Top 10 Deadliest Snipers in History

#10: Adelbert Waldron

During the Vietnam War, Staff Sergeant Adelbert Francis “Bert” Waldron III and the Mobile Riverine Force were patrolling the waters of the Mekong Delta where they were constantly on the lookout for hostile targets. Equipped with a semi-automatic M21 sniper rifle fitted with a starlight scope, Waldron amassed an impressive 109 confirmed kills in his eight months on the battlefields of Vietnam, several of them being executed while on a moving boat platform in the dead of night, and at distances of up to 900 meters away. Waldron received numerous honors for his efforts, including two Distinguished Service Crosses.

#9: Chris Kyle

Known by the name of “The Legend” by his teammates, the “Ramadi Devil” by his enemies, and the “American Sniper” in Hollywood, Chris Kyle holds the title of the deadliest sniper in American history. Serving four tours in Iraq, the Navy Seal boasts a staggering 160 confirmed kills out of an estimated 255 total. After retiring from the special forces in 2009, Kyle became a firearms instructor under a non-profit company he created. In 2013, his life came to a end when the famed sniper and his friend, Chad Littlefield, were shot and killed by a disturbed student they were instructing.

#8: Vasily Zaytsev

During the Second World War, Vasily Zaytsev was serving as a clerk in the Soviet Navy when the motherland was invaded by the German army. Zaytsev, along with many others, volunteered to fight on the front lines to defend their country against its Nazi invaders. According to official numbers, in the battle of Stalingrad alone, the Soviet marksman racked up 225 confirmed kills. Some sources even claimed the sniper had over 400. The legendary sharpshooter continued to fight in the war until an explosion injured his eyes. Zaytsev was awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union” and was even featured in the film “Enemy at the Gates,” further cementing his name in military history.

#7: Zhang Taofang

The best way to describe one of China’s top snipers in history is a diamond created by pressure. Zhang Toafang was serving in the People's Volunteer Army for a little under two years when he was deployed to Triangle Hill during the Korean War. The volunteer soldier was originally an awful shot. But Toafang went from missing a target 12 times and almost getting killed by the counterfire, to hitting seven targets with just nine bullets. Not long after, Taofang would be credited with 214 confirmed kills…without a scope! A true marksman with the natural eye attuned for lethality.

#6: Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Not just the deadliest woman sniper in history, but one of the deadliest snipers in history period, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, or “Lady Death” served as one of the 2.000 woman snipers in the Red Army. Fighting in both the Siege of Odessa and the Siege of Sevastopol, the Lady Death would rack up a devastating 309 confirmed kills, 36 of them being enemy snipers. Eventually, Pavlichenko was badly injured by mortar shrapnel. Instead of being sent back on the frontline of war, the Red Army icon became a propaganda piece for the nation's military. She even went to allied nations as not only a symbol of incredible marksmanship, but also an empowering figure for women worldwide.

#5: Francis Pegahmagabow

Fighting through hell on Earth during the First World War, Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow saw his way through many famous battles. Whether it was fighting through toxic gas or running through “no man's land” to gather ammo to fight the enemy, the Canadian sniper was known to be absolutely fearless. On the battlefields of the Great War, “Peggy” would eliminate a mind-boggling 378 German soldiers and capture 300 more. After serving just about the entire length of the war, Francis would return home to become Chief of the Wasauksing First Nation.

#4: Matthäus Hetzenauer

After taking over just about all of Europe, Nazi Germany turned its eye to the East, the USSR. Fighting in theatres like the Carpathian Mountains, Hungary, and Slovakia, Hetzenauer, an Austrian serving under the Third Reich, would become the Wehrmacht’s most decorated sniper and the best sniper in German history. Preferring to aim for machine gunners and commanding officers in particular, the Nazi sniper would work his way through an entire enemy line just to get to them. In just 10 months, Matthäus Hetzenauer accumulated 345 confirmed kills. In May of 1945, Hetzenauer was captured by Soviet forces, who held him prisoner for over five years.

#3: Fyodor Okhlopkov

Fyodor Okhlopkov, a Yakut native, worked as a hunter and miner before the Second World War, making him an ideal soldier for the Red Army. While serving, he would go from a commander of a machine gunner squad to a stone-cold sniper. Actually managing to be more efficient with a bolt-action rifle than he was with a fully automatic machine gun, the marksman would be credited with an outstanding 429 confirmed kills, making him one of the most accurate snipers the world has ever seen, and that doesn't even count the 32 machine gun kills. Okhlopkov would eventually be awarded the title “Hero of the Union” for his military prowess.

#2: Ivan Sidorenko

During the Battle of Moscow, serving as a member of a Red Army Mortar unit, Ivan Sidorenko took it upon himself to learn how to become an elite sniper. When his unit had days off, on his own free time, Sidorenko would go out hunting for Nazi soldiers as a lone gunman. He quickly saw a jump in his kill count as the Hero of the Soviet Union would be confirmed to have over 500 kills. The Major would get so good at sniping that his commanders assigned him to train more than 250 Red Army snipers.

#1: Simo Hayha

Burying himself in the snow and remaining completely unseen by the enemy laid “The White Death”. Simo Hayha, a Finnish sniper, dominated the battlefield of the Winter War during the Second World War. In less than 100 days, the White Death would reportedly eliminate around 500 Soviet soldiers. Eventually, Hayha’s military career would come to a halt after being shot in the face by an enemy soldier, shattering the lower left half of his jaw. The legendary sniper was thought to be dead when he was found in a pile of corpses. Simo was able to move his leg to signal for help and was immediately evacuated, living until age 96.

Are there any legendary sharpshooters that we missed? Let us know in the comments!