Pages

Praetorium Honoris

Friday, August 11, 2023

The Sniper

(Source)
Her name was Angelina Denisovna Sergeyeva, she was 19 years old. She and her spotter, Marianna Vladimirovna Makarova, also 19, were carefully concealed in a small ruined village on the outskirts of Leningrad. Sergeyeva was a corporal, Efréĭtor in Russian, Makarova was a simple private, Krasnoarmeyets. But in the field they called each other by their nicknames, Angel and Maria. As Sergeyeva had said, "All that formal stuff is fine in the rear, out here we have to trust each other. Are you alright with that, Marianna Vladimirovna?"

Makarova had smiled, "I'm from Siberia, rules are for commissars and city people."

The two women had become fast friends. Both had excelled at marksmanship in school, something the Soviet Union insisted that was something that all Soviet citizens should learn. Those who proved talented at it usually wound up in uniform. After the German invasion of the Motherland, that included the women as well.

"Angel, look to your left, near that lone chimney."

Sergeyeva moved her rifle slowly to that direction. Sure enough, there was movement just past the chimney of what used to be someone's home. She watched, soon she could discern that the movement was caused by the tops of helmets, men trying to stay as low as possible, and almost succeeding.

"Watch them carefully, Maria. I need to keep an eye on the ruined factory, the Comrade Commissar said that the Hitlerites are up to something in that area. We're here to collect information, not to kill Germans."

"Most unfortunate." Makarova sighed. Both of her older brothers had died in the fighting in the summer of '41. Her only purpose in life was to kill the men who had invaded her homeland. Nothing more, nothing less.


Unterfeldwebel Georg Hansen was leading a small patrol into an area that wasn't really controlled by either side, not exactly no-man's land, but close enough. The area was sort of behind German lines, but in this fight, sometimes it was hard to know exactly where the front was.

His lieutenant, Jürgen von Lüttwitz, had told him to exercise caution, more so than usual. Intel had asked for the patrol to try and flush out a Soviet sniper team rumored to be in the area.

About 500 meters from where Hansen and his men were, there was the remains of a grain silo, much shorter than it had been before the war, the upper parts still commanded an excellent view over this sector of the front. Major Hermann Richtig, sat patiently atop that ruined structure, waiting, observing.

"Tell me again why we're out here, Herr Unterfeldwebel?" Klaus Tryb asked, not even bothering to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

Hansen stopped and took a knee, as did the other three men. "I told you, we're bait. We move around, the Herr Major watches the spots he would hide if he was a Soviet sniper. The idea is that they will expose themselves, then he kills them."

"Them?" Soldat Herbert Brüning asked.

"Their snipers, our snipers, they often work as a team, two men. One is the spotter, one is the trigger puller. They can swap off. It's a good practice." Hansen explained.

"The Herr Major went out alone ..." Tryb pointed out.

Hansen paused, then said, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but the Herr Major is something of a prima donna. Doesn't like to use a spotter, he feels that a two man team is easier to spot."

"But aren't two pairs of eyes better than one?" Brüning asked.

"You're not as dumb as you look, Bubi."


"There, do you see it, near the top of the ruined silo." Makarova was excited, but she controlled herself. Too much excitement could make one's movements jerky and uncoordinated. A jumpy spotter could make the shooter jumpy as well. Not to mention give away their position.

"I have him, German sniper. Looking for us, no doubt. Now I know why the patrol is out there, seemingly wandering at random. They're the bait." Sergeyeva settled her sight on the German's head. Then she squeezed the trigger.


Richtig shifted his weight, he was getting too old for this game, he was, after all, almost thirty.

He was beginning to think that the reports were wrong, he hadn't seen anything yet ...

Then he caught a brief flash, as he turned to look, Sergeyeva's bullet took the top of his head off.


Hansen nearly jumped out of his skin, the shot had come from just above them. He looked up, there, movement. He fired his MP 40 instinctively, not sure if he had a target or not.

He heard a sharp intake of breath above him. There was someone up there!


"Go Angel, get away from here."

Makarova had been hit in the hip, she could feel the blood soaking her trousers. Amazing that the Germans had gotten so close, she should have seen them. As she told Sergeyeva to leave her, another fusillade of bullets hissed around them, some hitting masonry, flinging dust and grit into their faces.

Sergeyeva hesitated for just a minute, she glanced at Makarova, who was grimacing in pain. She was bleeding badly enough that the snow underneath her was red with her blood.

"Maria ..." Sergeyeva reached out towards her friend, but Makarova's eyes lost focus. She had bled to death.

Sergeyeva slid down the passageway they had cut the night before. Her eyes were wet, and not from the masonry dust.


Leutnant von Lüttwitz cocked his head to one side, "Do you think it was a single Soviet sniper, Georg?"

Hansen shook his head, "Nein, Herr Leutnant, it was a team, we saw where the other one had escaped. A passageway, almost like a tunnel, through the rubble. The dead woman was the spotter, she had the binoculars. The shooter got away."

Von Lüttwitz continued, "They found Major Richtig, the Soviet put a bullet through his head. Whoever it was, he was very good."

"She ..." Hansen offered.

Von Lüttwitz nodded, "Makes sense, a man and a woman might get distracted, if you know what I mean."

"No sir, we found an extra cap, had long blond hairs inside. The spotter was a brunette." Hansen explained.

Von Lüttwitz looked into the distance, "What next? The Reich sends us soldiers who have barely started shaving. Now the Russians send women against us."

"War is strange, Sir. I'd rather be home in Dresden." Hansen said.

Von Lüttwitz sighed and said, "You and me both, Georg."

 

38 comments:

  1. Looks like the sniper team forgot mission one. Local awareness. The Soldat with the MP40 should never gotten that close.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In this day and age, it's called "Situational awareness" or SA. Hard to gain, Easy to lose. But, yes, your point is valid.
      juvat

      Delete
    2. Michael - In war it's easy to lose focus at times. If you're lucky you survive the lapse, or ... you don't.

      FWIW, Hansen is a very good soldier, very crafty and combat-savvy.

      Delete
    3. juvat - SA and luck go a long way, lose one or both and Death will come a knockin'.

      Delete
  2. Soviet female snipers were very successful..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some were, not all. Soviet propaganda was a key factor in making the Soviet sniper (male and female) larger than life.

      Delete
  3. Cat and mouse in Russia, excellent Sarge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. As usual, Sarge, a very well done story. Keep up the good work.
    juvat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It came to me at work, I had time to write it up before catching a plane to Maryland. Thanks!

      Delete
  5. Some people acquire a taste for hunting humans, others do it as a duty.
    The photo is very likely staged, s'OK by me; pretty gal, she was...
    Boat Guy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely staged, Soviet propaganda was pretty effective within the USSR during the war.

      Roza Shanina was indeed a lovely lady, she was killed in action in January 1945 in East Prussia.

      Delete
    2. What? The Soviets lied? Come on, man....

      Delete
  6. Man, woman or kid, a decent rifleman is a dangerous adversary. Throw in some field craft, and you have a nightmare.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Some" would do well to remember -or learn - that; before they learn the hard way. They seem determined that they won't. FAFO
      Boat Guy

      Delete
    2. STxAR - A rifle in the hands of someone who knows how to use it is a very effective weapon.

      Delete
  7. Gripping. Unexpected, in several ways. Sniper vs. sniper is always gut-pulling for me, that was the top of the Corps desired list for me back then. Choosing that vs Corpsman vs Navy paid medical school and commission ... life sometimes makes decisions for you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think I would be extraordinarily poor at sniper. My "patience/waiting/quiet" ratio is about zero.

    Sometimes we can get so focused on the trees we fail to see the forest.

    "Both had excelled at marksmanship in school, something the Soviet Union insisted that was something that all Soviet citizens should learn." A government that values skills in arms and instructs everyone in the correct way to use and handle weapons. How novel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We used to do that in the home. At least we did in my home.

      Delete
  9. Excellent writing, Sarge, it really draws one into the story. My immediate reaction to von Luttwitz's musing was, "Pay the piper. You brought total war to Russia, why are you surprised when they send it right back?" r/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In von Lüttwitz' defense, he's just a soldier pulled along in events he cannot control. An optimum outcome would have been to let Stalin and Hitler fight it out, and hope they both die. Despicable men.

      Delete
  10. Another well done piece. Women in the Army of the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics were extremely useful and effective as pilots, snipers, and intelligence work.

    Not snipers, but an interesting bit about three women in the Soviet Army:P https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2022/05/three-nuns-three-war-heroes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very interesting, and one started life as an atheist!

      Delete
  11. Another bullseye for the AF guy! Well done, again.
    JB

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well told story! Looking forward to more.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have a "resnipered" Mosin with a PU scope. It's a heavy piece of kit. I have a lot of respect for the women who went to war with them.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ah, the sniper duel. If they're in range you're in range, with roughly similar equipment.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You could probably do an entire section on the women snipers of the Soviet Union. I mean there is an entire movie about Lyudmila Pavlichenko. (It isn't bad, but it isn't good either.) The Battle for Sevastopol. Actually there are 2 movies by that name. One is a documentary and the other is a fictional account of the life Pavlichenko.

    Then there is the Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (Лидия Владимировна Литвяк), the White Rose of Stalingrad. A fighter pilot who was so effective the Germans knew her name.

    And the Night Witches. I really like this video from We are the Mighty: https://youtu.be/M_TYuj9d9vQ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great ideas! Time to talk with the Muse.

      Angelina Denisovna will be back.

      Delete
  16. It took me a minute to find this link: Belorussian Front Sniper Squad: 775 kills in one picture. "Female snipers of the 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front, WW2. [Soviet Union] Not pictured: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who would have boosted the count to 1083 just by standing there."

    From Rejected Princesses (Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History)

    ReplyDelete
  17. One more reference, as this is something of a favorite subject of mine. Roza Georgiyevna Shanina (Ро́за Гео́ргиевна Ша́нина). Soviet sniper. "She died in 1945 at the age of 20, having been disemboweled by an artillery shell. Her confirmed kills stands at 59."

    And the detailed info on the photo at Rejected Princesses can be found at Rare Historical Photos - https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/775-confirmed-kills-one-picture-1945/. Lists names, ranks, and kills.

    People used to argue with me about whether or not women could be effective in the military. Even saying that they had never been effective. But that's mostly due to Americans being ignorant of any history that is not their own. There are exceptions to that rule, of course.

    ReplyDelete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

NOTE: Comments on posts over 5 days old go into moderation, automatically.