used in a defensive position and essentially act as a force multiplier allowing them to exact precision kill capacity against invading targets high value assets like senior leadership, disrupt communications or other mission essentially tasks. At a squad or company level, they are also used by modern forces to provide covering fire during a host of different missions.
The Fins knew they were going to be overrun by the Soviet juggernaut, it was just a matter of time. Amongst dozens of other defensive measures they took (like flooding fields, cutting lines, blowing bridges, etc), they did an expert job in the deployment of their snipers. In many ways, the Soviets learned a very costly lesson that they were able to leverage a few years later in Stalingrad and other areas where the Germans had them under siege. The Fins took advantage of their hunting culture and their innate knowledge of their home country and exacted an incredibly lethal kill tally against a Soviet Army that was utterly unprepared to fight that fight. Any army that takes to another country **lly understands that playing on their field gives them the home field advantage which the Finns clearly had.
When Barbarossa stalled, the German forces settled in and adopted a siege rather than advance and attack strategy. As such, this gave the Soviets time to properly deploy their sniper kill teams similar to how the Finns did in 39. The soviet snipers were all very similar to the Finn snipers- mostly from rural hunting communities with excellent marksmanship. This time, the Soviets were playing on their ground, the Germans were the aggressors and unfamiliar with snipers being deployed in such high numbers. As such, the Soviet sniper teams were able to rack up large body counts- just like the Finns did to them a few years earlier.
The US military (and our Western allies like Canada, Australia and England) uses snipers in a variety of roles from Seal Team 6 picking off Somali pirates, providing overwatch during infiltration patrols in Iraq, and taking out high value AQ leadership assets in Afghanistan. Still, snipers were not used as a viable military option until we began the rebuild process in Iraq. When we were rolling through Iraq in 2003, we adopted an offensive position designed to take ground. Snipers were not actively involved with offensive operations simply because they do not fill that roll. Once we took Iraq (and became immeshed in Vietnam), we took a "Defensive" position and the sniper could finally do his thing. Soviet snipers are still being used in the Ukraine (and yes, there are female snipers in those units as well).
So to answer the original question, snipers were never deployed in any meaningful numbers in any stage of WW2 by the Western allies simply because we were taking ground and constantly on the offensive. Snipers are best deployed as A- part of a support to patrols during pacification or B- as a precision asset with a mission with a very singular purpose.
Hope that helps
CC
Hi Chris.
Thanks for your informative post.
Here is your quote:
“ snipers really do not fit what the Western Front was in 1945- a rapid drive to Berlin”
Unfortunately it is not true.
The Russian snipers were involved with offensive operations on Eastern Front.
They actually never stopped to do them job.
Ivan Sidorenko accomplished 500 kills from 1941 to 1944
Fyodor Okhlopov achived 429 kills until he had been wounded in 1944
Mikhail Ivanovich Budenkov 437 kills was awarded HSU on March 24, 1945 for his valiant efforts as a Soviet sniper.
Stepan Vasilievich Petrenko 422 kills won the highest distinction in the Soviet Union for heroic feats in services to USSR, on March 24, 1945.
A total of 428,335 individuals received Red Army sniper training, including Soviet and non-Soviet partisans, with 9,534 receiving the sniping 'higher qualification'. During World War ІІ, two six-month training courses for women alone trained nearly 55,000 snipers, of which more than two thousand later served in the army.
On average there was at least one sniper in an infantry platoon and one in every reconnaissance platoon, including in tank and even artillery units.
Some used the PTRD anti-tank rifle with an adapted scope as an early example of an anti-materiel rifle.
The German snipers were involved with offensive operations in Normandy.
German snipers remained hidden in the dense vegetation and were able to encircle American units, firing at them from all sides. The American and British forces were surprised by how near the German snipers could approach in safety and attack them, as well as by their ability to hit targets at up to 1,000m. A notable mistake made by inexperienced American soldiers was to lie down and wait when targeted by German snipers, allowing the snipers to pick them off one after another.[8][page needed] German snipers often infiltrated Allied lines and sometimes when the front-lines moved, they continued to fight from their sniping positions, refusing to surrender until their rations and munitions were exhausted.
Why French and British snipers weren’t involved with offensive operations in Normandy if German and Russian snipers were in active service?
Any one know what did happened to French and British snipers?
Why there is nothing about them achievements?
During Germany's 1940 campaigns, lone, well-hidden French and British snipers were able to halt the German advance for a considerable amount of time. For example, during the pursuit to Dunkirk, British snipers were able to significantly delay the German infantry's advance. This prompted the British once again to increase training of specialized sniper units. Apart from marksmanship, British snipers were trained to blend in with the environment, often by using special camouflage clothing for concealment. However, because the British Army offered sniper training exclusively to officers and non-commissioned officers, the resulting small number of trained snipers in combat units considerably reduced their overall effectiveness.[9]
For me it was a surprise to learn “during the pursuit to Dunkirk, British snipers were able to significantly delay the German infantry’s advance.”
Looks like a myth. Am I wrong?
Kind Regards.
Serge.
