Top 7 Deadliest Military Snipers
The military sniper is one of the more alluring combat positions in general favor.
While widely storied in television and film, the actual role of a professional sniper is
that of a highly evolved, trained and dedicated marksman with an almost patriarchal role (regardless
of gender) as the protector of fellow soldiers and the overseer of a mission.
By the mid 1800s, the role of a sniper became a necessary component in modern warfare - with
more and more companies developing equipment and weaponry for the heavy task.
Although there has been literally hundreds of prolific snipers in the history of combat,
the following seven have proven their worth not just by kill count, but also by distance,
accuracy and sheer career importance.
Let’s take a look at seven of the deadliest snipers in history.
Number seven - Senior Sergeant Roza Shanina, Soviet Red Army
Roza Shanina is one of the more well-known snipers in history.
With a marksman record of 59 confirmed kills, her extremely short career was spectacular
and relatively unheard of.
Joining the Soviet Army after the killing of her brother in 1941, she quickly amassed
a stunning amount of accomplishments soon after.
Receiving both Orders of Glory and Medal of Valor awards during her four year stint - even
rising to command the 1st Sniper Platoon (184th Rifle Division).
Severely injured while shielding a wounded artillery officer, she was found with her
chest torn open by a shell fragment in 1945.
Shanina died the following day in January at the incredibly young age of 20.
Number six - Rob Furlong, Canadian Forces
Rob Furlong, a Newfoundland, Canada native - made his ranks as a Corporal with the 3rd
Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 2002.
Fighting in Afghanistan, Furlong and his team of snipers were sent in to neutralize a threat
on Canadian and American territory via three insurgents that were setting up mortar attacks.
Holding up position in the mountainside, Furlong identified the targets and took aim - firing
three times.
With a distance of 2,430 meters, the third kill shot became the longest confirmed sniper
kill in history at the time.
Although he was eventually bested by a British Army sniper in 2009, he was awarded the Bronze
Star for his display in combat by the United States Army.
Number five - Adelbert Waldron, United States Army
United States Army sniper Adelbert Waldron was, at one point, the record holder for most
confirmed kills by an American sniper - an impressive number (even back then) at 109.
Deployed in Vietnam, he is widely considered to be amongst the most accurate snipers in
American combat history.
Michael Lee Lanning recounted a mission he executed with Waldron - saying, “an enemy
sniper on-shore pecked away at the boat.
While everyone else on board strained to find the antagonist, who was firing from the shoreline
over 900 meters away, Sergeant Waldron took up his sniper rifle and picked off the Vietcong
out of the top of a coconut tree with one shot.”
He remains a prolific example of excellence.
Number four - Carlos Norman Hathcock, United States Army
An impressive amount of books and films have been based around the career and sheer excellence
of Hathcock’s prolific sniper record - and with good reason.
With 93 confirmed kills in the Vietnam War alone, he became one of the most famous snipers
in history with a $30,000 North Vietnamese bounty on his head.
His primary role in the war was to stalk and neutralize enemy snipers in the jungle of
Vietnam - one that he was staggeringly good at.
Utilizing a technique in which he would use the reflection of the sun to shine off of
the lens of his enemy’s scope, he would expertly sink a shot into his target’s eyes
- believed to be the innovator of this now-classic sniper trope.
Dangerously accurate, indeed.
Number three - Chris Kyle, United States Navy SEAL
Recently made famous by his autobiography (and subsequent film adaptation) American
Sniper, Chris Kyle’s unbelievable career has elevated him to the most lethal sniper
in American history with a jaw-dropping kill count of 160 confirmed and another 95 claimed
but unverified kills during the four tours of duty he served in Iraq.
Nicknamed “the Devil of Ramadi” by the enemy, he also had a bounty placed on his
head - being attacked multiple times by IEDs and coming under fire twice himself - earning
two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars and numerous other decorations.
Sadly, he and friend Chad Littlefield were senselessly killed by a former Marine at a
shooting range near his home in Texas in 2013.
Number two - Vasily Zaytsev, Soviet Red Army
Known best to Americans as the main protagonist in the historically inaccurate film Enemy
At The Gates, he is remembered rather as a hero of the Soviet Union during World War
II in his homeland of Russia.
Serving in the Red Army on the Eastern Front, he actually first saw combat that led to him
becoming notable in the Battle of Stalingrad.
During the city’s German siege, he racked up a confirmed kill count of 242 - with the
bulk of the numbers reportedly just in the month of November alone.
The Red Army even used his likeness to intimidate German soldiers in their propaganda - Even
being awarded the highest distinction known as: The Hero of the Soviet Union prior to
him leaving and joining into the Communist Party in 1943.
Number one - Simo Häyhä, Finnish Army
Although Häyhä remains a relatively unknown example of sniper excellence - his career
represents him as the most lethal and prolific marksman of all time.
Nicknamed “White Death”, he would dress in all-white camouflage when braving the -40(F)
degree conditions of Northern Finland.
Setting out daily for nearly 100 straight days in a row, he amassed an incredible 505
Red Army member deaths in that time period alone.
When added with his Red Army Sieges (where he employed a submachine gun), his total record
amounts to 705 kills.
When a shot in the face rendered him unable to continue action, he remained unconscious
until the day peace was declared between Finland and the Soviet Union.
He lived to be 96 years old and is regarded to be the most prolific sniper in military
history to the day.
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