Meet The 6 Deadliest Soviet Snipers Of World War II

Published September 28, 2017
Updated August 15, 2019

Ivan Sidorenko

Ivan Sidorenko

Wikimedia CommonsIvan Sidorenko

Trading art college for infantry school, Ivan Sidorenko went on to be a self-taught sniper and earn a coveted Hero of the Soviet Union medal. With 500 confirmed kills, diligent training of 250 other snipers, and a rank of major by the end of the war, Sidorenko was the most accomplished of the Soviet snipers of World War II.

Sidorenko, as assistant commander of the 1122nd Rifle Regiment, fought and taught on the 1st Baltic Front. On one of his more famed excursions, he exploded three tractors and a tank with incendiary ammunition. He employed a Russian Mosin–Nagant rifle with a telescopic sight.

This brave soldier turned sniper saw many wounds during his tour, with the most severe occurring in Estonia in 1944. This one took him out of action for the remainder of the war.

After healing, Sidorenko moved to the Ural Mountains, (home of Vasily Zaytsev) where he found work as the foreman of a coal mine. He died in February of 1974.

author
Erin Kelly
author
An All That's Interesting writer since 2013, Erin Kelly focuses on historic places, natural wonders, environmental issues, and the world of science. Her work has also been featured in Smithsonian and she's designed several book covers in her career as a graphic artist.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.