The deadly art of the sniper: The men and women who killed hundreds of soldiers in the early days of battlefield sharp-shooting and were HATED by enemy troops who saw them as cowards

  • The Soviets boasted two sharp-shooting women who had more than 400 kills
  • Most snipers were shot on the spot when captured by the enemy on both sides
  • The average lifespan of a sniper was just three weeks during World War Two

The remarkable stories of battlefield snipers - including two sharp-shooting Soviet women - have been revealed in a fascinating new book.

The Sniper Anthology: Snipers of the Second World War describes the skill and courage of the soldiers whose average lifespan was just three weeks - and yet were hated and dismissed as cowards by ordinary troops on both sides.

Most were shot on the spot when captured by the enemy. 

The book describes the origins of snipers in the trenches of the First World War when the art of picking off the enemy from a distance - and innovative methods to counter the threat - were first developed. 

British sniper Sergeant Harry Furness, who claimed 117 German kills as the Allies fought through Europe after D-Day, described the animosity felt towards snipers.

He said: 'Snipers on both sides, if captured, were shot on the spot without ceremony as snipers were hated by all fighting troops.

'They could accept machine-gun fire, mortar and shell splinters flying around them but they hated the thought of a sniper taking deliberate aim to kill by singling them out.'

The average lifespan of a sniper in World War Two was just three weeks. Pictured here is a US marine sniper during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943

The average lifespan of a sniper in World War Two was just three weeks. Pictured here is a US marine sniper during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943

The book also describes tactics developed to counter the threat of snipers. Here, a US soldier uses his helmet to try and lure a German sniper's shot after D-Day in World War Two

The book also describes tactics developed to counter the threat of snipers. Here, a US soldier uses his helmet to try and lure a German sniper's shot after D-Day in World War Two

Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Russian - 'Lady Death'

Pavlichenko described herself as a 'tomboy' as a child and was among the first wave of volunteers for the Red Army when Germany invaded in 1941.

She joined the infantry and fought during the Siege of Odessa and the Siege of Sevastopol in 1941 and 1942 as the Russians battled to defend themselves against the Nazi onslaught.

She was credited with a staggering 309 enemy kills, making her the most deadly female sniper in history.

Her prowess earned her the nickname 'Lady Death' and she became a Red Army postergirl.

In June 1942, Pavlichenko was hit in the face with shrapnel and never returned to the front after she recovered although she continued to train snipers until the end of the war. 

That year she visited the United States, Canada and Britain in a publicity tour to try and persuade the Western powers to open up a second front against Germany.

She was dubbed the 'girl sniper' by the US newspapers and became the first Soviet citizen to be received at the White House by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  

In the UK she visited factories in Coventry and Birmingham.

In 2015 her exploits were made in to the movie Battle for Sevastopol and her memoirs, Lady Death, were published in 2018 and serialised in the Mail on Sunday.  

Pavlichenko died of a stroke in 1974 at the age of 58.

Nicknamed 'Lady Death', Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko had 309 confirmed enemy kills

Nicknamed 'Lady Death', Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko had 309 confirmed enemy kills

Russian sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko's memoirs, Lady Death, were published in 2018 and serialised in the Mail on Sunday

Russian sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko's memoirs, Lady Death, were published in 2018 and serialised in the Mail on Sunday

Yelizaveta 'Liza' Miranova, Russian - Teen sniper killed by battle wounds at 19 

Another deadly Russian female sniper, Miranova was only 17 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

Born in 1924 in Moscow, she had just finished high school when war broke out and she volunteered to join the Red Army. 

She fought in the sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol as part of the 1st volunteer detachment of sailors and became a sniper in the 255th Separate Red Banner Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet. 

She had at least 34 kills to her name, with some sources claiming she had 'more than a 100' although the records aren't clear.

Miranova's colleagues were particularly impressed with her exploits at Goryachiy Klyuch during five days of fierce fighting in October 1942.

During the battle, the sharpshooting teenager is said to have killed more than 20 Germans.

She was seriously injured in the battle for Novorossiysk, a port city on the Black Sea in southern Russia, on September 10, 1943, when she was hit by shrapnel.

She died 19 days later, aged 19, after a wound to her liver developed peritonitis. 

Yelizaveta Miranova was a teen sniper for the Soviets who died aged 19 from battle wounds

Yelizaveta Miranova was a teen sniper for the Soviets who died aged 19 from battle wounds

Simo Häyhä, Finland - Nicknamed 'White Death'

Häyhä killed more than 500 Russians during the 1939-40 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union - the most recorded for any sniper in a major war.

Standing at only 5ft 3ins, he was able to camouflage himself with ease, using his skiing and moose hunting background to stalk enemy fighters.

He killed an average of five enemy soldiers a day during the war that lasted just over three months, with his highest daily count being 25 kills 

A few days before the end of the war he was hit in the jaw by a Russian explosive bullet.

He was picked up by fellow soldiers who said that 'half his face was missing' and he was in a coma for a week.

He regained consciousness on March 13, 1940, the day that peace was declared between Russia and Finland and was surprised to read about his own death in a newspaper.

He later sent a letter to the paper asking for them to print a correction.

It took him several years to recover from his wounds and his face was left permanently deformed. 

After the war he became a successful moose hunter and dog breeder and died in a veterans' nursing home in 2002 aged 96.

Asked shortly before his death whether he regretted killing so many enemy soldiers he said: 'I only did what I was told to do, as well as I could.' 

Simo Häyhä killed more than 500 Russians during the 1939-40 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. He was shot in the jaw leaving him permanently deformed

Simo Häyhä killed more than 500 Russians during the 1939-40 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. He was shot in the jaw leaving him permanently deformed

Major Hesketh Vernon Prichard, Britain - The grandfather of sniping

Although the book focuses on snipers from World War Two, the exploits of Major Prichard also feature due to his significant contribution to the art - and methods to counter enemy shooters.

He set up the British Army's first sniper training division and worked out tactics to discover the hidden positions of German marksmen. 

One of his innovations was making realistic-looking dummy heads to fool enemy snipers into taking a shot and revealing their position.

The heads could even be fitted with a lit cigarette that a soldier could puff on through a rubber tube.  

He had been horrified on arriving at the front to learn that British regiments were each losing an average of five men a day to German snipers. 

The tactic to outwit German snipers is said to have saved the lives of more than 3,500 Allied troops.

The explorer and big game hunter also founded the First Army School of Sniping in 1916 and later that year he was awarded the Military Cross.

He was a top class cricketer and played for several teams including Hampshire, London County and Marylebone as well as being an accomplished journalist and author.

He died in 1922 aged 45 from sepsis believed to have been caused by malaria.

Three years later, one of his novels was turned into a Douglas Fairbanks film, Don Q, Son of Zorro, which the new York Times rated one of the top ten movies of the year.

Major Hesketh Vernon Prichard is credited with saving thousands of lives with his tactics to counter the threat of enemy snipers during World War One

Major Hesketh Vernon Prichard is credited with saving thousands of lives with his tactics to counter the threat of enemy snipers during World War One

The Sniper Anthology, Snipers of the Second World War (Paperback), is published by Frontline Books and costs £7.99

The Sniper Anthology, Snipers of the Second World War (Paperback), is published by Frontline Books and costs £7.99

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.