Of all the specialized officers in the military,
there are few more fascinating and mysterious than the sniper. The image of a lone soldier, perched above
the action, picking off enemies one by one with their precise shots is iconic. These expert marksmen are specially trained
to be effective and deadly while hiding out of the enemy’s sight, sometimes literally
miles away. They’re highly disciplined and incredibly
dangerous, and an exceptional sniper can make all the difference in a military conflict. This video is all about 10 of the most impressive,
famous, and lethal snipers in military history. From record-breaking kill counts to incredible
marksmanship, get ready to learn all about the Top 10 Best Snipers in The History of
Mankind. Is your country on the list? Stay tuned and find out! 10. Zhang Taofang – The Lethal Learner Zhang Taofang was a Chinese sniper who fought
in the Korean war. Despite not using a magnifying scope, binoculars,
or any other equipment that would allow him to spot targets from far away, he made approximately
214 confirmed kills in just 32 days of combat. It has also been suggested that he made those
confirmed kills with only 442 bullets, working out to around two bullets a kill. If you don’t understand why that’s so
impressive, just know that reports estimate that up to 250,000 rounds were fired per dead
insurgent in the modern Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Taofang was able to achieve this surgical
sniping success by analyzing his early failures and rigorously improving upon them. When he first attempted to fire on an enemy,
he fired 12 shots and missed all of them. He was almost killed in the ensuing enemy
fire. This terrifying near-death experience led
him to analyze why he failed and develop a new shooting technique using the iron sights
of his trusty service rifle. After this, he was able to refine his shooting
and achieve the impressive kill count that was later reported. It also gives us a heartwarming message about
staying humble and learning from your mistakes. Next we move from the frozen kills of North
Korea to the Jungles of Vietnam. 9. Adelbert Waldron – The Terror of Vietnam Adelbert Waldron was a United States sniper
during the Vietnam war, and is regarded as the most accomplished American sniper during
that time. After a successful stint in the U.S. Navy,
Waldron joined the Army in 1968 as a Sergeant. That same year, he was placed with the 9th
Infantry Division in South Vietnam. Known as an expert marksman, he was selected
to study with the 9th Infantry’s sniper school, where he honed his skills. As a sniper, he worked in the Mekong Delta
in the brown water Tango Boats and PBRs, operating alongside the Navy. He was credited by US General Ewell with a
confirmed kill, achieved in a single shot, from 900 yards away on a moving Tango Boat. In the first half of 1969, he achieved a kill
count of 109 confirmed kills, which made him the deadliest sniper in United States Military
History until 2011. Waldron ended his time in Vietnam with a Silver
Star, a Bronze Star, a Presidential Unit Citation, and two Distinguished Service Crosses. He then taught at the US Army Marksmanship
Unit as a senior instructor until 1970. Now it’s time to head for the land down
under. 8. William “Billy” Sing – The Queensland
Sharpshooter Billy Sing began his life as a farm boy from
rural Queensland, Australia, but he eventually became one of the most respected snipers of
World War I. Sing was a great shot from a young age, and his brother-in-law once said
that he could “shoot the tail off a piglet as far aways as 25 paces.” Sing became a competitive target shooter for
a time, before World War I broke out and he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He was stationed in the Gallipoli peninsula
of what is now Turkey, and quickly developed a reputation as a deadly sniper. His estimated kill count of 200 men earned
him the nicknames “The Assassin” “The Murderer” and “The Angel of Death.” The Turkish army brought in an equally notorious
sniper, Abdul the Terrible, to face off against Sing, in hopes that they could put a stop
to the devastating blows to their army. However, before Abdul could fire a single
bullet at him, Sing caught him in his sights and killed him. Shooting your competition in the head is definitely
one way to defend your title. Now we head to the snowy fields of World War
II. 7. Matthäus Hetzenauer – The Wehrmacht Wunderkind Matthäus Hetzenauer was a German sniper on
the Eastern Front in World War II from 1943 to 1945. Though he was just 20 years old when he started,
he was incredibly successful in the art of long-range death, and killed 345 men before
he was captured. Through hunting, he learned the skills of
marksmanship and camouflage from a young age. At age 17, he was drafted into the German
army. He was sent to the Eastern Front to face off
against the Soviet Soldiers there, and this is where he began to earn his reputation as
a terrifying sniper. Matthäus was a patient man, often sitting
in the snow for hours before firing even a single shot. He made all of his 345 kills over the course
of 10 months, and once made a kill from 1,200 yards away. For context, that’s the length of over 10
football fields. He was captured by Soviet forces in 1945,
but before his capture he certainly made his mark on military history. Now we move to a country best known for its
friendliness, but with a deadly military history. 6. Francis Pegahmagabow – The Canadian Crack-Shot Francis Pegahmagabow was an Ojibwa man, born
on the Parry Island Indian Reserve – now known as the Wasauksing First Nation – who
would go on to become one of the deadliest snipers of World War I. Like many of the snipers on this list, he
grew up learning how to hunt, and this made him an excellent shot before he even dreamed
of going up against targets who shot back. When war was declared in Europe, Pegahmagabow
enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the age of 25. Francis worked as a scout and as a sniper,
two of the most dangerous jobs in this bloody and arduous war. But he proved himself as a sniper with a combination
of patience and nearly perfect aim, and made 378 confirmed kills during his time in combat. After he was discharged in 1919, he became
the most decorated First Nations soldier in Canadian history. After leaving the military, he advocated for
Indigenous rights until his death in 1952. Now it’s back to World War II, where it’s
time for the Red Army to strike back. 5. Fyodor Okhlopkov – The Soviet Sniping Savant Fyodor Okhlopkov was a member of the Red Army,
and a professional Soviet sniper during World War II. He joined the army in 1941 as a machine gunner,
then, in 1942, he found his true military calling as a sniper. Fyodor fought with a Soviet Mosin-Nagant 1891/30
sniper rifle with a PU Scope, a rifle he proved himself to have a terrifying level of expertise
with. How terrifying, you ask? Well… His reported kill count is 429, and he was
decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union on the 20th anniversary of the war’s end. He also received the Order of Lenin, Order
of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, Order of the Red Star, Medal for Merit
in Combat, and Victory over Germany Medal. He was lucky that sniping was a largely stationary
role, or the sheer weight of all his medals would probably have held him back. World War II bred many deadly Soviet snipers,
and our next one is a world-renowned legend. 4. Vasily Zaytsev – Stalingrad Super-Sniper Vasily Zaytsev was a soldier of the Red Army
during World War II, and a prominent figure at the Battle of Stalingrad. He received his first rifle at age 12 as a
gift, and was trained in hunting by his grandfather. While he worked as a chief of finance in the
Pacific Fleet for several years, he applied five times to be moved to the front lines. His request was finally granted and he was
sent to the 284th rifle division. He became a sniper after proving his skills
as a soldier, hitting an enemy that was 800 feet away. As a sniper, he was prone to hide in many
different locations, from water pipes to underneath rubble. Every few kills he would change position in
order to avoid detection. During the Battle of Stalingrad he killed
more than 300 Nazi soldiers. In his memoirs, Zaystev wrote about facing
off against a Nazi sniper known as the “Supersniper”, who he supposedly killed during the Battle
of Stalingrad. The story of this conflict inspired the film
“Enemy at the Gates.”, although many believe that the account of his duel with a German
sniper was nothing but propaganda and it was never proven. He received many awards for his time in battle,
including the Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, Medal for the Defense
of Stalingrad, and the Medal for the Victory Over Germany. Once more to the killing fields of World War
II’s eastern front, and another hero of the Soviet Union. 3. Lyudmila Pavlichenko – Lady Death Lyudmila Pavlichenko is regarded as the deadliest
female sniper in recorded history. She fought for the Red Army against the Germans
during World War II, and earned a massive, deadly reputation among the German army, who
referred to her as “Lady Death.” As a young girl, she once heard a boy bragging
about his shooting achievements, and, she wrote “That was enough to send me running
to the range.” After she began shooting, she developed a
love of it and joined a shooting club, earning a sharpshooter badge and a marksman certificate. She advanced her education by enrolling in
a sniper school. When Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa
in 1941, Pavlichenko enlisted in the Red Army, despite insistence from the recruitment officer
that she become a nurse instead. She joined the 25th Rifle Division as a sniper,
taking out 36 German snipers. On a publicity tour in Chicago meant to drum
up support for the US joining the war, she addressed the men in the audience by saying
“Gentlemen. I am 25 years old and I have killed 309 fascist
occupants by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have
been hiding behind my back for too long?” She earned this kill count in only a few months,
and is not only one of the greatest female snipers of all time, but one of the greatest
snipers of all time, period. Next is a controversial American figure. 2. Chris Kyle – The Real American Sniper Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL who served four
tours during the Iraq War over the course of 10 years. During his time in Iraq he became regarded
as the most lethal sniper in American Military History. He had 160 confirmed kills according to the
Department of Defense, and wrote about his experiences in a memoir, American Sniper,
which was later adapted into the feature film starring Bradley Cooper in the role of Kyle. This kill count broke the record for most
kills by an American Sniper, previously held by Adelbert Waldron, mentioned earlier in
this list. In his own words, Kyle described his time
as a sniper in these words: “I don’t have to psyche myself up, or do something special
mentally – I look through the scope, get my target in the cross hairs, and kill my
enemy before he kills one of my people” He was given two awards of the Silver Star
and five awards of the Bronze Star. There has, however, been some debate surrounding
his military record, including claims that his kill count has not been officially substantiated. Regardless, Kyle left his mark on American
military history before his murder in 2013, and will likely be remembered for a very long
time. Now it’s time to discover who our top sniper
of all time is. 1. Simo Hayha – The White Death Simo Hayha is regarded as one of the deadliest
snipers in all of history, and perhaps the deadliest sniper who has ever lived. During the Winter War of 1939-1940, where
Finland battled against the Soviet Union, Hayha had at least 505 confirmed kills. This is more confirmed kills than any sniper
on record. Hayha was only five feet tall, and not considered
to be an especially intimidating man in day to day life. It is likely this ability to be unnoticed
and underestimated is part of what made him such an effective sniper. Hayha was an excellent shot, a skill he developed
by hunting as a young man. Additionally, his father had trained him to
precisely estimate distances, a vital skill for a sniper. The war lasted for 105 days. And Hayha fought for 98 of them, leaving combat
only when he became injured. While he was active in combat, he made a massive
mark on the Soviet army. Like the rest of the Finnish soldiers, he
wore all-white camouflage. However, he took this camouflage an extra
mile and would surround himself with snow drifts that provided extra cover as well as
cushion for his rifle. He was meticulous about his preparations,
and would visit his favorite firing positions during the night to keep himself sharp. His ability to pick off Soviet soldiers while
remaining unseen and undetected earned him his nickname, “The White Death.” Though he was injured during the war, he survived,
and returned to his farm to retire after the fighting was done. He finally passed away in 2002 at the ripe
old age of 96. Check out “Surviving Actual Military Combat
(True Story)” and “Top 10 Most Powerful Militaries - Military / Army Comparison.”
Just like to point out that the infographics show is not a reliable source by any means, and would discourage watching their videos
Probobly true but i just sent it so i can watch it myself (screen time)