Fun and ironic fact, one of the longest distance sniper shots ever, which held the record for a time, was actually done by a M2 Browning .50 machine gun with a scope on it. 😳
@@mardiffv.8775 we supplied the communist take over if eastern Europe. Or what you call it, victory in Europe. A half century of authoritarian tyranny. Victory!
@@diegomontoya8095 Lend-lease to the Soviets in WW2 and opening up a second front was a terrible idea that haunts us to this day. Not that we could have been 100% sure the Manhattan Project would have succeeded at the time, but if we knew, boots on the ground in Africa and Europe wouldn't have been necessary, the Reich and treacherous Soviets would've pummeled each other to a stalemate until enough was enough and a mushroom cloud goes up over the Eagles Nest and Stalin's Dacha at the same time. Patton was right. No cold war. No Soviet-era ICBM pointed at you today.
Here is one sniper you should have mentioned: Simo Hayha, was a WWII Finish sniper who had 500 confirmed kills - all within a 100 day period AND using an iron sighted Mosin-Nagant rifle!! I was a platoon sniper with the Rangers back in the 1970s, and was issued a M21 (selected semi-auto M14/M1A rifle) with Leatherwood A.R.T. II scope, which was a very effective combination, we also used the Starlight scope, but affective ranges were very limited to this early version of "night vision" optics.
He, in fact, made a reference to him. When he said "The legends say that a CNN asked a Vietnam Vet a loaded question...", the one who got asked that was Simo Häyhä, not a Vietnam Vet. But yeah, he just said "the recoil"
The fact that the white death wasn't a large part of this video, kinda murders the idea that much research outside of American involvement when into this. And as the fellow below me mentions, the origin of the quote. The dude was a hunter. He used to pack soft snow round his rifle to stop any disturbance when he shot... and put it in his mouth to make sure there was no steam from his breath. No scope, cause he said it would glint. Soviets carpet bombed woodland looking for him. Incredible stuff.
For some reason there was one of those starlight scopes on my dads ship when my dad was in vietnam in the navy. When it "Disappeared" from the armory, it caused a full scale investigation involving CIA landing on ship to investigate. Things were apparently incredibly expensive and rare to the point where they thought a defector might be trying to smuggle it to the enemy to reverse engineer.
@@EGRJ He never heard. He was a damage controlman (that's the term that was used later), they used them to find all the nooks and crannys it could be stashed, then had them leave.
It's crazy how technology works there is a guy in Phoenix selling Vietnam night vision binoculars I'm going to pick them it's a really neat piece of history
I'm not surprised because of how new the tech was. Even today when you buy a night vision device, at least of a certain grade, you click and verify that you wont take it out of the country. I'm not sure what the punishment currently is if caught trying to do so, and I have no intention of finding out.
@@JohnDoe-zs6gj “willful violations of the defense controls can be fined up to $1,000,000 per violation, or ten years of imprisonment, or both. In addition, the Secretary of State may assess civil penalties, which may not exceed $500,000 per violation. The civil penalties may be imposed either in addition to, or in lieu of, any other liability or penalty.”
You forgot to mention that in ww1 the Lovat Scouts, who were all expert shots, hunters, stalkers, Ghillies on Scottish Highland estates, some of the top marksmen in the UK were recruited to form a sniper training Regiment, that taught their skills to British soldiers chosen to be snipers. They also had designed the concept of the Ghillie suit of camouflage used by snipers ever since. It continued in ww2. Also in ww2 the Auxiliary units of the British Home Guard, actually specially trained platoons and teams of men with local knowledge such as hunters, gamekeepers, parkers, foresters, etc a force of underground commandos intended as a last stand guerrilla force should the Germans have invaded the UK, also used ghillie suits taking those skills with them later in the war to 1st and 2nd SAS Regiments in France after D-Day. Men such as Peter Fleming (brother of Ian ) , Michael Calvert, Anthony Quayle, and others all famous in SAS and SOE roles. The Ghillie suit is a very personal thing in the way it is designed. My great grandfather was a sniper with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in ww1,
Yeah they would even build fake trees in the middle of no-man’s land at night when the enemy couldn’t see. Then they would have the perfect position hidden in plain sight looking right over the enemy trench.
I'm not sure why you put out so many videos in the last few days. All I know is that I super appreciate it! Entertaining and informative that's task and purpose 👍👍
When learning about one of my ggg grandpa’s that served in the civil war, I found out that it wasn’t uncommon for regiments to have two companies (one dedicated to sharp shooting and the other providing protection for them thrown out front as skirmishers). They basically took the best shooters and put them in front of the regiment to harass the enemies and feel out their positions. He was in one of the two companies in the 36th IL infantry that took out two confederate generals in about an hour timeframe during the Battle of Pea Ridge. My ggg grandpa ended up getting shot in the heel during the battle. One of the sharpshooters in his regiment got a lot of recognition for killing one of the generals. They aren’t sure who killed the second one. He went on to serve at Stones River, Chickamauga (wounded again), Missionary Ridge, and the Atlanta campaign. Dude was tough. Died not long after the war in his early forties.
did a lot of reading about this when I took out some books at the library about the civil war. you're exactly right , that was a major shift in tactics when they started using those sharp shooters- wish I had remembered this before making this video but I'll be doing a lot more sniper videos in the future. many hooah's to your great great grandpops !
@@Taskandpurpose BTW, I read that at Chattanooga, rebel snipers on the South Bank of the Tennessee River hidden up in the hills were able to pretty much totally interdict supplies from being moved by wagon into the city by a road running along the north bank of the Tennessee river. As such they had to be rerouted by a very circuitous route that took much longer and that try as they might, the Federals forces could not take out those snipers until they took those hills by crossing the river some time later. It might be worth noting as an aside that the rapids at Muscle Shoals prevented the gun boats for sailing down to Chattanooga and that mitigated that resource which Grant had so effectively used elsewhere along the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi rivers until a boats were built upstream those rapids which then could reach Chattanooga. They were so short on food that they were tempted to eat their horses (which they chad trouble feeding anyway) and if they did that they would totally loose their mobility in that they needed the horses to move the artillery and supply wagons. Thus a handful of rebel snipers (with the aid of some rapids to keep the navy at bay) help starve a whole Union army until the navy could make it way there and aid in taking the ground south of the river.
I don't understand why people still fly the Confederate flag today. They were traitors and should be treated as such by history and society. You don't see East German flags being flown in modern day Germany.
You've got great content man. I've always enjoyed your uploads. Particularly your well informed yet humble attitude towards presenting information. That bit about the future of sniping is spot on! Rounding it out with the history and lineage makes for a complete story You're one of the good ones.
During my time in the Army I went though the 82nd Airborne Sniper School and SOTIC after I was in Special Forces, I went through an M21, M24 and an unofficial McMillan .50 BMG. But what’s out there now is light years beyond the stuff that we had just a few years back. It’s absolutely amazing what these guys can do now. Thanks for the video
@@swaggstang1 I honestly don’t remember. Before we got the rifles they were talking about having us take the fixed 10x off of our M24s and using them, but when we got the rifles they had scopes that made more sense. I wish that I could remember, sorry.
I think you forgot to mention the White Death. makes Vasili look like a cub scout. In fact it was the Finns who taught the Soviets the importance of sniping and counter-sniping
One of my medics got assigned to a mission with both US Army and British snipers. It was a night raid on a building. He said he was left back at the vehicles while the spec opps guys went for the building. The way he told the story was that he was able to fallow the progress of the Americans through his NVGs. He lost track of the British snipers as soon as they got out of the snatch. Over however many hundreds of yards of open ground he never saw them until they made the side of the building and climbed into a window.
8:36 one thing to note is that he noted afterwards that since the bullet went straight through the scope, the enemy sniper was tracked on him and was literally a few milliseconds away from firing and killing him. That reaction speed must be insane. Edit: apparently this could be false. Comment below explaining why.
I'm pretty sure this has been debunked as myth for a couple reasons: 1) Bullets don't travel on the same path as eyesight. They have an arc to them, so that, especially at long ranges, they actually come DOWN onto the target. A scope however, is pointed directly at the target. So unless you're shooting at very short ranges, the bullet will always be coming into the scope at an angle. 2) The amount of glass inside scopes is enough to essentially break up the bullet, and all you get out the other end is a whole lot of glass dust & spalling. Enough to blind someone with a facefull of glass, but probably not enough to kill them.
@@chad1755 ah right. Thanks for the info. So did he just not say that or did they confuse something while looking at the aftermath? Or could’ve lied/misremembered something. I’ll put an edit up.
I really love how the channel’s quality has jumped recently, and it really shows in how many great videos y’all have put out in such a short time. I have no military background besides my recently passed grandfather and it’s always been something I both revere and fear, so the information the team presents is really appreciated.
"French officer" hesketh prichard was actually British and he was the first to send out snipers with a watcher and also the implementation of fieldcraft. His book sniping in the south of france is considered the snipers bible. He even had a sniper school in france during WW1. This great officer deserves a video of his own.
@@AlbertaClimber you can find digital versions of his book online. It is an interesting read. Not so much a manual as a collection of short true stories from the trenches of WW1 that describe and teach different aspects of sniping. For example " avoid white rocks and officers" which teaches the sniper to avoid white rocks because snipers use them to calculate distance and avoid officers because they get shot.
Ahh this is the content we have been waiting for. The OG Russian snipers name is Vasily Zaitsev. A contemporary colleague of his was the less known but also very important female Ljudmila Pavlichenko (309 kills). She volunteered and fought for the right to become a sniper. They both fought at Stalingrad. (obligatory mention of Finnish legend Simo Hayha here). Sorry but also have to point out that the Coriolis effect is technically not caused by the curvature of the earth but rather the rotation. The two main dynamic principles are absolute differences in rotational speed between differing latitudes and angular momentum of the projectile. Will stop now, thanks for a good video.
Pavlichenko was in the USA doing publicity speeches to back support for the USSR in the USA when the Battle of Stalingrad was going on, Pavlichenko had fought in the Battles of Odessa and Sevastopol. And her old unit was stationed on the Black Sea coast then in 1942.
@@serious_shooter5872 No, she was injured in combat and the high command, for her fame, decided to removed from the field. She toured the USA and returned to be a sniper instructor. Fun fact, in the soviet line, she was one of the firsts to recommend secondary weapons (usually pistol and knife) in addition to the sniper duo, for better reconnaissance, coverage and accuracy. This is because when shes fight realized that couldnt stay planted with the platoon, but instead get out solo of position and spot the enemy from the flanks, gather information and kill the field generals, destabilizing the front. She was almost sentenced to the gulags for breaking direct orders, idiotic orders, they just didnt because your efficiency. No wonder Vasily said that the only sniper he wouldnt want to face was Pavlichenko. Sniper need to have above average IQ, expertise, and not just aim, because depending on the situation they have a freedom to improvise.Thats why they are called special forces today.
Task & Purpose, Yes that actually happened where the Sniper was asked by Katie Couric what did he feel when he kills an enemy, and he responded: felt recoil.
You have left out the use of Ghillie suits by British and in particular Scottish snipers on the Western Front, they certainly had purpose made suits during the 1st world war and they stalked and worked in pairs just as modern snipers do. The British also had a purpose made combat training range that duplicated the trenches, it was located at Cannock Chase north of Birmingham.
@@sdesigan85 No. Oh good lord where do yanks get this stuff? 🤣 Lord Lovat is the ancestral peerage created in 1458. Ghillie is a job title like "jaeger" or "ranger". They were not founded by an American.
@@zoiders google frederick russell burnham /edit yes i was wrong about the origins of the regiment’s name but it was led by and trained by the aforementioned personage
Chris, this is good information. It's nice to understand where sniping got its start and how the job evolved. I've also been enjoying a lot of your other videos, especially your recent focus on the war in Ukraine. Keep up the great work!
I got a bunch of great footage of the newest radio / comms system from L3 Harris when I was at AUSA. definitely planning on doing a video about communications very soon
That story of the sniper shooting down the other snipers scope was tested on mythbusters who said it wasn't possible the lenses compact stopping the bullet they tried with period correct rifles and scopes along with modern ones not a single rifle was powerful enough to push a bullet through a scope.
People interested in WW2 snipers should give "Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knights Cross" a chance. Some interesting stories with lots of photos. Did you know Russian and later on German snipers both really used explosive ammunition? Normally used for zeroing in fighter aircraft guns. A good read and shows that the eastern front was a hellhole for both sides.
Fantastic book. I also suggest the book " Until The Eyes Shut ". It's not as intense and violent as " Sniper On The Eastern Front" , but it is definitely one of my favorites of all time. It's about a machine gunner but the engagements described in paints a picture to being put into some engagements similar to that of a marksman but while using an LMG in my opinion lol. Either way both killer books
@@jacobpeters9452 You are right, a great read too! And "Blood Red Snow", also about a machine gunner! This one has the great passage about him in his bunker getting overrolled by a T-34 and describing how he readies himself to die. All three really good reads about the eastern front from German POV - for me. Would include the Rudel biography too, but I don´t know the English name - in German it´s "Stuka: Mein Leben in Krieg und Frieden". This man, and I know he is viewed controversial, had a pretty wild ride too, during and after the war.
@@IstvanThree I can tell that a few of us are birds of the same feather lol I'm glad to see people recommending these books also. Fantastic insight into the life of ordinary people tossed into the immorality of war and how this affects them permanently in their life.
@@IstvanThree Agreed. I'm all for technological development and what it's brought us but in a way it feels like everything is just at our fingertips. Seems like there is no mystery in the world . Imagine being a young man born in a small Austrian town. Secluded. You're drafted and being told you're going to Russia to fight. The only information you have on Russia could be from friends and relatives who maybe were stationed there during the first war. Maybe books, news papers, stories, and your own mind, etc. Most likely wouldn't have any idea what was in store for you. The people, the land, food, weather, traditions. It's endless. Although it would most like end up a nightmare in the end if you survived but the sense of adventure and the unknown would have been insane and exhilarating. Today I just pull out my phone and hit Google earth, or UA-cam, etc and you can practically see jt all without leaving home.. I know it's not quite the same, but you catch my drift. I guess we yearn for something we can't have lol
I'm glad that you went back to the crossbow with this. It comes with any advancement in technology at the time, like with the French and English longbow
Interesting and entertaining video! I would have liked to have seen a glimpse of Civil War sniping, where rifled barrels and primitive scopes really saw the range increase beyond 300m. Also, you managed to pronounce Garand in a 3rd different way I have never heard heretofore!
I enjoyed this historical look. It felt like watching some of the earlier Task & Purpose videos that got me to subscribe - light, well-researched, and dripping with Cappy humor. More, please.
And all that without a scope! Dude was legend. The red army had a "kill on sight" order on him (or bounty i think?). Theg only managed to get him off the field with artillery fire, the day he gained consciousness, soviets signed the peace treaty (coincidence? Probably; but still too damn cool!)
Correct my friend: 500 kills in just 3 months. In temperatures of -20 C/ -4 F to 40 C/ 40 F. Not bad for a shorty like Simo Häyhä, who was only 160 cm/ 5 feet 3 inches.
Nice work, Cappy! Although I thing your stock footage guy stuck in some footage of an M3 carbine (the one with the infrared lamp and scope) circa 4:00 when you were still talking about WW1 developments. The M3 first saw (limited) service in 1945.
"Vesief" is not exactly "Zaitsev", did someone that heard the name once several years ago just typed that with a headbutt? Also shame for not mentioning Simo Häyhä instead.
The whole story how Soviets were far ahead is complete bs and Winter War is solid prove of that. And all the amazing snipers later in the war smels Soviet propaganda big time to anyone that got any idea how much lying and BS was in Soviet Union... Soviets lost few times more people than Germans that were fighting in whole Europe and Africa and somehow Soviets got this clones of John Rambo produced on mass and not only as man but also as women... Soviet history of WW2 is so full of lies that they do not even teach kids in school about it, they teach them about "Great Patriotic War" just to hide the fact that they started WW2 with Germany as an ally and map of Poland with 51% of Polish territory for USSR and less than 49% for Germany was signed in Moscow and Stalin signature is on it, there is one normal size that is unfinished and then he made decision to sign it with signaure that is 53cm wide... Not to mention that they do not want to teach kids that NKVD was teaching Gestapo in Poland how to terrorize millions of people in so called "Gestapo-NKVD conferences".
@@Bialy_1 Still doesnt change a shit about heroism that people had to do in order that you can write this message! Yes, communism was incredibly bad, but please, respect those who sacrificed anything they could.
@@Bialy_1 oh yes, soviets lost few times more than Germans with 1 to 1.3 casualties ratio, yes, very believable, and this ratio doesnt count: folksturm, finnish army, romanian army, italian army, hungarian army, the sub-millitary and millitary national divisions like SS Galicia or Charlemagne. Also your statement ignores the fact that Germans used the whole Europe production potential in war against USSR, so it wasnt a war of tiny Germany with its allies against USSR, it was a war of whole Europe, conquered by Germany with its allies against USSR.
Military services all over the world have had difficulties appreciating the value of marksmanship. Developing good riflemen takes time, effort and most of all, money. Very often all of those resources drain away to the next new thing that is supposed to make marksmanship obsolete. The new thing never does. Distaste for marksmen goes back a long way. Winslow Homer, the artist whose depiction of a Civil War “sharp-shooter” is probably well-known to viewers of this channel, said this: “I was not a soldier but a camp follower & artist. The above impression [referring to his sketch] struck me as being as near murder as anything I ever could think of in connection with the army & I always had a horror of that branch of the service."
I seen an English Civil war Sniper Rifle in a Museum once, it was a Muzzleloader, but with a huge 5 foot at least barrel and a broadened stock, originally used for deer stalking
3:01 This wasn't some sort of contrived or silly opinion by the soldiers, this was a response to something absolutely terrifying to them. That if the enemy had marksmen like that they could possibly end up being shot without ever seeing the enemy, they'd never even know to take cover. There'd be no yelling, no drums, you might never even hear the shot. Modern soldiers have come to terms with that and infact most are psychologically suited to something so horrifying when you think about it for long enough but the revolutionary soldiers were mostly farmers or conscripts and it was the same with all other European armies, they joined up for the pay or for the food or because they were forced to and now they might die without even knowing they'd been shot at.
7:30 if you mean "Zeitgeist" then its a combination of "time (Zeit)" and "spirit/mind (Geist)" so it basically means "the spirit of the time" or just the way things were at that period of time
I recommend looking at the story of Francis Pegahmagabow. He was a Canadian indigenous person who was a sniper in ww1. He's also credited with the most kills of any sniper in ww1!
Another fantastic , educational, military video from the best UA-cam presenter on earth. You are too good to be true. No wonder you weren’t an officer. However, one sniper not as lethal as an 8 inch battery firing an air burst killing everything within 3 football fields. Artillery- the King of Battle!
05:02 Just a correction. Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was his name. Honestly though, I think Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko has an even more interesting story and impressive record, over 300 confirmed kills.
@@redacted8983 Yup, he was a Finnish sniper, the Soviets were scared shitless of him he was so good, he may have actually had a decisive impact on the outcome of the winter war.
@@mrvwbug4423 They put up a bounty on him and issued snipers with explosive bullets to "make sure he was dead" except the absolute mad lad survived a headshot with an explosive round, blowing out his cheek.
The guy who replied "the recoil" is actually Simo Häyhä. He got 505-542 confirmed kills during the winter war in just a 100 days. But idk someone else could have said the same
I heard its an urban legend and no one actually said it ? I couldnt find any sources and snopes.com said it wasnt real, but we all know how snopes.com is
The gear won't change that much, but as high quality high accuracy optics become cheaper. Skilled marksman and counter snipers will become more organic at company or even platoon level
@@cocoynuts The thing is, Simo Hayha wouldn't really fit into the modern definition of sniper because of this fact and also because he actually made most of his kills with a submachine gun. He was a category unto himself, the super-ambusher sharpshooter who transcended mere sniper qualification.
@@andrewsuryali8540 Agree to an extent. He avoided the scope for few reasons. (1) scope tech wasn't as improved. They also used to fog up a lot. (2) glass on the scope could potentially reflect light (3) one had to raise one's head 2-3 more inches to use a scope, compared to iron sights, therefore allowing higher chances for the enemy to detect you. But still he killed 500 in 100 days. This excluded those that were shot simultaneously by two snipers. That's one mighty feet in itself!
In the past, German sniper rifles were able to fire up to 500m and were equipped with 4X optics (as were Russian Mosin Nagant rifles). Today there are 20X optics and smaller caliber rifles such as the 308 caliber or the larger 50 anti material rifles can fire from 1500 to 2000 meters.
Thank you for referring to it as the Pennsylvania Rifle! I used to work at the Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum and we always insisted to guests it is called the Pennsylvania Longrifle, not the Kentucky Longrifle
The SMASH system isn't coming, Cappy, it is already in use. Also the DARPA Exacto ammo is pretty far out of the concept stage and in the prototype phase. Sniper marks the target for the smart bullet, fires and the round guides itself to the target. Then we have the heat camo that makes you vanish from thermals, so the snipers are ghosts in the landscape with smart target seeking bullets.
To those that don't know, precision shooting is basically when you pull the trigger slowly while aiming down the scope, basically, you HAVE to be surprised when the projectile exits the barrel.
I feel like some of these "futuristic" features are not gonna be as affective as people think. A gun that fires as soon as you line up the target could mess your shot up (and you really only get one good shot), and when it comes to facial recognition, facial displacement has been a thing since the snipers of ww1.
Nice video about the evolution of the sniper. What was missing, was the Hiram Berdan unit of U.S. Army Sharpshooters, established during the US Civil War.
I believe the russians realized the value of snipers and sniper training and camouflage after they encountered Simo Hayha and the other finnish snipers during the winter war. The quote you attributed to the vietnam sniper, was actually Simo as well. Love the content, keep it up!
Also from match shooting called "Birdshoot" , or Parrotshoot. High on a stick was a wood figure of a bird which were numbered for points they shot and hit, if they shot away parts of the target ,even more points. It started from Crossbow era and continued on forward.
A friend of mine, Ken Hackathorn, a former Green Beret and legendary firearms instructor, actually knew Carlos Hathcock. Ken asked Carlos about the famous "bullet through the scope" shot. Carlos replied, "The bullet HIT the scope. This 'right through the lens, didn't even touch the sides of the tube, hit him right in the eye' stuff is Hollywood bullshit."
Hathcock’s kill on Cobra was the real deal. But every time you saw it in a movie, it was impossible. Cobra used an M91 with a non telescopic scope. It was a tube with a thin piece of glass on either end and as basic as it gets. With the multiple lenses in telescopic sights, the bullet’s energy is dissipated half way through the tube.
Simo Hayas remains the badass he was. Iron sights only no scopes. But honestly snipers in total were amazing. It's still impressive how far technologically we have advanced sure it isn't futuristic alien laser beams but we are getting there slowly but surely.
I wish he had mentioned the most effective sniper in history. A Finnish soldier during the Winter War (the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939), Simo Häyhä totaled over 400 confirmed kills in just over 100 days of combat. Most of his engagements occurred at medium to long ranges, and the Soviets referred to him as “the White Death” because he would take out entire squads in minutes and disappear into the snow covered forests. He did all of this, averaging over 4 confirmed kills per day, *_without ever using a scope!_*
Here's another "myth" that a reporter supposedly asked. "What do you think was the last thing that went through his head before he died?" "Probably that bullet"
On a different video on that war. A reporter asked a general. Sir your men are outnumbered 2 to one what are your thoughts. He responded my men will show up fire twice and go home.
The best sniper in history was a Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä. He fought in the Winter War against the Soviets. He had 500+ kills with his sniper and almost 300 kills with a SMG. He didn't use a scope because it glared in the sun, and because it freezed in the cold Finnish winter. He was called "The White Death" by the Soviets. The soviets were so furios of how well Simo did, they even sent an artillery strike to only kill Simo. They didnt kill Simo. After that they sent one of their best snipers to kill Simo.The soviet sniper was dead even before he even knew where Simo was. Sadly one day Simo was shot in the chin by a explosive bullet. He survived. After the war he was asked how he did all this he responded "I did everything i was told to do, so well that I could."
I wouldn't say he was the best sniper. It's not about how many kills you get. It's about who you kill. But Simo was a savage. I think Carlos Hathcock was the best.
Precision Rifle Instructor with a degree in military history here. Love the video... most of your information is spot on! Just a few corrections, if I may. In the American Revolution, Timothy Murphy wasn't the "very" first American Sniper... he was a member of "Morgan's Riflemen" out of Virginia... all of whom could have been considered snipers by modern definition. Murphy is credited with the shot that killed British General Simon Fraser at the behest of General Benedict Arnold, who had spotted Fraser trying to rally his troops at the battle of Bemis Heights (Second Battle of Saratoga.) This shot ended the British campaign in New York... H. Hesketh Prichard wasn't a French general, he was a British professional cricket player and avid outdoorsman who became an officer in the British Army during the First World War. The quote you cited him for, ""The men using them had in most cases hardly any knowledge of how their sights were aligned" is correct... it comes from the book he penned "Sniping in France." The first Russian sniper you referenced is Vasily Zaitsef or Zaitsev (the video shows Vesief). Your information about the introduction of the spotter, and the spotter being the senior sniper, is absolutely spot on. When you referenced GnySgt (then SSG) Carlos Hathcock, the implication was that he was part of the Army's sniper program. Hathcock was in the U.S. Marine Corps and helped create the scout/sniper program with (then) Major E. James "Jim" Land. He operated near Da Nang and Khe Sahn in the northeastern portion of what was then S. Vietnam. If you would like specific information regarding U.S. Army snipers in Vietnam, research Ed Eaton and especially Adelbert "Bert" Waldron... Army snipers in Vietnam primarily operated near the southern portion of S. Vietnam, in and around the Mekong Delta, with the 9th Infantry Division. Considering this is a 12 minute video covering the entire history of snipers, there were very few errors... Despite the (VERY MINOR) errors, I love that you are putting this information out there!
My Grandpa used to be a Sniper/Marksman during WWII, he got like 14 confirmed kills but always was always telling me he's got like 30. Now, I serve my country as a Sniper/Marksman, and I'm proud to carry on the Legacy.
My mama was a Canadian army reserve medic in the early 80’s. She said that when an officer was particularly disliked they would joke about saluting when reporting that a sniper was in the area.
Mr cappy, now that you made a video on sniper rifles, we would love to see a video on tracking point sniper rifle. It is equivalent to the real life aimbot. We would love to see your take on it.
@@vahidmoosavian6313 - I think it is about the replacement of the SUSAT scope used by the infantry. This new scope is meant for the upcoming NGSW program. I might be wrong on this.
@@lancekilkenny721 - unfortunately, They did. It is a good concept. The problem is that it is too expensive. The price of these rifles ranges between $6000 to $38000. The cool thing about this rifle is that it can turn anyone into a deadly sniper. It is perfect for military. Now, it is out of business
wow, it's cool how the longest shot in the world came from 300 meters with a musket to 2.2 miles with a rifle. it shows how technology advanced so well
The more normal people understand how hard it is to squeeze that trigger and hit an enemy, the more respect they have to those who can hit more enemies, of choice, constantly, in a distance...with less shots, and freaking know how to get away safe.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #30 ДВА В ОДНОМ [Один человек]• Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nrXy15orKhY/mqdefault.jpg)
What do you guys think of this "evolution series"? What other military topics do you want to see the evolution of?
The issuing of sidearms and how they have gone from a often ignored weapon to what they are today.
the evolution of tracked APCs or SPAAGs maybe.
Assault rifle for Counter insurgency ops
MREs 😃🤣
evolution of military uniforms and or camouflage, i’d like that
Fun and ironic fact, one of the longest distance sniper shots ever, which held the record for a time, was actually done by a M2 Browning .50 machine gun with a scope on it. 😳
It was done by Carlos Hathcock correct?
Correct, and I read about an American who captured a Soviet anti-tank rifle. Put a .50 cal barrel and scope on it. This during the Korean war.
@@mardiffv.8775 we supplied the communist take over if eastern Europe. Or what you call it, victory in Europe. A half century of authoritarian tyranny.
Victory!
@@diegomontoya8095 Lend-lease to the Soviets in WW2 and opening up a second front was a terrible idea that haunts us to this day. Not that we could have been 100% sure the Manhattan Project would have succeeded at the time, but if we knew, boots on the ground in Africa and Europe wouldn't have been necessary, the Reich and treacherous Soviets would've pummeled each other to a stalemate until enough was enough and a mushroom cloud goes up over the Eagles Nest and Stalin's Dacha at the same time. Patton was right.
No cold war.
No Soviet-era ICBM pointed at you today.
Carlos Hathcock was a beast. Old White Feather.
Here is one sniper you should have mentioned:
Simo Hayha, was a WWII Finish sniper who had 500 confirmed kills - all within a 100 day period AND using an iron sighted Mosin-Nagant rifle!!
I was a platoon sniper with the Rangers back in the 1970s, and was issued a M21 (selected semi-auto M14/M1A rifle) with Leatherwood A.R.T. II scope, which was a very effective combination, we also used the Starlight scope, but affective ranges were very limited to this early version of "night vision" optics.
He, in fact, made a reference to him. When he said "The legends say that a CNN asked a Vietnam Vet a loaded question...", the one who got asked that was Simo Häyhä, not a Vietnam Vet. But yeah, he just said "the recoil"
The fact that the white death wasn't a large part of this video, kinda murders the idea that much research outside of American involvement when into this. And as the fellow below me mentions, the origin of the quote.
The dude was a hunter. He used to pack soft snow round his rifle to stop any disturbance when he shot... and put it in his mouth to make sure there was no steam from his breath.
No scope, cause he said it would glint.
Soviets carpet bombed woodland looking for him. Incredible stuff.
@@Semgger that's what you get when an american makes a video about ... anything, really. Narrow minds and loud mouths.
He wasn't mentioned for political correctness, since he killed soviets, youtuber is too scared to offend Russia.
@Man with hair that “random hotshot” is the single deadliest marksman in history. Nobody’s even come close to Simo’s kill record
For some reason there was one of those starlight scopes on my dads ship when my dad was in vietnam in the navy. When it "Disappeared" from the armory, it caused a full scale investigation involving CIA landing on ship to investigate. Things were apparently incredibly expensive and rare to the point where they thought a defector might be trying to smuggle it to the enemy to reverse engineer.
Did they find it?
@@EGRJ He never heard. He was a damage controlman (that's the term that was used later), they used them to find all the nooks and crannys it could be stashed, then had them leave.
It's crazy how technology works there is a guy in Phoenix selling Vietnam night vision binoculars I'm going to pick them it's a really neat piece of history
I'm not surprised because of how new the tech was. Even today when you buy a night vision device, at least of a certain grade, you click and verify that you wont take it out of the country. I'm not sure what the punishment currently is if caught trying to do so, and I have no intention of finding out.
@@JohnDoe-zs6gj “willful violations of the defense controls can be fined up to $1,000,000 per violation, or ten years of imprisonment, or both. In addition, the Secretary of State may assess civil penalties, which may not exceed $500,000 per violation. The civil penalties may be imposed either in addition to, or in lieu of, any other liability or penalty.”
You forgot to mention that in ww1 the Lovat Scouts, who were all expert shots, hunters, stalkers, Ghillies on Scottish Highland estates, some of the top marksmen in the UK were recruited to form a sniper training Regiment, that taught their skills to British soldiers chosen to be snipers. They also had designed the concept of the Ghillie suit of camouflage used by snipers ever since. It continued in ww2. Also in ww2 the Auxiliary units of the British Home Guard, actually specially trained platoons and teams of men with local knowledge such as hunters, gamekeepers, parkers, foresters, etc a force of underground commandos intended as a last stand guerrilla force should the Germans have invaded the UK, also used ghillie suits taking those skills with them later in the war to 1st and 2nd SAS Regiments in France after D-Day. Men such as Peter Fleming (brother of Ian ) , Michael Calvert, Anthony Quayle, and others all famous in SAS and SOE roles. The Ghillie suit is a very personal thing in the way it is designed. My great grandfather was a sniper with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in ww1,
Yeah they would even build fake trees in the middle of no-man’s land at night when the enemy couldn’t see. Then they would have the perfect position hidden in plain sight looking right over the enemy trench.
I'm not sure why you put out so many videos in the last few days. All I know is that I super appreciate it! Entertaining and informative that's task and purpose 👍👍
thanks for watching I'm glad some people dig the content!
Posting frequently is pleasing to the almighty algorithm. Pushing 500k Let’s Go
@@Taskandpurpose can you please make a video on the handheld 6 shot Russian grenade launcher, GM94.
These vids 10/10
Before the war erupts, obviously
Totally agree! 👍🏼
Soldier: I see an enemy we can't advan-.... Oh he's dead...wait, where did that come from?
Talking bush: Sup bro.
When learning about one of my ggg grandpa’s that served in the civil war, I found out that it wasn’t uncommon for regiments to have two companies (one dedicated to sharp shooting and the other providing protection for them thrown out front as skirmishers). They basically took the best shooters and put them in front of the regiment to harass the enemies and feel out their positions. He was in one of the two companies in the 36th IL infantry that took out two confederate generals in about an hour timeframe during the Battle of Pea Ridge. My ggg grandpa ended up getting shot in the heel during the battle. One of the sharpshooters in his regiment got a lot of recognition for killing one of the generals. They aren’t sure who killed the second one.
He went on to serve at Stones River, Chickamauga (wounded again), Missionary Ridge, and the Atlanta campaign. Dude was tough. Died not long after the war in his early forties.
did a lot of reading about this when I took out some books at the library about the civil war. you're exactly right , that was a major shift in tactics when they started using those sharp shooters- wish I had remembered this before making this video but I'll be doing a lot more sniper videos in the future. many hooah's to your great great grandpops !
@@Taskandpurpose BTW, I read that at Chattanooga, rebel snipers on the South Bank of the Tennessee River hidden up in the hills were able to pretty much totally interdict supplies from being moved by wagon into the city by a road running along the north bank of the Tennessee river.
As such they had to be rerouted by a very circuitous route that took much longer and that try as they might, the Federals forces could not take out those snipers until they took those hills by crossing the river some time later.
It might be worth noting as an aside that the rapids at Muscle Shoals prevented the gun boats for sailing down to Chattanooga and that mitigated that resource which Grant had so effectively used elsewhere along the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi rivers until a boats were built upstream those rapids which then could reach Chattanooga.
They were so short on food that they were tempted to eat their horses (which they chad trouble feeding anyway) and if they did that they would totally loose their mobility in that they needed the horses to move the artillery and supply wagons.
Thus a handful of rebel snipers (with the aid of some rapids to keep the navy at bay) help starve a whole Union army until the navy could make it way there and aid in taking the ground south of the river.
God bless your ggg...!
I don't understand why people still fly the Confederate flag today. They were traitors and should be treated as such by history and society. You don't see East German flags being flown in modern day Germany.
@@Taskandpurpose and let’s not forget about the U.S Sharpshooter units that formed a brigade under Hiram Berdan
You've got great content man. I've always enjoyed your uploads. Particularly your well informed yet humble attitude towards presenting information. That bit about the future of sniping is spot on! Rounding it out with the history and lineage makes for a complete story
You're one of the good ones.
During my time in the Army I went though the 82nd Airborne Sniper School and SOTIC after I was in Special Forces, I went through an M21, M24 and an unofficial McMillan .50 BMG. But what’s out there now is light years beyond the stuff that we had just a few years back. It’s absolutely amazing what these guys can do now. Thanks for the video
What kind of optics did you have on that McMillan? I used the M39 ebr with a 3x12 ssds S&B
😂😂😂😂
@@Nitebreed thanks bro just looking for the fakers
@@swaggstang1 hook, line and sinker! 😉
@@swaggstang1 I honestly don’t remember. Before we got the rifles they were talking about having us take the fixed 10x off of our M24s and using them, but when we got the rifles they had scopes that made more sense. I wish that I could remember, sorry.
I think you forgot to mention the White Death. makes Vasili look like a cub scout. In fact it was the Finns who taught the Soviets the importance of sniping and counter-sniping
Vasili lied
One of my medics got assigned to a mission with both US Army and British snipers. It was a night raid on a building. He said he was left back at the vehicles while the spec opps guys went for the building. The way he told the story was that he was able to fallow the progress of the Americans through his NVGs. He lost track of the British snipers as soon as they got out of the snatch. Over however many hundreds of yards of open ground he never saw them until they made the side of the building and climbed into a window.
ghillies
Our snipers are the best 💪🇬🇧
"i dint see you at camo training yesterday ?!" - "thank you sir!"
8:36 one thing to note is that he noted afterwards that since the bullet went straight through the scope, the enemy sniper was tracked on him and was literally a few milliseconds away from firing and killing him. That reaction speed must be insane.
Edit: apparently this could be false. Comment below explaining why.
only if the other sniper did see him, and not if he only knows the direction.
I'm pretty sure this has been debunked as myth for a couple reasons:
1) Bullets don't travel on the same path as eyesight. They have an arc to them, so that, especially at long ranges, they actually come DOWN onto the target. A scope however, is pointed directly at the target. So unless you're shooting at very short ranges, the bullet will always be coming into the scope at an angle.
2) The amount of glass inside scopes is enough to essentially break up the bullet, and all you get out the other end is a whole lot of glass dust & spalling. Enough to blind someone with a facefull of glass, but probably not enough to kill them.
@@chad1755 ah right. Thanks for the info. So did he just not say that or did they confuse something while looking at the aftermath? Or could’ve lied/misremembered something. I’ll put an edit up.
@@serg5136 There is a mythbusters episode where they test it out, you should look it up
I really love how the channel’s quality has jumped recently, and it really shows in how many great videos y’all have put out in such a short time. I have no military background besides my recently passed grandfather and it’s always been something I both revere and fear, so the information the team presents is really appreciated.
"French officer" hesketh prichard was actually British and he was the first to send out snipers with a watcher and also the implementation of fieldcraft. His book sniping in the south of france is considered the snipers bible. He even had a sniper school in france during WW1. This great officer deserves a video of his own.
Awesome info. I only found this short video by... I believe, his great-great-grandson?
ua-cam.com/video/z_sHT7QZX5E/v-deo.html
@@AlbertaClimber you can find digital versions of his book online. It is an interesting read. Not so much a manual as a collection of short true stories from the trenches of WW1 that describe and teach different aspects of sniping. For example " avoid white rocks and officers" which teaches the sniper to avoid white rocks because snipers use them to calculate distance and avoid officers because they get shot.
Ahh this is the content we have been waiting for. The OG Russian snipers name is Vasily Zaitsev. A contemporary colleague of his was the less known but also very important female Ljudmila Pavlichenko (309 kills). She volunteered and fought for the right to become a sniper. They both fought at Stalingrad. (obligatory mention of Finnish legend Simo Hayha here). Sorry but also have to point out that the Coriolis effect is technically not caused by the curvature of the earth but rather the rotation. The two main dynamic principles are absolute differences in rotational speed between differing latitudes and angular momentum of the projectile. Will stop now, thanks for a good video.
Pavlichenko was in the USA doing publicity speeches to back support for the USSR in the USA when the Battle of Stalingrad was going on, Pavlichenko had fought in the Battles of Odessa and Sevastopol. And her old unit was stationed on the Black Sea coast then in 1942.
@@legatvsdecimvs3406 So she didn't fight at Stalingrad? I got that wrong then. Thanks
@@serious_shooter5872 No, she was injured in combat and the high command, for her fame, decided to removed from the field. She toured the USA and returned to be a sniper instructor.
Fun fact, in the soviet line, she was one of the firsts to recommend secondary weapons (usually pistol and knife) in addition to the sniper duo, for better reconnaissance, coverage and accuracy.
This is because when shes fight realized that couldnt stay planted with the platoon, but instead get out solo of position and spot the enemy from the flanks, gather information and kill the field generals, destabilizing the front. She was almost sentenced to the gulags for breaking direct orders, idiotic orders, they just didnt because your efficiency. No wonder Vasily said that the only sniper he wouldnt want to face was Pavlichenko.
Sniper need to have above average IQ, expertise, and not just aim, because depending on the situation they have a freedom to improvise.Thats why they are called special forces today.
loved this one man! Sniping/marksman history is so interesting!
Task & Purpose, Yes that actually happened where the Sniper was asked by Katie Couric what did he feel when he kills an enemy, and he responded: felt recoil.
You have left out the use of Ghillie suits by British and in particular Scottish snipers on the Western Front, they certainly had purpose made suits during the 1st world war and they stalked and worked in pairs just as modern snipers do. The British also had a purpose made combat training range that duplicated the trenches, it was located at Cannock Chase north of Birmingham.
the lovat scouts
@@adamroodog1718 named after an american colonel who fought for the british during the boer wars, iirc.
@@sdesigan85 No. Oh good lord where do yanks get this stuff? 🤣 Lord Lovat is the ancestral peerage created in 1458. Ghillie is a job title like "jaeger" or "ranger". They were not founded by an American.
@@zoiders google frederick russell burnham
/edit yes i was wrong about the origins of the regiment’s name but it was led by and trained by the aforementioned personage
I made a similar comment before I read yours. I never knew it was at Cannock Chase thanks for the additional information
Chris, this is good information. It's nice to understand where sniping got its start and how the job evolved. I've also been enjoying a lot of your other videos, especially your recent focus on the war in Ukraine. Keep up the great work!
“What do you feel when taking a life?”
“Recoil.”
- Jun, Halo Reach. Confirmed
We used to say "Sniper check" when saluting in the field. LOL! 🤣
Cool video Chris. Would love to see the evolution of military communication from you.
I got a bunch of great footage of the newest radio / comms system from L3 Harris when I was at AUSA. definitely planning on doing a video about communications very soon
@@Taskandpurpose please do bayonets
Oh yeah. That would be cool. One huge part of warfare most people don't think about.
I agree. Us 0621 need some love too.
Seems like it would be especially interesting right now as I keep getting confused at Russia's insecure communications.
That story of the sniper shooting down the other snipers scope was tested on mythbusters who said it wasn't possible the lenses compact stopping the bullet they tried with period correct rifles and scopes along with modern ones not a single rifle was powerful enough to push a bullet through a scope.
That's false. I watched that episode so many times. It's wrong because Carlos Hathcock didn't use that rifle they showed lol
People interested in WW2 snipers should give "Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knights Cross" a chance. Some interesting stories with lots of photos. Did you know Russian and later on German snipers both really used explosive ammunition? Normally used for zeroing in fighter aircraft guns.
A good read and shows that the eastern front was a hellhole for both sides.
Fantastic book. I also suggest the book
" Until The Eyes Shut ". It's not as intense and violent as " Sniper On The Eastern Front" , but it is definitely one of my favorites of all time. It's about a machine gunner but the engagements described in paints a picture to being put into some engagements similar to that of a marksman but while using an LMG in my opinion lol. Either way both killer books
@@jacobpeters9452 You are right, a great read too! And "Blood Red Snow", also about a machine gunner! This one has the great passage about him in his bunker getting overrolled by a T-34 and describing how he readies himself to die.
All three really good reads about the eastern front from German POV - for me. Would include the Rudel biography too, but I don´t know the English name - in German it´s "Stuka: Mein Leben in Krieg und Frieden". This man, and I know he is viewed controversial, had a pretty wild ride too, during and after the war.
@@IstvanThree I can tell that a few of us are birds of the same feather lol I'm glad to see people recommending these books also. Fantastic insight into the life of ordinary people tossed into the immorality of war and how this affects them permanently in their life.
@@jacobpeters9452 Yes, these were times hard to imagine for us modern people.
It´s somehow strange how small the world became in just a few decades.
@@IstvanThree Agreed. I'm all for technological development and what it's brought us but in a way it feels like everything is just at our fingertips. Seems like there is no mystery in the world . Imagine being a young man born in a small Austrian town. Secluded. You're drafted and being told you're going to Russia to fight. The only information you have on Russia could be from friends and relatives who maybe were stationed there during the first war. Maybe books, news papers, stories, and your own mind, etc. Most likely wouldn't have any idea what was in store for you. The people, the land, food, weather, traditions. It's endless. Although it would most like end up a nightmare in the end if you survived but the sense of adventure and the unknown would have been insane and exhilarating. Today I just pull out my phone and hit Google earth, or UA-cam, etc and you can practically see jt all without leaving home.. I know it's not quite the same, but you catch my drift. I guess we yearn for something we can't have lol
I'm glad that you went back to the crossbow with this. It comes with any advancement in technology at the time, like with the French and English longbow
Interesting and entertaining video! I would have liked to have seen a glimpse of Civil War sniping, where rifled barrels and primitive scopes really saw the range increase beyond 300m. Also, you managed to pronounce Garand in a 3rd different way I have never heard heretofore!
I enjoyed this historical look. It felt like watching some of the earlier Task & Purpose videos that got me to subscribe - light, well-researched, and dripping with Cappy humor. More, please.
I really loved the section where you explained about the lovat scouts introducing the modern Ghillie suit
Let's not forget that every sniper has to check if Mercury is retrograde before taking the shot lol
Thanks for your videos Cappy. They help me get through some tough times here. Regards from a former average infantryman in Sweden
You forgot about Simo Häyhä, who recoded highest number of sniper kills in any major war.
And all that without a scope! Dude was legend. The red army had a "kill on sight" order on him (or bounty i think?).
Theg only managed to get him off the field with artillery fire, the day he gained consciousness, soviets signed the peace treaty (coincidence? Probably; but still too damn cool!)
Correct my friend: 500 kills in just 3 months. In temperatures of -20 C/ -4 F to 40 C/ 40 F. Not bad for a shorty like Simo Häyhä, who was only 160 cm/ 5 feet 3 inches.
He used his Suomi also for many of that ,not only his Mosin. He was on the Presidents Moose Hunt team and Vip invited many places also.
The White Death
@@MrPh30 Yes, you are correct, Häyhä killed 200 Russians with his Suomi submachinegun too.
Keep the video's coming! You're awesome at this!
Nice work, Cappy!
Although I thing your stock footage guy stuck in some footage of an M3 carbine (the one with the infrared lamp and scope) circa 4:00 when you were still talking about WW1 developments.
The M3 first saw (limited) service in 1945.
Here i go again, binge watching all of this content for a second time. Thanks for the gift.
"Vesief" is not exactly "Zaitsev", did someone that heard the name once several years ago just typed that with a headbutt? Also shame for not mentioning Simo Häyhä instead.
Bump
The whole story how Soviets were far ahead is complete bs and Winter War is solid prove of that.
And all the amazing snipers later in the war smels Soviet propaganda big time to anyone that got any idea how much lying and BS was in Soviet Union... Soviets lost few times more people than Germans that were fighting in whole Europe and Africa and somehow Soviets got this clones of John Rambo produced on mass and not only as man but also as women...
Soviet history of WW2 is so full of lies that they do not even teach kids in school about it, they teach them about "Great Patriotic War" just to hide the fact that they started WW2 with Germany as an ally and map of Poland with 51% of Polish territory for USSR and less than 49% for Germany was signed in Moscow and Stalin signature is on it, there is one normal size that is unfinished and then he made decision to sign it with signaure that is 53cm wide...
Not to mention that they do not want to teach kids that NKVD was teaching Gestapo in Poland how to terrorize millions of people in so called "Gestapo-NKVD conferences".
@@Bialy_1 bad history
@@Bialy_1 Still doesnt change a shit about heroism that people had to do in order that you can write this message! Yes, communism was incredibly bad, but please, respect those who sacrificed anything they could.
@@Bialy_1 oh yes, soviets lost few times more than Germans with 1 to 1.3 casualties ratio, yes, very believable, and this ratio doesnt count: folksturm, finnish army, romanian army, italian army, hungarian army, the sub-millitary and millitary national divisions like SS Galicia or Charlemagne. Also your statement ignores the fact that Germans used the whole Europe production potential in war against USSR, so it wasnt a war of tiny Germany with its allies against USSR, it was a war of whole Europe, conquered by Germany with its allies against USSR.
This was a very cool look into history. I like that you discussed where the term was coined. The etymology of the term Sniper is just so cool!
4:04 I have always wondered what those ww2 night vision scopes looked like through the crosshairs. It's actually a lot better than I thought...
Just found your Chanel and I’m enjoying your videos. Thank you from Britain 👊🏻.
Military services all over the world have had difficulties appreciating the value of marksmanship. Developing good riflemen takes time, effort and most of all, money. Very often all of those resources drain away to the next new thing that is supposed to make marksmanship obsolete. The new thing never does.
Distaste for marksmen goes back a long way. Winslow Homer, the artist whose depiction of a Civil War “sharp-shooter” is probably well-known to viewers of this channel, said this: “I was not a soldier but a camp follower & artist. The above impression [referring to his sketch] struck me as being as near murder as anything I ever could think of in connection with the army & I always had a horror of that branch of the service."
I seen an English Civil war Sniper Rifle in a Museum once, it was a Muzzleloader, but with a huge 5 foot at least barrel and a broadened stock, originally used for deer stalking
3:01 This wasn't some sort of contrived or silly opinion by the soldiers, this was a response to something absolutely terrifying to them. That if the enemy had marksmen like that they could possibly end up being shot without ever seeing the enemy, they'd never even know to take cover. There'd be no yelling, no drums, you might never even hear the shot. Modern soldiers have come to terms with that and infact most are psychologically suited to something so horrifying when you think about it for long enough but the revolutionary soldiers were mostly farmers or conscripts and it was the same with all other European armies, they joined up for the pay or for the food or because they were forced to and now they might die without even knowing they'd been shot at.
Yeah, I think that as soldiers learn to deal with artillery, they should learn to deal with snipers. :D
7:30 if you mean "Zeitgeist" then its a
combination of "time (Zeit)" and "spirit/mind (Geist)" so it basically means "the spirit of the time" or just the way things were at that period of time
I recommend looking at the story of Francis Pegahmagabow. He was a Canadian indigenous person who was a sniper in ww1. He's also credited with the most kills of any sniper in ww1!
He also Has an awesome sabaton song, it's called a ghost in the trenches
Another fantastic , educational, military video from the best UA-cam presenter on earth. You are too good to be true. No wonder you weren’t an officer. However, one sniper not as lethal as an 8 inch battery firing an air burst killing everything within 3 football fields. Artillery- the King of Battle!
There is a mistake in Soviet sniper’s name
His surname is “Zaitsev”
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Zaitsev_(sniper)
This was such a well researched and professionally made video I had to subscribe!
It was the British snipers who started using camo to hide first in ww1.
They were Scots, stalkers and gamekeepers and they wore their Ghillie Suits.
The grilled suit is credited to the scotts..
Vegetative camouflage for personal, equipment, and structures was around far longer then that
That was the Lovat Scouts and that was before WW1, they done it during the regiments first conflict in the Second Boer War.
Lovats were assembled of stalkers and headstalkers ( ghillies ) from all over Scotland, the suits developed for counter poaching seize and grab em .
@@aaronunterseher1627 Scots
The First ones to use Ghillie Suits Yes
8:32 basically how every sniper dies to another in cod warzone
05:02 Just a correction. Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was his name. Honestly though, I think Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko has an even more interesting story and impressive record, over 300 confirmed kills.
you are one of those who had (correction) comments. You missed one of his vlog- he does it "every time" intentionally.
I think the one who has more than 300 confirmed kills was Simo Hayha
@@redacted8983 Yup, he was a Finnish sniper, the Soviets were scared shitless of him he was so good, he may have actually had a decisive impact on the outcome of the winter war.
@@mrvwbug4423 They put up a bounty on him and issued snipers with explosive bullets to "make sure he was dead" except the absolute mad lad survived a headshot with an explosive round, blowing out his cheek.
what about Simo Häyhä ?
Great video! Educational and entertaining! I was surprised you didn't mention Simo Häyäh
The guy who replied "the recoil" is actually Simo Häyhä. He got 505-542 confirmed kills during the winter war in just a 100 days. But idk someone else could have said the same
I heard its an urban legend and no one actually said it ? I couldnt find any sources and snopes.com said it wasnt real, but we all know how snopes.com is
@@Taskandpurpose alright
Simo never said anything like that. He was a humble and kind man who never hurt anyone.
@@Taskandpurpose It certainly was not a CNN reporter. That news org did not exist at the time of Vietnam.
Simo never said anything remotely similar to that. Burden of proof is one the person claiming he said that.
I'm a junior sergeant and although I'm not afraid of snipers whatsoever, precise weapons like ATGM really give me chills.
The gear won't change that much, but as high quality high accuracy optics become cheaper. Skilled marksman and counter snipers will become more organic at company or even platoon level
Love how you include sense of humor in your presentations. OutSTANDING! I was an 02T. I'll bet you have to look that up.
Cappy: You have a scope, your a sniper.
Simo Häyhä: Am I a joke to you?
Outstanding video as usual Cappy
Outstanding content. A small mention of Simo Hayha would have been nice 😀
Good call! I'll make sure to mention Simo next time
The deadliest sniper in history and doing it all without a scope!
@@cocoynuts The thing is, Simo Hayha wouldn't really fit into the modern definition of sniper because of this fact and also because he actually made most of his kills with a submachine gun. He was a category unto himself, the super-ambusher sharpshooter who transcended mere sniper qualification.
@@andrewsuryali8540 Agree to an extent. He avoided the scope for few reasons. (1) scope tech wasn't as improved. They also used to fog up a lot. (2) glass on the scope could potentially reflect light (3) one had to raise one's head 2-3 more inches to use a scope, compared to iron sights, therefore allowing higher chances for the enemy to detect you.
But still he killed 500 in 100 days. This excluded those that were shot simultaneously by two snipers. That's one mighty feet in itself!
And Juba Also
Dude, I can't believe you forgot to mention Simo Häyhä! Except for that (and not mentioning the ghillie suit): thumbs up, well done!
In the past, German sniper rifles were able to fire up to 500m and were equipped with 4X optics (as were Russian Mosin Nagant rifles).
Today there are 20X optics and smaller caliber rifles such as the 308 caliber or the larger 50 anti material rifles can fire from 1500 to 2000 meters.
Yet majority of shots today are still within the same range of old German snipers
Are we just not gonna acknowledge that Scottish snipers in ww1 created ghillie suits?
Me wondering what those weird lights 500 meters away are
2 seconds later in heaven: oooooh, that's what those lights were
10:00 damn i spilled my coffee from all the giggling
“Now you’re a sniper, now you’re not a sniper” that killed me 😂
Thank you for referring to it as the Pennsylvania Rifle! I used to work at the Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum and we always insisted to guests it is called the Pennsylvania Longrifle, not the Kentucky Longrifle
The SMASH system isn't coming, Cappy, it is already in use. Also the DARPA Exacto ammo is pretty far out of the concept stage and in the prototype phase. Sniper marks the target for the smart bullet, fires and the round guides itself to the target. Then we have the heat camo that makes you vanish from thermals, so the snipers are ghosts in the landscape with smart target seeking bullets.
To those that don't know, precision shooting is basically when you pull the trigger slowly while aiming down the scope, basically, you HAVE to be surprised when the projectile exits the barrel.
You missed the most famous quote of all sniper anecdotes from the Civil War; "They couldn't hit an elephant from this distan...."
My absolute favourite 😁
And a ..451 Whitwort struck him under a eye and dead before he hit the ground when he fell f4om his uorse .
Which is the civil war?
AYOO the Vortex Spitfire is an awesome prism sight. Kudos.
The future battlefield will have all infantrymen as snipers. Bullet-soaking robots will replace regular grunts.
Having AI snipers is one of the most dystopian things I've ever heard
the snipers name was Vasily ZAItsev
Keep it up, loving the videos lately.
I feel like some of these "futuristic" features are not gonna be as affective as people think. A gun that fires as soon as you line up the target could mess your shot up (and you really only get one good shot), and when it comes to facial recognition, facial displacement has been a thing since the snipers of ww1.
yeah, I mean how are these things supposed to show any affection?
You know, as a guy who plans on joining the military and becoming a sniper, this was helpful so thanks bruv
Nice video about the evolution of the sniper. What was missing, was the Hiram Berdan unit of U.S. Army Sharpshooters, established during the US Civil War.
Skirmishers, not snipers though.
I believe the russians realized the value of snipers and sniper training and camouflage after they encountered Simo Hayha and the other finnish snipers during the winter war. The quote you attributed to the vietnam sniper, was actually Simo as well. Love the content, keep it up!
Great video! I had no idea that snipers originated from bird hunting.
I had either forgotten or never knew it came from hunting snipes either until I started digging into sniper history more here !
Also from match shooting called "Birdshoot" , or Parrotshoot. High on a stick was a wood figure of a bird which were numbered for points they shot and hit, if they shot away parts of the target ,even more points. It started from Crossbow era and continued on forward.
In my country snipers are called hunters.
They went from wearing two red circles to just one - definite improvement
Snipers in the future: quickscope and noscope training
Nah dude. Future is all about "multi-scoping" 🙃
A friend of mine, Ken Hackathorn, a former Green Beret and legendary firearms instructor, actually knew Carlos Hathcock. Ken asked Carlos about the famous "bullet through the scope" shot. Carlos replied, "The bullet HIT the scope. This 'right through the lens, didn't even touch the sides of the tube, hit him right in the eye' stuff is Hollywood bullshit."
the Scottish gillies were taken as snipers in the first war as they were good at hiding in plain SITE the gillie suit which i think even the US uses
Hathcock’s kill on Cobra was the real deal. But every time you saw it in a movie, it was impossible.
Cobra used an M91 with a non telescopic scope. It was a tube with a thin piece of glass on either end and as basic as it gets.
With the multiple lenses in telescopic sights, the bullet’s energy is dissipated half way through the tube.
Simo Hayas remains the badass he was.
Iron sights only no scopes.
But honestly snipers in total were amazing. It's still impressive how far technologically we have advanced sure it isn't futuristic alien laser beams but we are getting there slowly but surely.
I love these history video essays
My ancestor was a Sharpshooter during the Revolution. Have a cool copy of his pay stubs from the Continental Army
I wish he had mentioned the most effective sniper in history. A Finnish soldier during the Winter War (the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939), Simo Häyhä totaled over 400 confirmed kills in just over 100 days of combat. Most of his engagements occurred at medium to long ranges, and the Soviets referred to him as “the White Death” because he would take out entire squads in minutes and disappear into the snow covered forests. He did all of this, averaging over 4 confirmed kills per day, *_without ever using a scope!_*
Here's another "myth" that a reporter supposedly asked.
"What do you think was the last thing that went through his head before he died?"
"Probably that bullet"
I love your channel, keep it up! Greetings from Germany
You forgot the deadliest sniper of all time. Simo Häyhä a finnish farmer who got over 500 kills on the Soviets in WW2
right? I was expecting him to be mentioned before Vasily
With iron sights.
On a different video on that war. A reporter asked a general. Sir your men are outnumbered 2 to one what are your thoughts. He responded my men will show up fire twice and go home.
I remember my days being a sniper on a battlefield in Afghanistan, the place is called “Rust” and I usually carry an Intervention with me
@Emmanuel Goldstein He was merely embracing his ancient instincts; fighting.
lmao
@Emmanuel Goldstein I don’t think he said he was?
It’s a reference to cod lmao
@Emmanuel Goldstein S n o w f l a k e
@Emmanuel Goldstein wow genius
The best sniper in history was a Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä. He fought in the Winter War against the Soviets. He had 500+ kills with his sniper and almost 300 kills with a SMG. He didn't use a scope because it glared in the sun, and because it freezed in the cold Finnish winter. He was called "The White Death" by the Soviets. The soviets were so furios of how well Simo did, they even sent an artillery strike to only kill Simo. They didnt kill Simo. After that they sent one of their best snipers to kill Simo.The soviet sniper was dead even before he even knew where Simo was. Sadly one day Simo was shot in the chin by a explosive bullet. He survived. After the war he was asked how he did all this he responded "I did everything i was told to do, so well that I could."
Imagine you think that’s real
@@ISCARI0T funny enough, it is real
I wouldn't say he was the best sniper. It's not about how many kills you get. It's about who you kill. But Simo was a savage. I think Carlos Hathcock was the best.
Precision Rifle Instructor with a degree in military history here. Love the video... most of your information is spot on! Just a few corrections, if I may. In the American Revolution, Timothy Murphy wasn't the "very" first American Sniper... he was a member of "Morgan's Riflemen" out of Virginia... all of whom could have been considered snipers by modern definition. Murphy is credited with the shot that killed British General Simon Fraser at the behest of General Benedict Arnold, who had spotted Fraser trying to rally his troops at the battle of Bemis Heights (Second Battle of Saratoga.) This shot ended the British campaign in New York... H. Hesketh Prichard wasn't a French general, he was a British professional cricket player and avid outdoorsman who became an officer in the British Army during the First World War. The quote you cited him for, ""The men using them had in most cases hardly any knowledge of how their sights were aligned" is correct... it comes from the book he penned "Sniping in France." The first Russian sniper you referenced is Vasily Zaitsef or Zaitsev (the video shows Vesief). Your information about the introduction of the spotter, and the spotter being the senior sniper, is absolutely spot on. When you referenced GnySgt (then SSG) Carlos Hathcock, the implication was that he was part of the Army's sniper program. Hathcock was in the U.S. Marine Corps and helped create the scout/sniper program with (then) Major E. James "Jim" Land. He operated near Da Nang and Khe Sahn in the northeastern portion of what was then S. Vietnam. If you would like specific information regarding U.S. Army snipers in Vietnam, research Ed Eaton and especially Adelbert "Bert" Waldron... Army snipers in Vietnam primarily operated near the southern portion of S. Vietnam, in and around the Mekong Delta, with the 9th Infantry Division. Considering this is a 12 minute video covering the entire history of snipers, there were very few errors... Despite the (VERY MINOR) errors, I love that you are putting this information out there!
"Bollocks" is still used to this day as a sign on frustration, or derision........excellent job on the video for the most part :)
My Grandpa used to be a Sniper/Marksman during WWII, he got like 14 confirmed kills but always was always telling me he's got like 30.
Now, I serve my country as a Sniper/Marksman, and I'm proud to carry on the Legacy.
cap cap cap
@@Hppyb0y123 you say whatever buddy
My mama was a Canadian army reserve medic in the early 80’s. She said that when an officer was particularly disliked they would joke about saluting when reporting that a sniper was in the area.
Mr cappy, now that you made a video on sniper rifles, we would love to see a video on tracking point sniper rifle. It is equivalent to the real life aimbot. We would love to see your take on it.
To bad there're out of business.
Pretty sure he has done a video on that. It was featuring US army's new scope i believe.
@@vahidmoosavian6313 - I think it is about the replacement of the SUSAT scope used by the infantry. This new scope is meant for the upcoming NGSW program. I might be wrong on this.
@@lancekilkenny721 - unfortunately, They did. It is a good concept. The problem is that it is too expensive. The price of these rifles ranges between $6000 to $38000. The cool thing about this rifle is that it can turn anyone into a deadly sniper. It is perfect for military. Now, it is out of business
wow, it's cool how the longest shot in the world came from 300 meters with a musket to 2.2 miles with a rifle. it shows how technology advanced so well
7:31
Vietnamese Sigma Male Vs Beta CNN Reporter
😂
The more normal people understand how hard it is to squeeze that trigger and hit an enemy, the more respect they have to those who can hit more enemies, of choice, constantly, in a distance...with less shots, and freaking know how to get away safe.