Separate sniper company. Sniper - respect your own, hate your enemies! Intelligence, nerves of steel and iron health

Pregnancy

It is no secret that in connection with the introduction into the composition of combined arms formations ground forces special sniper units, the formation of a phased and multilevel system selection and training of snipers. After completing the recruitment phase of individual sniper companies, all snipers will special training in training centers with a frequency of once every 3-4 years. For the emerging sniper training schools, curricula have been developed that provide for the mastery of a set of knowledge, skills and abilities, including those for adjusting artillery fire, aiming army aviation and counter-sniper training. The instructors, from among whom the newly formed sniper training schools will be recruited by December 1 at the district training centers (OTC), have completed a special fire training cycle (TsOPS) in the city of Solnechnogorsk.

At the finish line, a trained sniper will be able to act both as part of a unit and independently (or in pairs). The formation of sniper units in the Ground Forces, staffed by professional contracted military personnel and undergoing systematic training at sniper schools at the training center and at the TsOPS (Solnechnogorsk), is scheduled to be fully completed in 2016.

Due to the variety of fire missions performed, the sniper units are armed with several types of rifles with different indicators of the main combat properties. In addition, each sniper is given a personal weapon - a pistol. In addition to weapons and sights, the sniper pair is equipped with optoelectronic surveillance equipment - a small-sized laser reconnaissance device, binoculars and means for determining the initial data for firing. Individual and group equipment of a sniper pair includes a sniper complex, uniforms, equipment and other equipment necessary to complete tasks and maintain life.

We managed to get into one of these newly formed separate sniper companies (27th brigade) in order to find out how live firing of snipers is carried out, including in pairs and with the use of fire support, what happens in tactical-special classes (movement, equipment and camouflage of the firing position ), why do you need psychological testing snipers and how things are with medical training.

For future fighters of individual sniper units, several qualifications have been introduced, one of which is psychological. A specially trained civilian psychologist (in the past - an officer), with the help of proven methods for predicting the behavior of a fighter at an early stage, identifies people who do not have the proper level of neuropsychic stability. Testing is normal. Each candidate receives a form, the psychologist reads the questions-statements, the subject answers. For example, one of the tests, consisting of 86 questions, allows you to divide all candidates into 4 groups. Of these, only those included in groups 1 and 2 can be recommended for enrollment with subsequent admission to combat sniper weapons. Psychological selection during acquisition, as the psychologist said, is very strict.

After being enrolled in a sniper company, a psychologist monitors each fighter individually. If necessary, individual training sessions are again conducted with a sniper, during which it is possible to adjust such an indicator as, for example, “determination” and issue the necessary recommendations. If correction is not possible and serious issues of psychological fitness arise, the psychologist may make a proposal to remove the sniper from service in a separate sniper company. Individual therapy is possible, and as a standard this kind of therapy is carried out weekly for small groups. Nothing "cinematic" is brought into the mental training of a sniper: no one eats live frogs and does not wrap the enemy's warm intestines around his fist. They say that such training is not required for a modern military sniper.

The main qualities that the psychologist works to consolidate and develop are decisiveness, courage, and an adequate response to any new situations. Special attention is given to the actions of a sniper in a future battle, the most important of which is a clear and quick prioritization.

"SVD" 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifle

Contract Sergeant Velmatkin. Having served in the army for military service, not at all as a sniper, he was demobilized, thought about it and returned to the army again. I wanted to be a sniper. And became.

Fighters should be able to prepare this kind of camouflage suits with masks for themselves, best of all - from improvised means. The main task is to hide the silhouette of the fighter and weapons, to protect the face and hands. Of course, there are a lot of special suits on sale today, but as the pros say, they are really good and do not need finishing and “customization” - no. And the price tag usually invigorates. 5-6 thousand will have to lay out. It is, of course, available if you are an airsoft manager (this is without irony and jokes, if anything). What about a contract sergeant? Those who want to make a suitable and correct suit for themselves can go here . By the way - my acquaintances from the police special forces, who fought a lot,.
To begin with, snipers led by a young officer demonstrated typical measures to mask their position. The situation has become much more complicated weather conditions It snowed overnight and started to melt in the morning. Wet, dirty, not autumn and not winter. But it's raining. The snipers had to get out as in battle. A white camouflage coat is poorly suited for spaces not covered with snow, and green for snowy ones. To the question - “what to do if you need to immediately go into battle?”, The officer said that instead of a white coat, bandages and underwear would fit, and instead of green, equipment of “beds” and special barriers that were not visible from the side.
The first of the snipers chose a place for the future "prone". A hole large enough to hide a lying person was covered with heat-insulating "foam" and a raincoat. The fighter lies on his stomach and nests in a way convenient for him, and his comrade covers the lying one with a simple mat. This, of course, is about a flat structure woven from “local” branches, twigs and clods of snow. Approximately above the head of a lying sniper, a bump is arranged using the same method. A sniper sticks a rifle into this very bump so that a sector of fire and observation is visible through the scope. In such cases, the barrel is bandaged so that the blued rifle does not stand out in the snow. In such a shelter, a sniper can spend from several hours to several days.

Depending on the length of stay, a reserve is made in terms of the volume of shelter so that the lying fighter could warm up a little, eat, drink. In winter, being in such a bed, as they said, is surprisingly not cold, unless, of course, the sniper has properly insulated himself. Great for isolating the "local" spruce branches under the raincoat. A small hole for ventilation allows you to breathe, and if you also light a candle inside the “bed” closed on all sides, it gets warmer. Including in the soul, as the sniper officer said. The question about natural needs was answered in the affirmative. Yes. And where to go?

A nearby open position was taken by a sniper with a white paper mask on his face (cheap and cheerful) and a piece of wire tied to a dummy. The dummy is additionally equipped with a micromirror responsible for bright reflections. He pulled the wire - the mirror glared. An enemy sniper may well shoot at the flash, and then he will be revealed by simple observation. Well, then - how lucky.
In an open field, a simple wire structure was installed with branches braided into it and bunches of dried grass. On a complete "lack of fish" and such a disguise is good. It is light, mobile and, with skillful manufacture, impenetrable to an outside observer.
Old, broken armored vehicles are a great place to equip a position. Often snipers prepare so-called "stumps" for themselves. It can be either a real hollow stump or a stump made by hand on a frame. From under it, you can observe without fear of being seen, and shoot if necessary. Of course, all snipers know about “stumps”, therefore, before entering a position, they are often “shoot through” on their own or with the help of infantry. Protecting yourself from enemy snipers is never superfluous. Sniper shelters are often armored on their own and with improvised means. In general, there are no limits to tricks. Now the wire "spider" is in use. Metal rods on a single bolt, assembled into an umbrella-like design. He laid it out, disguised it, covered himself - that's it, the position is ready. You observe from there, you find a goal - it's a pity and go to a new place. Disguise is life.
After the camouflage lesson, we went to the obstacle course. A sniper pair in the face of a fighter with a sniper rifle and a soldier with a machine gun (in his place there may be a second sniper) had to quickly and trying not to stick out, overcome an open space with obstacles, covering each other with fire. The fighters from the support group provided explosions, smoke and shooting, trying to somewhat complicate the actions of the sniper pair. Some obstacles in the field were set on fire for greater naturalism.
Snipers conduct combat operations as part of, for example, a motorized rifle unit. This means that the shooter, machine gunner, grenade launcher, radio operator, gunner and other important guys are going on the attack (or sitting on the defensive - it doesn’t matter). With them - a regular medical officer. That is, in the event of a wound on the battlefield, one of the comrades will be able to take out the wounded, and the first aid specialist will provide this same assistance in the shortest possible time, for which he is appointed in each unit. Another thing is the work of a sniper pair as part of an exclusively pair, outside the combat formations of the unit. Two people work separately from everyone, it happens that at a considerable distance from their own. And in case of injury, there will be no one to provide even first aid. Except for yourself and your partner. Only self-help and mutual assistance remain - there are no other options.

The most common task in this case is to establish where the fighter is wounded and how to help him. The sniper has few means to assist - mainly a tourniquet and an individual dressing bag. And, in general, everything. There are no syringe tubes with promedol. In combat conditions, things can (and hopefully will) be different.

A special exercise was devoted to practicing the skill of quickly evacuating a wounded sniper from the danger zone by his partner. Noticing that a fighter is in trouble, a colleague approaches him in a belligerent manner, finds out how and where he was wounded, applies a tourniquet, stops the blood and bandages the comrade with individual bags. When the blood has stopped, and there is no immediate danger of death from the wound and blood loss, it is necessary to evacuate the wounded. During the evacuation process, the sniper should try to perform all his actions unnoticed by the enemy, crouching as low as possible and using the available means of disguise. In our case, the wounded sniper was conscious according to the conditions of the task, so he was instructed to keep both sniper rifles on himself and help when crawling, pushing with his "good" leg.

The actions to evacuate the wounded were observed by a medical officer, guard lieutenant of the medical service. In his opinion, the task was completed with a "satisfactory" rating. First first aid was rendered quickly, correctly and in the proper amount, but at the stage of retreat, the fighters did not bend low enough to the ground and were a good target for the enemy.

Further, according to the plan, everyone proceeded to the shooting range past the smart green “tanks”. Snipers fired in the prone position from conventional SVDs with conventional four-fold PSOs at a distance of 100 meters. The distance is not typical, but given the number of film crews and the desire of all those who gathered to reach the targets after shooting, it is convenient for everyone.

After firing, at the command of the deputy commander of the 27th separate motorized rifle brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Aksyonov, everyone advanced to the targets.

Comrade sergeant fired accurately and accurately. Well done!

Here - the result is worse. But the sniper is also a beginner, just learning.

At the end of the race, I managed to talk with one of the officers of a separate sniper company. The following questions were discussed:

What task can an ordinary soldier who has been trained as a sniper with his ordinary rifle solve?
It can confidently hit a target at a distance of 200-500 meters. At these distances, all typical exercises are worked out in a planned manner. In a real battle, a shot at a distance of more than 500 meters is simply impractical. What for? And yes, this rarely happens. During hostilities in the city - it is completely excluded. And do not forget about the need to identify the target as an enemy. A four-fold PSO sight mounted on an SVD rifle does not really allow this. How to make a decision to hit a target without being sure that the target is the same one?

Are there frequent shootings? How many shots are fired in the company?
In our unit, shooting takes place two or three times a week. Minimum - weekly, but this is rare. The unit is newly formed, so the attention to us is appropriate, it is necessary to train the personnel intensively. Cooking. We do not regret patrons.

Are there any "stars" of sniping among rookie snipers?
There is. 10 percent shoot really great, show outstanding results. Practice in this matter is not enough, you also need talent. So there are excellent shooters among seasoned contract soldiers with extensive experience and among conscripts who, before service, did not come close to sniper weapons. The sniper is a calling. You need to feel it and be able to control yourself. It's really necessary condition. Emotions, breathing, mood - everything must be in harmony with the rifle. The basics of shooting training are given to a fighter using typical tools, for example, commander's boxes KYA-73 and KYa-83 allow you to clearly and intelligibly convey information about the conditions necessary for an accurate shot. This is both theory and practice of aiming. Later we move on to exercises with live shooting.

How about hitting a target the size of, say, a head? Distance is kilometer.
Much depends on the weapon, on the sight, on the position, on the strength of the wind, on experience. In general, it happens. Not a miracle. Especially in order to establish a personal sports record.

What about SVD? Good rifle?
How can you say for sure? The weapon, I think, is immortal. And its merits in practice outweigh any idle talk. I think it is morally obsolete, but for widespread use in the troops, it is still "the very thing." There is no need to compare it with piece foreign rifles equipped with multi-thousand-dollar sights - after all, there is nothing like this massively in the army and never will be. And there is an SVD with PSO. And for her tasks, she is still an excellent tool. Those who wish, as elsewhere, apparently in the army, can buy any sight for their own. Yes, there is such a practice, we are constantly trying something new. Personally, I am not a supporter of such "weighting", I think that the simpler - the more reliable and better it will be.

Highly important detail- SVD rifle is hard to spoil by inept handling. Sometimes there is no time to clean. In real extreme conditions- took off his sock, hastily cleaned the dirty mechanism, it will work. When conditions are normal, there is no time pressure - mandatory cleaning after each use. If the rifle still breaks down or behaves strangely, it is officially sent to the gunsmith for repairs. After repair - again the procedure of fitting-tuning-shooting. I can't recall a rifle damaged by mishandling. Wear - yes. There is nothing eternal.

Are any specially selected cartridges used in preparation?
No, only those that come in zinc with the inscription "Sniper". Normal ammo. Reliable. But there are all sorts of singles - often sticking happens.

Is the rifle assigned to a specific fighter?
The rifle is assigned to each fighter individually. He prepares weapons “for himself” himself - he adjusts, leads to a normal battle, shoots, cleans, grooms and cherishes.

Is there rivalry within the military collective?
Among the fighters there is some informal competition, the spirit of rivalry, of course, is inherent in the male team. Usually everyone knows who is capable of what, if a person shoots well - of course, he enjoys authority among his comrades. Shooting straight is prestigious.

If necessary - is it possible to make a decent sniper from an ordinary soldier taken at random?
Probably not. Snipers are the elite. Everyone cannot be the best. And besides, in fact, snipers, there are many other needs. We need intelligent soldiers in the release groups, in cover, in reconnaissance. Of those who have already fallen into the ranks of snipers, some are leaving. The sifting is there all the time. He changed his mind, failed, professionally unsuitable. Such people are simply transferred to other units, for example, to ordinary motorized rifles.

Any foreign experience is used in the training of our snipers? Is there anything new in sniper business?
In my opinion - all the most important things have long been invented. Sniper business is very painstaking. It is necessary to “sharpen” the experience that has long been accumulated carefully and specifically for oneself. The memories of the snipers of the Red Army help a lot in this matter. Of exactly foreign experience- found useful a German training film about the training of snipers, made for the training of Wehrmacht snipers. For example, a wire fan as the basis of a wireframe disguise is borrowed from there. We are studying the memories of our veteran snipers and scouts, that's for sure. Luckily they are on the internet now.

What other types of training are required for a sniper, besides physical, shooting, medical and psychological?
For example, a sniper receives additional engineering training. It cannot be said that it is very deep, but it is quite capable of detecting, for example, a mine. Disposal of an explosive object is not the task of a sniper. Found - just bypass or mark. Well engineering intelligence nobody canceled.

What does a sniper usually carry on a mission?
The less cargo the sniper carries, the better. The main cargo is weapons, ammunition, appliances, water, food. Sometimes, if conditions allow - a walkie-talkie. The food is the most common. Dry rations, chocolate, stew.

How does a sniper feel when he hits an enemy?
There is no remorse or fear. There is satisfaction from a well-executed work that was taught. Did an excellent job - well done, rejoice. What is there to suffer? (Hmm, who filled up more than one German from his SVT during the war - the author.)

How do snipers get hit?
Voluntarily. By my own will. After a tough selection, of course. We serve only those who want. It's in our own interests. Our division special purpose need, in addition to discipline and personal aspirations. People come, of course, different. There are more sensible ones. From ordinary, but professionally fit, we make good and excellent snipers. And about the "elite" - this is not just what they say. This "ideology" is imposed on the recruit, it is extremely important, without it it is difficult to develop and self-develop as a warrior. Yes, for some, as they say, wings open, a sniper rifle, again, not everyone gets it. They even say: only a sniper has a rifle, the rest have weapons. Well, we have badges. These are chevrons. Chevron must be earned. They are worn in the entire brigade only by two companies - snipers and deblockers. Chevron is truly prestigious. A great reason to be proud of yourself. Soldiers understand this.

*****

During the sniper race, not only snipers worked in pairs, but also photographers. .
All photos in one gallery
Press Club MO- thanks for checking in. There, at the link - video of the Zvezda TV channel.

Part II

Snipers conduct combat operations as part of, for example, a motorized rifle unit. This means that the shooter, machine gunner, grenade launcher, radio operator, gunner and other important guys are going on the attack (or sitting on the defensive - it doesn’t matter). With them - a regular medical officer. That is, in the event of a wound on the battlefield, one of the comrades will be able to take out the wounded, and the first aid specialist will provide this same assistance in the shortest possible time, for which he is appointed in each unit. Another thing is the work of a sniper pair as part of an exclusively pair, outside the combat formations of the unit. Two people work separately from everyone, it happens that at a considerable distance from their own. And in case of injury, there will be no one to provide even first aid. Except for yourself and your partner. Only self-help and mutual assistance remain - there are no other options.

A special exercise was devoted to practicing the skill of quickly evacuating a wounded sniper from the danger zone by his partner. Noticing that a fighter is in trouble, a colleague approaches him in a belligerent manner, finds out how and where he was wounded, applies a tourniquet, stops the blood and bandages the comrade with individual bags. When the blood has stopped, and there is no immediate danger of death from the wound and blood loss, it is necessary to evacuate the wounded. During the evacuation process, the sniper should try to perform all his actions unnoticed by the enemy, crouching as low as possible and using the available means of disguise. In our case, the wounded sniper was conscious according to the conditions of the task, therefore he was instructed to keep both sniper rifles on himself and help when crawling, pushing "healthy" foot.

The actions to evacuate the wounded were observed by a medical officer, guard lieutenant of the medical service. In his opinion, the task was completed for evaluation "satisfactorily". The first aid was provided quickly, correctly and in the proper amount, but at the stage of crawling away, the fighters did not bend low enough to the ground and were a good target for the enemy.

Further, according to plan, everyone proceeded to the shooting range past the smart green "tanchikov". Snipers fired in position "lying" from conventional SVDs with conventional four-time PSOs at a distance of 100 meters. The distance is not typical, but given the number of film crews and the desire of all those who gathered to reach the targets after shooting, it is convenient for everyone.

After firing, at the command of the deputy commander 27 separate motorized rifle brigade Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Aksyonov, everyone moved to the targets.

Comrade sergeant fired accurately and accurately. Well done!

Comrade sergeant fired accurately and accurately. Well done!

Here - the result is worse. But the sniper is also a beginner, just learning.

At the end of the race, I managed to talk with one of the officers of a separate sniper company. The following questions were discussed:

What task can an ordinary soldier who has been trained as a sniper with his ordinary rifle solve?

It can confidently hit a target at a distance of 200-500 meters. At these distances, all typical exercises are worked out in a planned manner. In a real battle, a shot at a distance of more than 500 meters is simply impractical. What for? And yes, this rarely happens. During hostilities in the city - it is completely excluded. And do not forget about the need to identify the target as an enemy. A four-fold PSO sight mounted on an SVD rifle does not really allow this. How to make a decision to hit a target without being sure that the target is the same one?

Are there frequent shootings? How many shots are fired in the company?

In our unit, shooting takes place two or three times a week. Minimum - weekly, but this is rare. The unit is newly formed, so the attention to us is appropriate, it is necessary to train the personnel intensively. Cooking. We do not regret patrons.

Are there any "stars" of sniping among rookie snipers?

There is. 10 percent shoot really great, show outstanding results. Practice in this matter is not enough, you also need talent. So there are excellent shooters among seasoned contract soldiers with extensive experience and among conscripts who, before service, did not come close to sniper weapons. The sniper is a calling. You need to feel it and be able to control yourself. This is indeed a necessary condition. Emotions, breathing, mood - everything must be in harmony with the rifle. The basics of shooting training are given to a fighter using typical tools, for example, commander's boxes KYA-73 and KYa-83 allow you to clearly and intelligibly convey information about the conditions necessary for an accurate shot. This is both theory and practice of aiming. Later we move on to exercises with live shooting.

How about hitting a target the size of, say, a head? Distance is kilometer.

Much depends on the weapon, on the sight, on the position, on the strength of the wind, on experience. In general, it happens. Not a miracle. Especially in order to establish a personal sports record.

What about SVD? Good rifle?

How can you say for sure? The weapon, I think, is immortal. And its merits in practice outweigh any idle talk. I think it is morally obsolete, but for widespread use in the troops, it is still "the very thing." There is no need to compare it with piece foreign rifles equipped with multi-thousand-dollar sights - after all, there is nothing like this massively in the army and never will be. And there is an SVD with PSO. And for her tasks, she is still an excellent tool. Those who wish, as elsewhere, apparently in the army, can buy any sight for their own. Yes, there is such a practice, we are constantly trying something new. Personally, I am not a supporter of such "weighting", I think that the simpler - the more reliable and better it will be.

A very important detail - the SVD rifle is hard to spoil with inept handling. Sometimes there is no time to clean. In really extreme conditions - he took off his sock, hastily cleaned the dirty mechanism, it will work. When conditions are normal, there is no time pressure - mandatory cleaning after each use. If the rifle still breaks down or behaves strangely, it is officially sent to the gunsmith for repairs. After repair - again the procedure of fitting-tuning-shooting. I can't recall a rifle damaged by mishandling. Wear - yes. There is nothing eternal.

Are any specially selected cartridges used in preparation?

No, only those that come in zinc with the inscription "Sniper". Normal ammo. Reliable. But there are all sorts of singles - often sticking happens.

Is the rifle assigned to a specific fighter?

The rifle is assigned to each fighter individually. He prepares weapons “for himself” himself - he adjusts, leads to a normal battle, shoots, cleans, grooms and cherishes.

Is there rivalry within the military collective?

Among the fighters there is some informal competition, the spirit of rivalry, of course, is inherent in the male team. Usually everyone knows who is capable of what, if a person shoots well - of course, he enjoys authority among his comrades. Shooting straight is prestigious.

If necessary - is it possible to make a decent sniper from an ordinary soldier taken at random?

Probably not. Snipers are the elite. Everyone cannot be the best. And besides, in fact, snipers, there are many other needs. We need intelligent soldiers in the release groups, in cover, in reconnaissance. Of those who have already fallen into the ranks of snipers, some are leaving. The sifting is there all the time. He changed his mind, failed, professionally unsuitable. Such people are simply transferred to other units, for example, to ordinary motorized rifles.

Any foreign experience is used in the training of our snipers? Is there anything new in sniper business?

In my opinion - all the most important things have long been invented. Sniper business is very painstaking. It is necessary to “sharpen” the experience that has long been accumulated carefully and specifically for oneself. The memories of the snipers of the Red Army help a lot in this matter. From precisely foreign experience, a German training film about the training of snipers, made for training Wehrmacht snipers, was found useful. For example, a wire fan as the basis of a wireframe disguise is borrowed from there. We are studying the memories of our veteran snipers and scouts, that's for sure. Luckily they are on the internet now.

What other types of training are required for a sniper, besides physical, shooting, medical and psychological?

For example, a sniper receives additional engineering training. It cannot be said that it is very deep, but it is quite capable of detecting, for example, a mine. Disposal of an explosive object is not the task of a sniper. Found - just bypass or mark. Well, engineering intelligence has not been canceled.

What does a sniper usually carry on a mission?

The less cargo the sniper carries, the better. The main cargo is weapons, ammunition, appliances, water, food. Sometimes, if conditions allow - a walkie-talkie. The food is the most common. Dry rations, chocolate, stew.

How does a sniper feel when he hits an enemy?

There is no remorse or fear. There is satisfaction from a well-executed work that was taught. Did an excellent job - well done, rejoice. What is there to suffer? (Hmm, about the sniper felt the same way , who filled up more than one German from his SVT during the war - the author.)

How do snipers get hit?

Voluntarily. By my own will. After a tough selection, of course. We serve only those who want. It's in our own interests. We have a special purpose unit, we need, in addition to discipline, personal aspirations. People come, of course, different. There are more sensible ones. From ordinary, but professionally fit, we make good and excellent snipers. And about the "elite" - this is not just what they say. This "ideology" is imposed on the recruit, it is extremely important, without it it is difficult to develop and self-develop as a warrior. Yes, for some, as they say, wings open, a sniper rifle, again, not everyone gets it. They even say: only a sniper has a rifle, the rest have weapons. Well, we have badges. These are chevrons. Chevron must be earned. They are worn in the entire brigade only by two companies - snipers and deblockers. Chevron is truly prestigious. A great reason to be proud of yourself. Soldiers understand this.

*****

MO Press Club - thanks for stopping by. There, at the link - video of the Zvezda TV channel.

December 2nd, 2012

If the Soviet and German rifle squads and platoons were approximately similar in composition and structure, then there were very significant differences between the Soviet rifle and German infantry companies.
The main difference was that the Soviet rifle company, unlike the German one, did not have material supply and support units in its structure.

It was a 100% combat unit.
The rear support of the company was a rifle battalion and a regiment. There were corresponding rear structures, rear convoys, etc.

At the level of a rifle company, the only person who was directly involved in providing the company was the company commander himself and the company foreman. It was on them that all the care for a simple company economy hung.

The rifle company did not even have its own field kitchen. Therefore, hot meals were provided at the battalion or regiment level.

The situation was quite different in the German infantry company.

A German infantry company can be conditionally divided into two parts: combat and logistics (convoy, two quartermaster detachments, a mobile workshop).
These are the rear divisions of the company, which were engaged in supplying the company with everything necessary.

They did not participate directly in the fighting at the forefront and during the offensive of the company they were directly subordinate to the battalion and regimental rear structures.

From the front line, these units were at a distance of 3-5 km.

And what was the combat unit of the German infantry company?

German infantry company (Schuetzenkompanie).

The total strength of the German infantry company - 191 people (in the Soviet rifle company 179 people).
This is what it looks like schematically:

Four messengers up to and including Gefreiter.
One of them is simultaneously a bugler, the other a light signaller.
Armed with carbines.

Two cyclists in the rank from to gefreiter (Gefreiter) inclusive.
Armed with carbines. They ride bicycles.

Two coachmen in the rank up to Gefreiter inclusive. They drive a heavy horse-drawn carriage drawn by four horses.
Armed with carbines.

Groom for an officer's horse up to and including Gefreiter. Armed with a carbine. For movement is equipped with a bicycle.

Thus, the total number of combat units of the control department was not 12, but 9 people. With the company commander - 10 people.

The basis of the combat unit of an infantry company was infantry platoons.
There were 3 of them, just like in the Soviet rifle company.

The total number of soldiers in infantry platoons was 49x3 = 147 people.
Taking into account the number of combat units of the control section, including the company commander (10 people), we get 157 people.

Infantry platoons at the company level received reinforcements in the form of an anti-tank squad (Panzerabwehrbuchsentrupp).

There are 7 people in the department. Of these, 1 non-commissioned officer and 6 soldiers.
The group weapons of the squad are three Pz.B.39 anti-tank rifles.
Squad leader in rank from Obergeifreiter to Unterfeldwebel. Armed with a carbine.

Three calculations of anti-tank guns.
Each calculation consisted of a PR shooter in ranks up to Gefreiter inclusive (personal weapons - a pistol) and his assistant in ranks up to Gefreiter inclusive. Armed with a carbine.

The total number of calculation is 4 people.
Squad strength - 7 people (3x2 +1 squad leader)
The anti-tank squad was armed with:
Anti-tank gun Pz.B.39 - 3 pcs.
Mauser 98k magazine rifle - 4 pcs.
Pistol 8-shot - 3 pcs.

Total in a German infantry company combat strength 157 + 7 = 164 people out of 191 people in the company.

27 people are rear guards.

Vehicles:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Bicycle - 3 pcs.

Only 4 horses per company.

A few words about the Pz.B.39 anti-tank rifle.

German anti-tank gun Pz.B.39

The German army in World War II had two main types of anti-tank guns - the PzB-38 and its later modification PzB-39.

The abbreviation PzB stands for Panzerbüchse (anti-tank rifle).
Both the PzB-38 and the PzB-39 used the "Patrone 318" 7.92x94 mm cartridge.
Several types of such cartridges were produced:
Patrone 318 SmK-Rs-L"spur- a cartridge with a pointed bullet in a shell, with a poisonous reagent, tracer.

Patrone 318 SmKH-Rs-L"spur.- a cartridge with a pointed bullet in a shell (solid) with a poisonous reagent, tracer.
This is actually an armor-piercing cartridge.

Number 318 represented reciprocal number old designation (813 - 8 mm bullet in 13 mm sleeve).
smk meant Spitzgeschoss mit Kern (pointed bullet in a sheath)
SmKH- Spitzgeschoss mit Kern (Hart) (pointed bullet in a jacket (Hard)
Rs- Reizstoff (Poison agent), because the bullet had a small amount of tear gas to affect the crew of armored vehicles, chlor-acetophenone was placed in the recess at the bottom of the core - a tear-acting poison, but due to the small amount of tear gas in the capsule, the crew most often simply did not notice. By the way, until the German samples of anti-tank rifles were captured, no one suspected that there was gas in their bullets.
L "spur- Leuchtspur (tracer), the bullet had a small tracer in the back.

His bullet weighing 14.5 g accelerated in the barrel to 1180 m / s. A rather high armor-piercing effect of a bullet penetrating 20 mm armor set at an angle of 20 ° to the normal at a distance of 400 m was provided by a tungsten core.

According to other data, the PTR pierced 20 mm armor from a distance of 300 m and 30 mm armor from a distance of 100 m at an angle of 90 °.
In practice, fire was fired from a distance of 100 to 200 m, mainly on the tracks and fuel tanks of the tank in order to stop it.
However, at the same time, the PTRovets very quickly found its position and became an excellent target for shooters.
Therefore, if the PTRs were a strengthening of the German infantry company in the confrontation with tanks, then not too significant.

The main part of the tanks was destroyed all the same anti-tank guns, which were not at the disposal of the German infantry company.

Now let's compare a German infantry company with a Soviet infantry company, not from the point of view of the total number of staff, but from the point of view of the combat strength of those who were directly at the forefront.

Soviet rifle company
The rifle company was the next largest tactical unit after the platoon and was part of the rifle battalion.

He commanded a rifle company company commander (company commander) with the rank of captain.
The company commander relied on a riding horse.
Because on the march of the company, he had to control the movement of the company, which was stretched during the march, and if necessary, the horse could be used to communicate with other companies or the battalion command.
Armed with a TT pistol.

The assistant commander of the company was a company political instructor.
He conducted political educational work in the divisions of the company and kept in touch with the political department of the battalion and regiment.
Armed with a TT pistol.

But the actual assistant to the company commander was the company foreman.
He was in charge of a poor, one must say frankly, company economy, dealt with issues of providing company units with everything necessary, getting everything they needed in a battalion, which included a rifle company.
For these purposes, the company had one horse with a cart, which was driven by a rider in the rank of private, armed like a foreman with a rifle.

The company had its own clerk. He was also armed with a rifle.

There was one messenger in the company with the rank of private. But despite the ordinary rank, he was, perhaps, the left hand of the company commander. He was entrusted with responsible tasks, he was always close to the battalion commander, he knew all the platoon and squad commanders well, etc. And he was known not only in the divisions of the company, but also in the battalion.
He was also armed with a rifle.

The basis of a rifle company was rifle platoons.
There were 3 such platoons in a rifle company.
At the company level, rifle platoons received reinforcements, primarily in the form of a machine-gun platoon.

Machine gun platoon.
The machine gun platoon was led by a machine gun platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant.
Armament - TT pistol.

The machine-gun platoon consisted of two crews of the Maxim machine gun.
Each crew was commanded by a sergeant.
Armament - TT pistol.

The calculation consisted of a calculation commander and four privates (gunner, assistant gunner, cartridge carrier and rider), armed with rifles.
According to the state, each calculation relied on a horse and a cart for transporting a machine gun (tachanka). The calculation was armed with rifles.

The number of machine-gun crew was 6 fighters.
The number of machine gun platoon was (6x2 + platoon leader) = 13 fighters.
In service with a machine gun platoon:
Machine gun "Maxima" - 2 pcs.
Self-loading rifle SVT 38/40 - (4x2) = 8 pcs.
TT pistol - 3 pcs.

The main purpose of the Maxim machine gun was to suppress enemy firing points and support infantry.
The high rate of fire (combat 600 rounds per minute) and the high accuracy of the machine gun fire made it possible to carry out this task from a distance of 100 to 1000 m to friendly troops.
All fighters of the machine gun crew had the same skills in shooting from a machine gun and, if necessary, could change the crew commander, gunner, etc.
Each machine gun carried a combat set of cartridges, 12 boxes of machine-gun belts (tape - 250 rounds), two spare barrels, one box of spare parts, one box of accessories, three cans for water and lubricants, an optical machine gun sight.
The machine gun had an armored shield that protected against shrapnel, light bullets, etc.
Shield thickness - 6 mm.

German machine gunners have no protection other than a helmet.

True, this shield did not always save the machine gunner.

Bullet hits are visible.

And here in general a sieve. Apparently fired from armor-piercing cartridges.
And the trunk got it.

Thus, the main armament of the platoons at the company level was the 7.62 mm machine gun of the Maxim system of the 1910/30 model.

In addition, as a company reinforcement of platoons during the battle, there were 2 snipers in the company.
Sufficiently powerful strengthening of company units for the purpose of destroying enemy firing points from a long distance and incapacitating enemy unit commanders.
The snipers were armed with a Mosin rifle (three-line) with a PU optical sight (short sight).
What is a sniper? A good sniper from a distance of 300 m per minute of shooting can easily lay down an infantry squad. And in pairs - half a platoon. Not to mention machine-gun points, gun crews, etc.

But they could work from 800 m.

The company also included a sanitary department.
The department was commanded by the commander of the department, a sergeant-medical instructor.
He had 4 nurses under him.
The squad is armed with 1 pistol.
Well, this is practically one orderly per platoon.
In rifle platoons, unlike the German infantry, the orderly was not supposed to be in the state.
But as we can see, the platoon still did not remain without a nurse.
Total: 5 people. Armed with one pistol.

Total company strength:
Company commander - 1 person.
Political instructor of the company - 1 person.
Company foreman - 1 person.
Messenger - 1 person.
Scribe - 1 person
Riding - 1 person.
Rifle platoons - 51x3 = 153 people
Machine gun platoon - 13 people
Sniper - 2 people
Sanitary department - 5 people.
Total: 179 people.

In service with the company:
easel machine gun"Maxima" - 2 pcs.
Machine gun PD Degtyarev - 12 pcs. (4 pieces each in each rifle platoon)
Light 50 mm mortar - 3 pcs. (1 piece each in each rifle platoon)
Submachine gun PPD - 27 pcs. (9 pieces in each platoon)
Rifle SVT-38, SVT-40 - 152 pcs. (36 pieces in each platoon + 8x4 = 32 + 8 pieces in a machine gun platoon + 4 for the rest)
Mosin sniper rifle with PU sight - 2 pcs.
TT pistols - 22 pcs. (6 pieces in each platoon + 1 in the machine gun platoon + 1 in the sanitary department + 2 in the commander of the company and political officer)

Vehicles:
Riding horse - 1 pc.
Horse with a cart - 3 pcs.
Total 4 horses

In service with a German infantry company / in comparison with a Soviet rifle company:

1. Light machine gun - 12/12
2. Machine gun - 0/2
3. Submachine gun - 16/27
4. Magazine rifle - 132/0
5. Self-loading rifle - 0/152
6. Sniper rifle - 0/2
7. Mortar 50 mm - 3/3
8. Anti-tank rifle - 3/0
9. Pistol - 47/22

From this we can conclude that the Soviet rifle company at the company level significantly outnumbered the German infantry company in terms of firepower and armament.

Conclusions on the number.
The total strength of a German infantry company is 191 people. (Soviet rifle company - 179 people)
However warhead infantry company was only - 164 people. The rest belonged to the rear services of the company.

Thus, the Soviet rifle company also outnumbered the German infantry company by 15 people (179-164) in terms of the number of combat personnel.
At the battalion level, this excess was 15x3 = 45 people.
At the regimental level 45x3 = 135 people
At the divisional 135x3 = 405 people.
405 people is almost 2.5 companies, that is, almost an infantry battalion.

The advantage in vehicles, wagons and draft power at the company level in a German infantry company was associated with the work of the rear services of a German company.
The combat unit of the company moved on foot in the same way as the Soviet rifle company.

Vehicles of the combat unit of the Soviet rifle company:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Horse and cart - 3 pcs.
Only 4 horses per rifle company

Vehicles of the combat unit of the German infantry company:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Bicycle - 3 pcs.
3. 4-horse heavy wagon - 1 pc.
Only 4 horses per infantry company.

On the march, the German infantry company moved exclusively on foot, as did the fighters of the Soviet rifle company.

Therefore, the German infantry company had no advantage in vehicles over the Soviet rifle company.

Making a general conclusion, we can conclude that both in terms of the number of combat personnel and in terms of weapons and firepower, the Soviet rifle company was superior to the German infantry company, yielding to it only in the supply organization system.

It is no secret that in connection with the introduction into the composition of combined arms formations Ground forces special sniper units , the formation of a phased and multi-level system for the selection and training of snipers began in the troops. After the completion of the stage of recruitment of individual sniper companies, all snipers will undergo special training at training centers every 3-4 years. Curricula have been developed for the sniper training schools that are being formed, providing for the mastery of a set of knowledge, skills and abilities, including artillery fire adjustment, army aviation guidance and counter-sniper training. The instructors, from among whom the newly formed sniper training schools will be recruited by December 1 at the district training centers (OTC), have completed a special fire training cycle (TsOPS) in the city of Solnechnogorsk.

We managed to get into one of these newly formed separate sniper companies (27th brigade) in order to find out how live firing of snipers is carried out, including in pairs and with the use of fire support, what happens in tactical-special classes (movement, equipment and camouflage of the firing position ), why psychological testing of snipers is needed and how things are with medical training.

The main qualities that the psychologist works to consolidate and develop are decisiveness, courage, and an adequate response to any new situations. Particular attention is paid to the actions of a sniper in a future battle, the most important of which is a clear and quick prioritization.

"SVD" 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifle

"SVD" 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifle

To begin with, snipers led by a young officer demonstrated typical measures to mask their position. The situation was greatly complicated by weather conditions - snow fell at night and began to thaw in the morning. Wet, dirty, not autumn and not winter. But it's raining. The snipers had to get out as in battle. A white camouflage coat is poorly suited for spaces not covered with snow, and green for snowy ones. To the question - But what if you need to immediately go into battle?”, the officer said that instead of a white coat, bandages and underwear would fit, and instead of a green one, equipment that was not visible from the side "beds" and special barriers.

The first of the snipers chose a place for the future "beds". A hole large enough to hide a lying person was covered with heat-insulating "foam" and a raincoat. The fighter lies on his stomach and nests in a way convenient for him, and his comrade covers the lying one with a simple mat. We are, of course, talking about wicker "local" branches, twigs and clods of snow flat design. Approximately above the head of a lying sniper, a bump is arranged using the same method. A sniper sticks a rifle into this very bump so that a sector of fire and observation is visible through the scope. In such cases, the barrel is bandaged so that the blued rifle does not stand out in the snow. In such a shelter, a sniper can spend from several hours to several days.

Depending on the length of stay, a reserve is made in terms of the volume of shelter so that the lying fighter could warm up a little, eat, drink. In winter, being in such a bed, as they said, is surprisingly not cold, unless, of course, the sniper has properly insulated himself. Great for isolation "local" spruce branches under a raincoat. A small ventilation hole allows you to breathe, and if inside is closed on all sides "beds" Also light a candle - it gets warmer. Including in the soul, as the sniper officer said. The question about natural needs was answered in the affirmative. Yes. And where to go?

In an open field, a simple wire structure was installed with branches braided into it and bunches of dried grass. On a complete "lack of fish" and such a disguise is good. It is light, mobile and, with skillful manufacture, impenetrable to an outside observer.

Old, broken armored vehicles are a great place to equip a position. Often snipers prepare for themselves the so-called "kick". It can be either a real hollow stump or a stump made by hand on a frame. From under it, you can observe without fear of being seen, and shoot if necessary. Pro "kick", of course, all snipers know, therefore, before entering a position, they are often "shoot through" alone or with the help of infantry. Protecting yourself from enemy snipers is never superfluous. Sniper shelters are often armored on their own and with improvised means. In general, there are no limits to tricks. Now in the course of wire "spider". Metal rods on a single bolt, assembled into an umbrella-like design. He laid it out, disguised it, covered himself - that's it, the position is ready. You observe from there, you find a goal - it's a pity and go to a new place. Disguise is life.

In the course of a comprehensive study on the basis of the Totsk and Samara tactical combined arms formations of the combat capabilities of heavy and medium motorized rifle brigades, an analysis of the second stage began - the coordination of departments.

How the veteran's letter "shot"
As a result of organizational and regular activities, the number of snipers in motorized rifle companies heavy and medium motorized rifle brigades doubled. With regard to the growth of their number in new tactical formations, the proposal of the reader of the Red Star, retired lieutenant colonel Vladimir Golubkov, was actually implemented (see the issue of March 17, 2009, “Sniping is in the spotlight”). In connection with the radical reorganization of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the transition to brigade formations, the veteran, in his letter to the newspaper, spoke in favor of the expediency of having a company of snipers in each motorized rifle brigade: “Local wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya indicated an urgent need to have sniper units. If they were in Afghanistan and Chechnya, then we would have suffered fewer losses and more successfully completed our tasks.”
However, as Colonel Andrey Serdyuk, head of the group of the Main Directorate for Combat Training and Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, noted in his commentary on the development of the structure of sniper units, such units will be integrated into each brigade. Their number will be determined depending on the composition of the brigade and the tasks facing it. “At the same time, the company of snipers, which Vladimir Anatolyevich speaks about in a letter, is not needed as a whole in a combat situation, and in principle it is useless to manage it on the battlefield. Snipers may need to be trained as part of sniper units, but they will never fight as part of these units. As a result of organizational and regular measures, a company proposed by the veteran actually appeared in the average motorized rifle brigade - three dozen sniper pairs operating as part of motorized rifle companies and reconnaissance platoons of battalions.
Indeed, snipers fight either alone or in pairs. Except for those cases when, for example, three sniper pairs go out in the rear of the enemy as part of a raid group. But thanks to staff changes, today in each motorized rifle platoon during the battle there can be more than one full-time sniper, but their combat team, established back in the years of the Great Patriotic War, is a sniper pair. The battle order, like military pilots, where there is a leader and a follower: a sniper fighter and his inseparable partner sniper observer. The only difference is that it is easier for sharpshooters to switch roles with each other.
They can be separated from the sniper squad, which is part of the fire support platoon of a motorized rifle company. And as part of a raid detachment, even ten sniper pairs can go behind enemy lines - nine in three motorized rifle companies and one in a reconnaissance platoon of a motorized rifle battalion!
Snipers do not determine combat capability?
In motorized rifle units, changes in the staffing of tactical formations more than doubled the effectiveness of marksman fire. But, unfortunately, the gain occurred only due to a quantitative increase in the number of snipers in the battle formations of motorized rifle platoons and companies and has not yet been backed up by the quality of their selection and level of training.
At the same time, it is emphasized that there is a low methodological level of training of platoon and squad commanders.
At the very least, but over the past year, commanders of rifle platoons and sniper squads were picked up in formations. Platoon commanders - ensigns and foremen - completed training courses at the all-army sniper training camp in Kovrov. True, it was not without drawbacks. For example, in the Totsk brigade, the platoon commander, senior warrant officer Vasily Derbenev, was forced to move to another position. As the chief of staff of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Elovenko, told Krasnaya Zvezda, the movement was purely due to personal qualities - the well-known " bad habit Derbenev himself. Ensign Dmitry Makarov from the Roshinsky motorized rifle brigade was also dismissed from the platoon - he was replaced by senior sergeant Alexander Zulkarnaev.
The training of snipers in brigades is mainly for the deputy commanders of formations. In the Totsk brigade - Colonel Konstantin Stepanishchev, in the Samara - Colonel Sergei Milchakov. Unfortunately, they lack full-time assistants - competent instructors-methodologists from among professionally trained ensigns and contract service sergeants who are able to take on planned training sessions with snipers, including during sniper brigade training. Moreover, fire support platoon commanders have to deal not only with the training of sniper squads, but also the personnel of the grenade launcher, machine gun squad and ATGM squad. It is very difficult to organize such exercises with heterogeneous primary units without well-trained sergeants. Especially in the interval between brigade gatherings of specialists.
Now the number of sniper squads in the formations has tripled. They appeared in every motorized rifle company. I had to look for commanders on them. And not all of them turned out to be the same people in love with sniper business as some of the pioneers were. All these reasons had a negative impact on the quality of sniper training.
And the first of the reasons leading to poor results in the training of snipers is the low quality of selection for these positions. In the context of the demographic crisis and the absence of a sniper movement in the country, it is more than difficult to staff all positions in motorized rifle units with high-quality human material.
It turns out that snipers "from the infantry" today cannot be equipped with contract soldiers, and reconnaissance snipers from the same motorized rifle battalions- can. Thus, "infantry snipers" in terms of recruitment priority are on a par with ordinary riflemen of motorized rifle companies armed with conventional machine guns. From among the conscripts sent to serve in motorized rifle units, selection is carried out as snipers-observers for motorized rifle companies.
Although no one has canceled the task of "deploying explanatory and propaganda work on the targeted selection of sergeants and soldiers in the troops for the military position of a sniper, while first of all selecting military personnel from among sportsmen-shooters, hunters-hunters, huntsmen". But it is very difficult to carry it out, because, according to the officers of the recruitment departments of both formations, it is more than difficult for commanders of motorized rifle companies to choose: shooters-athletes, hunters and huntsmen do not reach the "infantry": they are sorted into the Border Troops, Airborne Forces, GRU special forces, marines and in part of other elite troops. Snipers in motorized rifle companies are not considered the military elite, and their positions are completed last.
However, in a rifle platoon, both the selection of people, their training, and the service of the troops are set at a noticeably higher level than in the sniper squad of a motorized rifle company.
At the operational-strategic exercise "Vostok-2010" your correspondent happened to fly on Far East, live and work in a rifle platoon of 38-year-old service foreman Arkady Kuzmichev of a separate motorized rifle brigade of the PUrVO. And this family friendly platoon remained in my memory, as did the chief of staff of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Lyamin and the brigade commander, Colonel Anatoly Sinelnikov. Exemplary in military discipline, internal order, state of equipment. In addition to performing combat training tasks by a platoon at these strategic maneuvers, including in a raid detachment behind enemy lines, the brigade chief of staff used the subordinates of foreman Arkady Kuzmichev as his combat reserve to guard the brigade command post. And it was difficult to find the best guards: around the clock, the approaches to the command post of the formation were vigilantly viewed through the optics of day and night sights of the SVD. Along the way, the snipers of the brigade honed their skills in camouflage, covert radio communications, observation and determination of data on landmarks and training targets ...
True, Sergeant Major Arkady Kuzmichev noted with undisguised bitterness when he said goodbye that this autumn he was expecting the dismissal of 21 professional snipers in his platoon at once, that is, all senior sniper shooters and observer snipers. Therefore, he is preparing to recruit candidates for his "infantry snipers" from among the conscripts.
About military sports support
Special Forces snipers have an International competition of sniper pairs of special forces units dedicated to the memory of Viktor Lisovsky. And the International competition of snipers of special forces, dedicated to the memory of Captain Vladimir Berlin. The Border Guard Service of the FSB of Russia is proud of the championship in shooting from combat hand small arms for the prize named after Army General Vadim Matrosov.
Until 2001, on the basis of the Combined Arms Academy, open championships of military snipers were held twice. They were attended by representatives of all military districts, the Baltic and Northern Fleets, Airborne Troops, the Caspian military flotilla, the 201st motorized rifle division, as well as snipers from the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FPS, the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
As the head of the training and sports department of the SKA PUrVO, reserve major Valery Kutsekol, told the Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent, since 1986, on the initiative of the former head physical training and Sports of the Ground Forces, Colonel Mikhail Kozodoy, championships in shooting from standard weapons began to be held. The teams of military districts and groups of troops competed at these championships of the Ground Forces in shooting from machine guns, pistols and SVD rifles. Accordingly, championships were held in shooting from standard weapons of military districts and armies, in which well-aimed shooters from military units and formations that shot well from Dragunov sniper rifles. Snipers competed in hitting targets at the lines of 300, 500 and 700 meters. Unfortunately, there were no competitions in shooting from regular weapons at the championships of the Armed Forces.
According to the head of physical training of the 2nd Guards Army, Major Vitaly Popov, the participation of shooters from the SVD in the district sports days with standard weapons and the performance of SV-1, SV-3 exercises and duel shooting continued only until 2001. Then, only Kalashnikov assault rifles and Makarov pistols were left from small arms at these championships, and Dragunov sniper rifles were removed from shooting competitions. Allegedly due to the fact that SVD rifles are not in service in most military units - only in motorized rifle, reconnaissance and air assault units. As they say, the baby was thrown out with the water. So the remarkable undertaking of Colonel Mikhail Kozodoy to promote domestic sniper weapons at shooting competitions in the first year of the 21st century successfully came to naught.
It was recommended to hold educational and methodological meetings with the leaders of sniper training classes with the involvement of the most trained officers and "coaches (athletes) of the sports club of the army of military districts (fleets) in shooting sports." But it seems that this recommendation was of a one-time nature. The head of the Guards Army department, Colonel Oleg Novak, noted to the Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent that they did not attract coaches and athletes of the SKA PUrVO in shooting sports either to the training camps with the leaders of sniper training classes, or to the training camps of snipers in motorized rifle brigades.
In the Central Sports Club located in Samara Air force The Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent was informed that the CSK VVS has a shooting sports team. The club serves and trains world-class athletes - champions and prize-winners Olympic Games. Including shooting from small-caliber and air rifles - majors Irina Gerasimenko and Lyubov Galkina, senior warrant officer Maria Feklistova. But they were not invited to train snipers in the troops.
The author was explained that the time of the general fashion for the Voroshilov shooters from Osoaviakhim had passed. As well as the need to learn to shoot from a combat rifle in order to fulfill the norm for the Voroshilovsky shooter badge of the II stage. (Recall that in the country before the Great Patriotic War, 9 million people who became owners of the Voroshilov shooter badge were taught to shoot accurately.) Shooting from large-caliber (regular) weapons is also not particularly popular today. Both in DOSAAF and in the Shooting Union of Russia. Therefore, even the All-Russian competitions in shooting from large-caliber weapons are held among men and juniors no more than once a year and no more than a hundred athletes gather at them. This is not at all the same base for training and educating snipers that was created before the Great Patriotic War from the many millions of "Voroshilov shooters".
About army and district rallies
It is impossible today to talk about raising the prestige of military snipers without holding army and district rallies of sharpshooters. These were real military holidays, primarily for ordinary snipers-observers - those who are simply “from the infantry”.
At one time, your correspondent had to participate in the preparation and conduct by the headquarters of the Turkestan military district after 7 years of hostilities in Afghanistan, the first regional sniper meeting, which was originally planned as a meeting of snipers of the 40th Army. The initiator of that district sniper holiday was a talented senior officer, a member of the military council of the TurkVO, Lieutenant General Gennady Stefanovsky, who himself was a first-class shooter. Gennady Alexandrovich prompted the holding of sniper rallies in the warring armies and the district, based on the experience of the Great Patriotic War. He gave us a convincing example of the same 40th Army, but in wartime. In 1942-1943, she was commanded by Major General of Artillery and the future Marshal Soviet Union Kirill Moskalenko. By supporting and encouraging snipers, the command of that army during the war years achieved a significant increase in their numbers and skills. As a result, for example, in December 1942, 4,572 Nazis were destroyed by units and formations of the 40th Army of the Voronezh Front, including 2,193 snipers. That is, almost half of the destroyed soldiers and officers of the enemy! It was the army and front-line rallies of snipers that made the legendary heroes-shooters famous and famous throughout the country. For example, in the same 40th army, he became the commander of a sniper company of the 25th guards division lieutenant Vasily Golosov, who destroyed 421 fascists and was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During that gathering of snipers in the warring Turkestan military district, fire conferences were held with the exchange of experience of the best shooters of divisions, brigades of the 40th combined arms army and the entire TurkVO. There were performances by experienced fire officers, ostentatious firing. And, of course, rewarding snipers who distinguished themselves in the course of hostilities. And not with marks of excellent students, but with military awards - the medal "For Courage" and the Order of the Red Star.
They also invited the legendary sniper of the war years, retired colonel Vladimir Pchelintsev, to that “front-line” sniper rally. He fought in the 11th separate rifle brigade of the Leningrad Front, where in 1942 the sniper movement in our Armed Forces was born. He destroyed 456 enemy soldiers and officers, including 14 snipers, from his sniper rifle, for which he earned the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A veteran front-line soldier arrived, spoke several times in various formations in front of young snipers of the 40th Army. They took pictures with him, and then all the participants of the army and district sniper rallies were awarded with these photos with the Hero.
But then something did not work out with eminent athletes and shooting coaches from CSKA. For, unlike the front-line hero from Moscow, they did not appear at that sniper rally. Let this be a private fact, but for almost three decades military service the author was convinced that we have long been accustomed to preparing snipers without the help and advice of shooters and their educators from army sports clubs.
Of the students of the initiator of the revival of army and front-line rallies, Colonel-General Gennady Stefanovsky, today only the head of the Main Directorate is in service educational work Major General Yuri Dashkin. I am sure he did not forget those good lessons of our direct boss and teacher. For even today such army or district sniper meetings, shooting conferences at ranges can become great holidays for well-aimed shooters, a powerful catalyst and incentive for improving the training of snipers. And not only for them.
Previously, our gunsmiths from Tula, Izhevsk, Kovrov and other development and production centers small arms, ammunition, instruments were out of direct contact with practitioners from the troops at such events. Today, our defense industry has accumulated certain problems. Therefore, representatives from the developers and creators of sniper rifles, day and night sights, and sniper cartridges can be invited to sniper rallies in military districts. Because the troops have many questions for the creators of weapons and ammunition for well-aimed shooters.
For example, in an interview with a Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent, the 32-year-old commander of the sniper squad, contract service junior sergeant Alexei Mansurov, holder of the Order of Courage, who accounted for 68 confirmed “liquidations”, shared his comments on the quality of the SV-98 rifle with the Hyperon sight (who, according to him, is afraid of even light concussions and blows). And sniper cartridges from the Novosibirsk Cartridge Plant, which give a fairly large spread of trajectories.
It seems that many practitioners in the army have such comments and wishes - experienced snipers, true masters of their craft. It is useful to listen to representatives of our defense industry. And, of course, the participants of sniper rallies will be interested to hear the speeches of the creators of weapons, ammunition, sights and other devices for super-sharp shooters - compact ballistic computers, weather stations, as well as new means of communication and equipment.
Main sniper caliber
Almost all the snipers of the motorized rifle brigades of the PUrVO, with whom the author of these notes had to talk, are caring people who care about their work. Who do not care what they are armed with and how they look, for example, in comparison with snipers from NATO countries. Senior sergeant Andrei Degterev, junior sergeants Alexei Mansurov and junior sergeant Vitaly Donchenko, private Sergey Navolokov did not hide their dreams of new rifle, capable of replacing the rapid-fire, reliable, convenient, light, but already obsolete SVD for half a century. Especially its four-time daytime optical sight PSO-1M2, which does not allow accurate fire at the maximum possible ranges and reliably hit standard targets.
- The real range of well-aimed fire for a Dragunov sniper rifle with a four-fold sight, even for full-length figures, is about 600 meters, - Aleksey Mansurov got excited. - At the same time, for US and British snipers today, the task of hitting a headshot at a distance of 900 meters is being carried out. Because the accuracy of their current rifles is several times higher, and their sights can give an increase of up to 32 times. In order to fulfill the requirement of the Deputy Minister of Defense “to conduct accurate fire at the maximum possible ranges,” I bought a fairly good foreign sight with my own money. And they require me to use a regular PSO ...
Probably, this “Lefty problem” will always arise in Russia. And new truth-seekers appear, for whom it is most important to convey to the very top that "the British do not clean their guns with bricks, otherwise they are not suitable for shooting." The former deputy head of the army’s combat training department and chief of staff of the Roshinsky motorized rifle brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Kurilovich, who at one time himself became the champion of the Far Eastern Military District in sniper rifle shooting, noted that the SVD was and remains a very successful battlefield tool.
- Criticized for "insufficient" accuracy and range, the SVD is the weapon of an infantry sniper, or in English designated marksman. She does her job well,” said the sniper officer. - Half a century ago, the SVD appeared to compensate for the insufficient range of fire combat between machine gunners and Kalashnikovs. And later, such "infantry snipers" appeared in Israel and the United States. Their task is to destroy important targets: machine gunners, grenade launchers, ATGM crews, signalmen. The sniper pair of our motorized rifle platoon should, from the dismounting line of the enemy company - 600 meters from our leading edge- knock out, destroy her three platoon commanders. No one will do it better than our "infantry snipers"! ..
So that our "infantry snipers" can adequately answer enemy snipers for 900 meters. It is proposed to introduce a kind of “main caliber” weapon as a group weapon in the sniper squads. The head of the combat training department of the army, Colonel Oleg Novak, believes that it is advisable for rifle squads of snipers in motorized rifle companies to use 12.7-mm as group weapons sniper rifle- Tula OSV-96 or Kovrov large-caliber sniper rifle KSVK. Their main purpose is to fight against lightly armored and unarmored military equipment and heavy weapons at a distance of up to a kilometer, to defeat enemy personnel behind shelters and in personal protective equipment at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers, and to counter sniper combat. It is believed that the presence of such powerful weapon can significantly increase the capabilities of snipers in motorized rifle companies and give them confidence in the confrontation with enemy snipers.
Marksmanship Rewards
The Samara falerists prompted the author of these notes to pay attention to another point related to raising the prestige of the sniper service. Starting with the Russian Imperial Army in Russia, super-sharp shooters were awarded commemorative breastplates for excellent rifle shooting. There were such signs even with the imperial crown and the monogram of the Emperor of the Russian Empire Nicholas II. There were other worthy awards to the excellent shooters of the old Russian army.
During the Soviet era, millions of various badges were issued, designed to encourage the masters of well-aimed fire. Some associate with famous people. For example, the sign "Voroshilovsky shooter" was approved on October 29, 1932 by the Presidium of the Central Council of the Osoaviakhim of the USSR and the RSFSR at the suggestion of its chairman, commander Robert Eideman. This happened after one of the district newspapers described the case with the chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, Kliment Voroshilov, who, during the inspection, took the revolver of the commander who had fired on a clean “unsuccessful” and knocked out 59 points with seven shots. Returning the weapon, Voroshilov said to the commander who was at fault: "There are no bad weapons, there are bad shooters."
And the badge "Sniper of the Red Army" was established by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union Klim Voroshilov No. 2 dated January 10, 1937, at the initiative of the head of the Combat Training Department of the Red Army, Commander of the 2nd Rank Alexander Sedyakin. And the same People's Commissar Voroshilov in May 1939 approved the badge "For Excellent Shooting".
The new sign "Sniper" was introduced in the army by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 21, 1942, signed by Mikhail Kalinin. Details of delivery and description were announced by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Joseph Stalin No. 166 dated May 28, 1942 and by order of the People's Commissar Navy USSR Nikolay Kuznetsov No. 110 of May 25, 1942.
Thus, all these awards for well-aimed shooters were established by the first persons of the Russian and Soviet state, including the Supreme Commander. Apparently, they highly appreciated the art of marksmanship if they entrusted the manufacture of sniper badges to the mints of both capitals. Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Filev and other military falerists of Samara propose to use the existing experience to encourage well-aimed shooters and solemnly reward them during army and district sniper rallies.
And it is also proposed to increase the prestige of snipers to introduce, at first, an unofficial professional holiday for super-sharp shooters in Russia - the day of the sniper. And to coincide with it holding sniper rallies in the troops. A good time for such a professional holiday is called, for example, the date of approval by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the sign "Sniper" - May 21. It just falls at the time of the end of the training period and summing up. However, as well as October 29 - the date of approval of the famous sign "Voroshilovsky shooter".
On the revival of the sniper movement
Today, one of the most important problems in the army has become the reduction in the time for conscript soldiers to master military specialties. And the specialty of a sniper is one of the first among the problematic ones. The current recommendations for the selection of sniper candidates conclude: “Experience shows that sniper candidates should be selected from among soldiers who have served in the Armed Forces Russian Federation at least 6 months." The recommendation is correct, especially for 1999, when there was a two-year conscription period. But even for selected sniper candidates with a service life of at least 6 months, a month of intensive training was provided at well-organized sniper training camps.
The former head of the Air Defense Department, Major General Viktor Kuznetsov, remarked to a Krasnaya Zvezda correspondent that only high-quality pre-conscription training can shorten the training time for snipers and specialists in other soldier positions. Of course, this is the concern of the military commissariats, DOSAAF organizations, which should make better use of the existing training base, the same pre-Saaf shooting ranges for training potential snipers and establishing their record. But this is not only a task in the same Samara region for major generals of the reserve military commissar Alexander Danshin or the chairman of the regional council of DOSAAF Vasily Plavchenko, but for all regional government bodies.
Before the Great Patriotic War and during the war, the entire state system of propaganda and agitation worked to educate future snipers and gave the Red Army almost 10 million Voroshilov shooters. And then they were then trained in sniper schools for three, six and even eight months.
The sniper movement on the fronts began in 1942 in the Red Army not just at the suggestion of a member of the military council of the Leningrad Front, but the secretary and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the party Andrei Zhdanov. Maybe even now a party that claims to be the leader and guide could have a hand in the revival of the sniper movement in the army and the country.
Accurate shooters in the army of old Russia were the object of concern for emperors, including the last Russian monarch, Nicholas II. The Soviet general secretaries and members of the Politburo personally took care of them. And in new Russia care for the masters of excellent shooting should be a matter of state.