Vasilij Shalvovich Kvachantiradze
Encyclopedia
Vasilij Shalvovich Kvachantiradze was a Soviet sniper
during World War II
. He entered Red Army
service in 1941 and is credited with confirmed kills numbering at least 215 officers and soldiers of the German Wehrmacht
during the Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive.. Other sources present an overall figure of around 534 confirmed kills total during the war.
and grew up within a peasant family. He spent time working and assisting on the farm of his parents untill he became member of the local CPSU
what brought him good chances for further educating himself on the matters of agriculture. However, his idea of travelling to Moskow for starting up a business career fell short when the war started.
. At the beginning, he was set into a lead forward observer unit of the Soviet 43rd Army, 179th Infantry Division and quickly proved himself to be an extraordinary marksman with simple ironsightet rifles. Soon he was set in as a sniper of the same detachment's, 259th infantry Regiment and scored his first kills. During the entire period from 1941 to 1945, he scored around 215 to 534 kills
, with the latter one probably counting as hits, not nessesarily fatal shots and the 215 as confirmed fatalities, but only during a single offensive. While the greater number is in fact also referred as to confirmed kills by different sources as total amount of fatal shots. His victims were mainly officers but also soldiers, including enemy sharpshooters and snipers.
During the Soviet offensive at Vitebsk in 1944, Kvachantiradze detachment was encircled by counterattacking German units in the village of Shumilino and cut off from the rest of the regiment, but only for a short time. Kvachantiradze managed to improvise traps and ambushes without exposing his position a single time. The morale of the German soldiers was wavering by deadly sniper fire. Alone there, Kvachantiradze scored around 44-60 kills. At that point, the German infantry was too abstinent and careful, that the fear of beeing caught into a sniper trap influenced the bahaviour and made it possible for the defenders to prevent the Germans capturing the village and creating a defensive line. Thus a Soviet counterattack was made possible. What did happen, when a combined Soviet infantry and mechanized assault could break through the circle easily and managed to defeat the Germans.
, Order of Lenin
twice gold star medal, Order of the Red Banner
twice, Order of the Patriotic War
twice and the Order of the Red Star
. Vasilij Shalvovich Kvachantiradze died on February 9th, 1950 at the age of 43
Soviet sniper
Snipers of the Soviet Union played an important role mainly on the Eastern Front of World War II, apart from other preceding and subsequent conflicts. In World War II, Soviet snipers used the 7.62x54R rifle cartridge with light, heavy, armour-piercing , armour-piercing-and-incendiary ,...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He entered Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
service in 1941 and is credited with confirmed kills numbering at least 215 officers and soldiers of the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
during the Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive.. Other sources present an overall figure of around 534 confirmed kills total during the war.
Early Life
Kvachantiradze was born in a village in the Georgian region of GuriaGuria
Guria is a region in Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 143,357 and Ozurgeti is a regional capital.-Geography:...
and grew up within a peasant family. He spent time working and assisting on the farm of his parents untill he became member of the local CPSU
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
what brought him good chances for further educating himself on the matters of agriculture. However, his idea of travelling to Moskow for starting up a business career fell short when the war started.
During War
In 1941 Kvachantiradze joined the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. At the beginning, he was set into a lead forward observer unit of the Soviet 43rd Army, 179th Infantry Division and quickly proved himself to be an extraordinary marksman with simple ironsightet rifles. Soon he was set in as a sniper of the same detachment's, 259th infantry Regiment and scored his first kills. During the entire period from 1941 to 1945, he scored around 215 to 534 kills
, with the latter one probably counting as hits, not nessesarily fatal shots and the 215 as confirmed fatalities, but only during a single offensive. While the greater number is in fact also referred as to confirmed kills by different sources as total amount of fatal shots. His victims were mainly officers but also soldiers, including enemy sharpshooters and snipers.
During the Soviet offensive at Vitebsk in 1944, Kvachantiradze detachment was encircled by counterattacking German units in the village of Shumilino and cut off from the rest of the regiment, but only for a short time. Kvachantiradze managed to improvise traps and ambushes without exposing his position a single time. The morale of the German soldiers was wavering by deadly sniper fire. Alone there, Kvachantiradze scored around 44-60 kills. At that point, the German infantry was too abstinent and careful, that the fear of beeing caught into a sniper trap influenced the bahaviour and made it possible for the defenders to prevent the Germans capturing the village and creating a defensive line. Thus a Soviet counterattack was made possible. What did happen, when a combined Soviet infantry and mechanized assault could break through the circle easily and managed to defeat the Germans.
Awards
For his formidable efforts during the war, Kvachantiradze was awarded Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
twice gold star medal, Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
twice, Order of the Patriotic War
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
twice and the Order of the Red Star
Order of the Red Star
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
Post War
Kvachantiradze left the army in 1945 and became chariman in the Supreme Soviet Presidium USSR of the Soviet KolkhozKolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
. Vasilij Shalvovich Kvachantiradze died on February 9th, 1950 at the age of 43