FYODOR OKHLOPKOV

ALLEGIANCE: Soviet Union LENGTH OF SERVICE: 1941-45 KILLS: 429

An ethnic Yakut born in the eastern USSR and orphaned at the age of five, Fyodor Okhlopkov eventually escaped the poverty of his home village when he was conscripted into the army in 1941 and became a machine-gunner. He was identified as a potential sniper in late 1942 when his unit was rebuilt following a bloody month in which 80 per cent were killed or wounded.

Perhaps more than any other sniper, Okhlopkov demonstrated a range of skills. Aside from sniping, he continued to take shifts in the machine-gun nests and also wielded an anti-tank rifle.

Whereas many snipers were kept away from danger once their kill count and propaganda value rose, Okhlopkov was allowed to go on hazardous reconnaissance patrols behind enemy lines. He was wounded 12 times, the final injury being a chest wound that kept him out of action for nine months.

Despite being credited with 429 kills with his sniper rifle – never mind many more with a machine gun – Okhlopkov’s recommendation for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was downgraded to the Order of the Red Banner. Only on the 20th anniversary of Victory Day was he finally granted the title routinely given to snipers from the western republics.