Ivan Sidorenko - World War II Service

World War II Service

In 1941, Sidorenko participated at the Battle of Moscow as a Junior Lieutenant of a mortar company. During the battle, he spent a considerable amount of time teaching himself to snipe. His hunts for enemy soldiers were highly successful, prompting Sidorenko's commanders to assign him to train others, who were chosen for their eyesight, weapons knowledge, and endurance. Sidorenko first taught them tactical theory, and then slowly took his pupils on combat missions with him. The Germans, threatened by their consistent losses, soon began fielding snipers of their own in Sidorenko's area of operation to counter the threat posed by him and his men.

Sidorenko became assistant commander of the Headquarters of the 1122nd Rifle Regiment, fighting as part of the 1st Baltic Front. Though his primary role remained one of instruction, he occasionally fought in battles to provide his trainees with additional combat experience. In one of these excursions, he destroyed a tank and three tractors using incendiary bullets. These scouting missions also placed him in the line of fire, however, and he was wounded several times, most seriously in Estonia in 1944. This injury kept Sidorenko hospitalized until the end of the war. On June 4, 1944, while still recuperating, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. After this, Sidorenko was prohibited from directly engaging the enemy in combat by his superiors due to his value as a sniper trainer.

By the end of the war, Sidorenko was credited with about five hundred confirmed kills, and had additionally trained over two hundred and fifty snipers. He achieved the rank of Major and was otherwise highly decorated in recognition of his having been the most successful Soviet sniper of the war.