Vasily Zaitsev - famous sniper of the 62nd Army of the Stalingrad Front, Hero Soviet Union, best sniper Battle of Stalingrad. During this battle from November 10 to December 17, 1942, he destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers.
In order to reduce the activity of Russian snipers and thus raise the morale of their soldiers, the German command decides to send the head of the Berlin sniper squad, SS Colonel Heinz Thorwald, to the city on the Volga to destroy the “main Russian hare.”
Torvald, transported to the front by plane, immediately challenged Zaitsev, shooting down two Soviet snipers with single shots.
Now I'm worried and Soviet command, learning about the arrival of the German ace. The commander of the 284th Infantry Division, Colonel Batyuk, ordered his snipers to eliminate Heinz at any cost.
The task was not easy. First of all, it was necessary to find a German, study his behavior, habits, handwriting. And this is all for one single shot.
Thanks to his vast experience, Zaitsev perfectly studied the handwriting of enemy snipers. By the camouflage and firing of each of them, he could determine their character, experience, and courage. But Colonel Thorvald puzzled him. It was impossible to even understand in which sector of the front he was operating. Most likely, he changes positions quite often, acts with great caution, tracking down the enemy himself.
One day at dawn, together with his partner Nikolai Kuznetsov, Zaitsev took a secret position in the area where their comrades had been wounded the day before. But the whole day of observation did not bring any results.
But suddenly a helmet appeared above the enemy trench and began to slowly move along the trench. But her swaying was somehow unnatural. “Bait,” Vasily realized. But for the whole day not a single movement was noticed. This means that the German lay in a hidden position all day without giving himself away. From this ability to be patient, Zaitsev realized that in front of him was the head of a sniper school. On the second day, the fascist again showed nothing of himself.
Then we began to understand that this was the same guest from Berlin.
The third morning at the position began as usual. A battle was breaking out nearby. But the Soviet snipers did not move and only observed the enemy positions. But political instructor Danilov, who went with them into the ambush, could not stand it. Having decided that he had noticed the enemy, he leaned out of the trench quite a bit and just for a second. This was enough for the enemy shooter to notice him, take aim and shoot him. Fortunately, the political instructor only wounded him. It was clear that only a master of his craft could shoot like that. This convinced Zaitsev and Kuznetsov that it was the guest from Berlin who fired and, judging by the speed of the shot, was right in front of them. But where exactly?
SMART SNIPER ZAYTSEV
There is a bunker on the right, but the embrasure in it is closed. There is a damaged tank on the left, but an experienced shooter will not climb there. Between them, on a flat area, lies a piece of metal, covered with a pile of bricks. Moreover, it has been lying there for a long time, the eye has become accustomed to it, and you won’t even notice it right away. Maybe a German under the leaf?
Zaitsev put his mitten on his stick and raised it above the parapet. A shot and an accurate hit. Vasily lowered the bait in the same position as he raised it. The bullet entered smoothly, without drift. Like a German under a sheet of iron.
The next challenge is to get him to open up. But today it is useless to do this. It’s okay, the enemy sniper will not leave the successful position. It's not in his nature. The Russians definitely need to change their position. The next night we took a new position and began to wait for dawn. In the morning, a new battle between infantry units broke out. Kulikov fired at random, illuminating his cover and interesting the enemy shooter. Then they rested throughout the first half of the day, waiting for the sun to turn around, leaving their shelter in the shadows, and illuminating the enemy’s with direct rays
Suddenly, right in front of the leaf, something sparkled. Optical sight. Kulikov slowly began to lift his helmet. The shot clicked. Kulikov screamed, stood up and immediately fell without moving.
The German committed fatal mistake, without counting the second sniper. He leaned out a little from under cover right under Vasily Zaitsev’s bullet.
Thus ended this sniper duel, which became famous at the front and was included in the list of classic techniques of snipers around the world.
By the way, curiously, the hero of the Battle of Stalingrad Vasily Zaitsev did not immediately become a sniper.
When it became clear that Japan would not start a war against the USSR, troops began to be transferred from Siberia and Far East on German front. This is how Vasily Zaitsev fell under Stalingrad. Initially, he was an ordinary infantryman-shooter of the famous 62nd Army of V.I. Chuikova. But he was distinguished by enviable accuracy.
On September 22, 1942, the division in which Zaitsev served broke into the territory of the Stalingrad hardware plant and took up defense there. Zaitsev received a bayonet wound, but did not leave the line. Having asked his shell-shocked comrade to load the rifle, Zaitsev continued to fire. And, despite being wounded and lacking a sniper scope, he destroyed 32 Nazis in that battle. The grandson of the Ural hunter turned out to be a worthy student of his grandfather.
“For us, the soldiers and commanders of the 62nd Army, there is no land beyond the Volga. We have stood and will stand to the death!” V. Zaitsev
Zaitsev combined all the qualities inherent in a sniper - visual acuity, sensitive hearing, restraint, composure, endurance, military cunning. He knew how to choose best positions, mask them; usually hid from enemy soldiers in places where they could not even imagine a Russian sniper. The famous sniper hit the enemy mercilessly.
Only in the period from November 10 to December 17, 1942, in the battles for Stalingrad, V.G. Zaitsev destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers, and his comrades in arms in the 62nd Army - 6000.
V. Zaitsev died on December 15, 1991. He was buried in Kyiv at the Lukyanovsky military cemetery, although his last wish was to be buried in the Stalingrad land that he defended.
On January 31, 2006, the ashes of Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev were solemnly reburied in Volgograd on Mamayev Kurgan.
The legendary sniper of the Great Patriotic War Vasily Zaitsev during the Battle of Stalingrad, in a month and a half, destroyed more than two hundred German soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers.
WARRIOR
The war found Vasily Zaitsev serving in the Pacific Fleet as head of the financial unit, to which he was appointed thanks to his education. But Vasily, who received his first hunting rifle as a gift from his grandfather at the age of 12, did not even think about working in the accounting department. He wrote five reports asking to be sent to the front. Finally, the commander heeded the requests, and Zaitsev left for active army defend the homeland. The future sniper was enrolled in the 284th rifle division.
DESERVED “SNIPER”
After a short military training Vasily, together with other Pacific soldiers, crossed the Volga and took part in the battles for Stalingrad. From the very first meetings with the enemy, Zaitsev proved himself to be an outstanding shooter. Using a simple “three-ruler”, he skillfully killed an enemy soldier. During the war, his grandfather’s wise hunting advice was very useful to him. Later Vasily will say that one of the main qualities of a sniper is the ability to camouflage and be invisible. This quality essential for any good hunter.
Just a month later, for his demonstrated zeal in battle, Vasily Zaitsev received a medal “For Courage”, and in addition to it... a sniper rifle! By this time, the accurate hunter had already disabled 32 enemy soldiers. 
SNIPER SMART
A good sniper is a living sniper. The feat of a sniper is that he does his job again and again. To succeed in this difficult task, you need to perform a feat every day and every minute: beat the enemy and stay alive!
Vasily Zaitsev firmly knew that the pattern was the path to death. Therefore, he constantly came up with new hunting models. Hunting another hunter is especially dangerous, but even here our soldier always rose to the occasion. Vasily, as if in a chess game, outplayed his opponents. For example, he made a realistic sniper doll, and he disguised himself nearby. As soon as the enemy revealed himself with a shot, Vasily began to patiently wait for his appearance from cover. And time didn't matter to him. 
FROM SMART TO SCIENCE
Zaitsev commanded a sniper group and, caring about the growth of them and his professional excellence, has accumulated considerable didactic material, which later made it possible to write two textbooks for snipers. One day, two riflemen, returning from a firing position, met their commander. The punctual Germans have gone to lunch, which means you can take a break yourself - you still won’t be able to catch anyone in your crosshairs. But Zaitsev noted that now is the time to shoot. It turns out that even when there was no one to shoot at, the smart hunter calmly calculated the distances to the places where the enemy might appear and wrote them down in a notebook, so that on occasion, without wasting a second, he could hit the target. After all, there may not be another chance. 
DUEL WITH A GERMAN “SUPER SNIPER”
The Soviet shooter greatly annoyed the German “machine”, so German command sent its best marksman from Berlin to the Stalingrad front: the head of the sniper school. The German ace was given the task of destroying the “Russian hare”. In turn, Vasily received an order to destroy the German “super sniper”. A game of cat and mouse began between them. From the actions of the German, Vasily realized that he was dealing with a seasoned professional. But as a result of several days of mutual hunting, Vasily Zaitsev outwitted the enemy and emerged victorious.
This duel made our sniper famous worldwide. This plot is reflected in modern cinema: in the 1992 Russian film “Angels of Death” and in the Western “Enemy at the Gates” (2001). 
GROUP HUNT
Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate the victory in the principled duel. Division commander Nikolai Batyuk congratulated Vasily and assigned his group of snipers a new important task. It was necessary to disrupt what was being prepared German offensive on one of the sections of the Stalingrad front. “How many fighters do you have at your disposal,” asked the commander. - "13". - “Well, I hope you can handle it.”
In carrying out the task, Zaitsev’s group used a new combat tactic at that time - group hunting. Thirteen sniper rifles took aim at the most attractive points in the enemy's position. The calculation is this: Hitler’s officers will come out for a final inspection of the offensive line - fire!
The calculation was completely justified. The offensive was disrupted. True, the experienced fighter Vasily Zaitsev, in the heat of battle, launched an open attack on the German infantry, not expecting that the German artillery would fire a salvo at friends and foes... 
RETURN TO THE FRONT
When Vasily came to his senses, he was enveloped in darkness. As a result of the severe injury, his eyes were seriously damaged. In his memoirs, he admits that when his hearing became more acute, he was thinking about picking up a rifle... Fortunately, after several operations, his vision returned, and on February 10, 1943, sniper Zaitsev saw the light again.
For the demonstrated military skill and valor, the commander of the sniper group was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Lenin and the medal " Golden Star" However, as in the beginning battle path, Vasily did not even think of staying away from the main events and soon returned to the front. He celebrated victory in the Great Patriotic War with the rank of captain. 
Great Patriotic War was the time when soviet people showed what the official press called “mass heroism.” It really was massive - everyone, young and old, joined the fight with the Nazis, not sparing themselves.
But there were people who did absolutely incredible things. Not only the whole country, but the whole world learned about their exploits. One of these war legends was the sniper Vasily Zaitsev.
He was born in March 1915 in the village of Eleninka, Polotsk village, Verkhneuralsky district, Orenburg province, into a peasant family. His grandfather Andrey Alekseevich Zaitsev, was a hereditary hunter and commercial hunter and from childhood he introduced his grandchildren to this activity, especially highlighting the eldest, Vasya.
Vasily grew slowly as a child, which is why his parents even feared that he would remain a “small size.” However, the grandfather did not care - he passed on to his grandson all the secrets of the taiga hunter's skill. Although it’s unlikely that little Vasya could have guessed where and when this science would be useful to him.
Vasily Zaitsev graduated from seven-year school, then construction college majoring in fittings, then accounting courses.
In 1937, Zaitsev was drafted into the army. Despite his short stature, the commission assessed his good general physical development and sent to Pacific Fleet.
Zaitsev started as a clerk in the artillery department, and by the beginning of the war, thanks to his education, he became the head of the financial unit.
Here, far from Western Front, it would be possible to sit out the war in relative peace. Only this prospect did not suit Vasily Zaitsev. By the summer of 1942, the sergeant major of the 1st article literally tormented the command with reports asking to be sent to the front.
Vasily Zaitsev in Stalingrad, October 1942. Photo: Public Domain
Baptism by fire
And finally, he was enlisted in the second battalion of the 1047th regiment of the 284th Infantry Division. A unit formed from sailors of the Pacific Fleet transferred to infantry was transferred to Stalingrad.
On the night of September 22, 1942, the 284th Rifle Division safely crossed the Volga, entering Stalingrad, where heavy fighting raged.
The division immediately entered the battle. And here an episode occurred, which Vasily Zaitsev would later describe in his memoirs and which, in a very free interpretation, was included in the film “Stalingrad” Fedor Bondarchuk.
Zaitsev's battalion led an attack on German positions on the territory of the Stalingrad gas depot. The enemy trying to stop the onslaught Soviet troops, set fire to fuel containers with artillery fire and air strikes. This is how Zaitsev himself described what was happening in his book:
“Flames shot up over the base, gas tanks began to burst, and the ground caught fire. Giant flames rushed over the chains of the attacking sailors with a deafening roar. Everything is on fire. Another minute - and we will turn into coals, into firebrands...
Forward! Forward!
The soldiers and sailors engulfed in fire tore off their burning clothes as they walked, but did not drop their weapons. Attack of naked burning people... I don’t know what the Nazis thought of us at that moment. Perhaps they mistook us for devils or saints, whom even fire cannot kill, and therefore fled without looking back. We drove them out of the village adjacent to the gas station and stopped on the extreme western street, lying down among the small individual houses that made up this street. Here someone threw a raincoat to me, and I somehow covered myself... From the hot air, the soldiers' lips were cracked, their mouths were dry, their singed hair stuck together - the teeth of the comb were bent. But the battalion commander, Captain Kotov, rejoiced: the order was carried out! They recaptured the gas tanks, took possession of the unfinished red building, seized the office of the hardware plant, fighting is taking place in the workshops and breaches of the asphalt and hardware plants!”
So Zaitsev’s battalion managed to knock the Germans out of their positions and gain a foothold in the city. So the “division burned to the ground” shown in “Stalingrad” did not actually die, but continued to successfully beat the Nazis.
It should be noted that Vasily Zaitsev and Fyodor Bondarchuk are connected by one more point - in 1989 in the film directed by Yuri Ozerov"Stalingrad" Bondarchuk played the role of a sniper Ivana, the prototype of which was Vasily Zaitsev.
Death from the oven
The Battle of Stalingrad differs from others in that it developed into a months-long street battle, where the methods of conventional warfare were ineffective. As a result, the main impact force these battles became small assault groups and snipers.
Soviet and German snipers They staged a real hunt for enemy soldiers and officers. It has become dangerous not only to walk in the city, but even just to lean out of shelters.
This is where Vasily Zaitsev’s skills as a taiga hunter helped him a lot. He had excellent eyesight and hearing, iron restraint, composure, endurance and military cunning.
It is extremely important for a sniper to be able to camouflage himself and not reveal himself ahead of time. Vasily Zaitsev possessed these abilities like no one else.
Once Vasily hid in a dilapidated oven, from which the entrances to the fascist dugouts were clearly visible, as well as the basement that served the Nazis as a kitchen. In one evening, Zaitsev eliminated 10 enemy soldiers.
During the period from November 10 to December 17, 1942 alone, Vasily Zaitsev destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers, including 11 enemy snipers. In total, the sniper groups of the 62nd Army that fought in Stalingrad eliminated 6,000 enemy soldiers and officers during this period.
Duel of two aces
The fame of Zaitsev’s exploits spread to the other side of the front line. German command for liquidation Soviet sniper called his specialist from Berlin - the head of the sniper school, whom Zaitsev in his memoirs calls “ Major Koenig».
According to a number of historians, Zaitsev’s opponent was the head of the sniper school in Zossen, an SS Standartenführer Heinz Thorwald.
Koenig-Torvald managed to eliminate several Soviet snipers, after which Zaitsev began a counter hunt for him.
On the decisive day, Zaitsev acted in tandem with another sniper - Nikolai Kulikov. This is what the Soviet ace himself writes about the culmination of the duel: “We worked at night. We settled in until dawn. The Nazis fired at the crossings of the Volga. It was getting light quickly, and as daylight came the battle developed with new strength. But neither the roar of guns, nor the explosions of shells and bombs - nothing could distract us from completing the mission. The sun has risen. Kulikov made a “blind” shot: the sniper should have been interested. We decided to wait out the first half of the day, since the glare of the optics could give us away. After lunch, our rifles were in the shade, and direct rays of the sun fell on the fascist position. Something glittered at the edge of the sheet: a random piece of glass or an optical sight? Kulikov carefully, as only the most experienced sniper can do, began to lift his helmet. The fascist fired. The Nazi thought that he had finally killed the Soviet sniper, whom he had been hunting for four days, and stuck half his head out from under the leaf. That's what I was counting on. He hit it straight. The fascist’s head sank, and the optical sight of his rifle, without moving, sparkled in the sun until the evening...”
The German's documents and rifle were delivered to the division commander. It turned out that Zaitsev’s opponent had optics with 10x magnification on his weapon, while the Soviet sniper had only 4x magnification. However, this did not help the German.
Victory in a hospital bed
Over four months in Stalingrad, a group of snipers commanded by Vasily Zaitsev destroyed 1,126 Nazis.
The battle ended for the sniper in January 1943, when he was seriously wounded and lost his sight. The hero was taken to Moscow, where Professor Filatov himself operated on him, returning the sniper’s ability to see.
After treatment in the hospital, Zaitsev headed a sniper school, then commanded a platoon, and subsequently a company. But that was a little later.
And on February 22, 1943, by decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR for courage and military valor shown in battles with German fascist invaders, junior lieutenant Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During the war, Vasily Zaitsev wrote two textbooks on sniper business. In addition, he came up with the technique of sniper hunting with “sixes” - when three pairs of snipers (shooters and observers) cover the same battle zone with fire. This technique was widely used during the Chechen campaigns.
Captain Vasily Zaitsev met the victorious May 1945 in Kyiv, in the hospital, where he was treated after another injury.
Hero of the Soviet Union, participant in the Battle of Stalingrad Vasily Zaitsev, 1979. Photo: RIA Novosti / Igor Kostin
Last will
There, in Kyiv, a peaceful post-war life Vasily Zaitsev after demobilization.
He graduated from the institute, was the director of a clothing factory, plant, and headed a technical school. When to use Soviet army a new SVD sniper rifle was being accepted, among those who were involved in the tests was Vasily Zaitsev.
Zaitsev's rifle is now kept in the Volgograd Museum of City Defense as one of the main rarities. In 1980, the city authorities awarded Vasily Zaitsev the title of Honorary Citizen.
The last years of the life of the hero of Stalingrad can hardly be called happy - the exploits of the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War were ridiculed, in Ukraine, which was striving for independence, Bandera's underdogs and their young like-minded people raised their heads.
Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev died on December 15, 1991, just a few days before the country for which he fought disappeared. His last wish was to be buried next to his comrades on the Mamayev Kurgan in Stalingrad.
However, in the context of the collapse of everything and everyone last will the hero was never heard.
Vasily Zaitsev was remembered again in Russia in 2001, when a dedicated film was released in Hollywood Battle of Stalingrad film "Enemy at the Gates". His main storyline there was a fight between Zaitsev and Major Koenig. The blockbuster, in which the role of Zaitsev went to actor Jude Law, looked like an outright “cranberry”, but nevertheless allowed the memory of the hero of Stalingrad to be brought back from oblivion in Russia.
January 31, 2006 last request Vasily Zaitsev was executed - his remains were solemnly reburied with military honors on Mamayev Kurgan.
The grave of Vasily Zaitsev on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. Photo: wikipedia.org / Konstantin Dorokhin
Born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elininsk, now Agapovsky district Chelyabinsk region, in a peasant family. In 1930, he received a specialty in fittings at the FZU school (now SPTU...
Born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elininsk, now Agapovsky district of the Chelyabinsk region, in a peasant family. In 1930, he received a specialty in fittings at the FZU school (now SPTU No. 19 in the city of Magnitogorsk). Since 1936 in the Military - Navy. He graduated from military economic school and served in the Pacific Fleet until 1942.
Since September 1942 in the active army. For the period from October 10 to December 17, 1942, the sniper of the 1047th rifle regiment(284th Infantry Division, 62nd Army, Stalingrad Front) Junior Lieutenant V.G. Zaitsev destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers. Directly at the forefront, he taught sniper training to soldiers and commanders, and trained 28 snipers. On February 22, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In total, he killed 242 enemies (officially), including several famous snipers.
After the war he was demobilized. He worked as director of the Kyiv Machine-Building Plant. Awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and medals. The ship plying along the Dnieper bears his name.
Vasily Zaitsev became one of the most famous snipers of the Battle of Stalingrad. Just as the spirit of art lives in a real artist, so in Vasily Zaitsev lived the talent of an excellent shooter. Zaitsev and the rifle seemed to form a single whole.
The legendary Mamayev Kurgan!... Here, at a height dug up by shells and bombs, Pacific sailor Vasily Zaitsev began his combat sniper count.
Remembering those harsh days, Marshal of the Soviet Union V.I. Chuikov writes:
“A massive sniper movement developed in the battles for the city. It began in Batyuk’s division on the initiative of the remarkable sniper Vasily Zaitsev, and then spread to all parts of the army.
The glory of the fearless Vasily Zaitsev thundered on all fronts, not only because he personally exterminated over 300 Nazis, but also because he trained sniper art dozens of other soldiers, as they were called then, “hares”... Our snipers forced the Nazis to crawl on the ground and played a significant role in both the defense and offensive of our troops.”
Zaitsev's life path is typical of his contemporaries, for whom the interests of the Motherland are above all. The son of a Ural peasant, he served in the Pacific Fleet as an anti-aircraft gunner since 1937. The diligent, disciplined sailor was accepted into the Komsomol. After studying at the military economic school, he was appointed head of the financial department in the Pacific Fleet, in Preobrazhenye Bay. While working as a quartermaster, Zaitsev lovingly studied weapons, making his commander and colleagues happy excellent results at shooting.
It was the 2nd year bloody war. Foreman 1st Article Zaitsev has already submitted 5 reports with a request to be sent to the front. In the summer of 1942, the commander finally granted his request and Zaitsev left for the active army. Together with other Pacific Islanders, he was enlisted in the division of N.F. Batyuk, crossed the Volga on a dark September night and began to participate in the battles for the city.
One day, the enemies decided to burn alive the brave souls who broke into the territory of the Metiz plant. With an air strike, German pilots destroyed 12 gas storage facilities. Literally everything was burning. It seemed that there was nothing alive left on the Volga land. But as soon as the fire subsided, the sailors again rushed forward from the Volga. Fierce battles continued for five days in a row for every factory workshop, house, and floor.
Already in the first battles with the enemy, Vasily Zaitsev showed himself to be an outstanding shooter. One day the battalion commander called Zaitsev and pointed out the window. The fascist was running 800 meters away. The sailor took careful aim. A shot rang out and the German fell. A few minutes later, 2 more invaders appeared in the same place. They suffered the same fate.
In October, from the hands of the commander of his 1047th regiment, Metelev, he received a sniper rifle and a medal “For Courage”. By that time, Zaitsev had killed 32 Nazis using a simple “three-line rifle”. Soon people in the regiment, division, and army started talking about him.
During the battles for Stalingrad, the front-line press took the initiative in developing the sniper movement, which arose at the front at the initiative of the Leningraders. She talks widely about famous sniper Stalingrad Vasily Zaitsev, about other masters of accurate fire, called on all soldiers to mercilessly exterminate the fascist invaders.
Biography of V.G. Zaitseva
Vasily Zaitsev, legendary sniper, the hero of the Soviet Union about whom several films were made, was born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elenkina, Orenburg province (Chelyabinsk region), into an ordinary peasant family. WITH early childhood was taught to shoot a hunting rifle by his grandfather Andrei Alekseevich, and at the age of 12 he received a rifle as a gift.
Vasily's incomplete secondary education fit into seven classes, after which the guy entered the construction technical school in Magnitogorsk, which he graduated in 1930. In 1937, he entered service in the Pacific Fleet as a clerk in the artillery department. The Great Patriotic War found him at the post of head of the financial department in Preobrazhenie Bay.
In the summer of 1942, after several reports with a request to be sent to the front, Vasily Zaitsev ended up in the 284th Infantry Division. And in September 1942 he took part in the battle for Stalingrad.
From the very beginning, Vasily Grigorievich showed himself to be a skillful and extraordinary sniper; from a distance of 800 meters he could destroy three opponents at once from an ordinary soldier’s rifle. For courage and outstanding sniper abilities awarded a medal“For courage” and a sniper rifle. The fame of the outstanding sniper spread on all fronts.
Vasily Zaitsev combined many valuable qualities for a fighter and shooter: sensitive hearing, keen vision, endurance, composure and military cunning. Accurately choosing the best positions, he knew how to perfectly camouflage them and remain invisible to the Germans. In the battle for Stalingrad alone, he accounted for 225 killed Nazis, among whom were eleven snipers.
And the whole world knows about the victorious battle with the experienced German supersniper Heinz Thorwald, sent specifically to destroy Vasily Zaitsev. Since, in turn, Zaitsev was given the task of eliminating Torvald, which was carried out successfully.
In January 1943, the brave sniper was seriously wounded by a mine explosion during the disruption of the Nazi attack on a regiment of our troops near Stalingrad by Zaitsev’s group. He went blind and only after repeated operations with Professor Filatov was able to restore his vision. At the end of February 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Subsequently, Vasily Zaitsev led a sniper school, headed a mortar platoon and then commanded a company. I had the opportunity to take part in such high-profile battles as the Battle of the Dnieper and the liberation of Donbass. Victory found the fighter in a Kiev hospital, where he was being treated after another injury. Vasily Zaitsev became the author of two teaching aids for snipers and one proprietary technique that is still used in sniper hunting - hunting with “sixes”, when three pairs of snipers (observers and shooters) cover the same battle zone.
When the Great Patriotic War ended, Vasily Zaitsev began to live in Kyiv and work as the commandant of the city district. At the same time I entered extramural All-Union Institute textile and light industry, then headed the garment factory "Ukraine" and directed college of light industry. Zaitsev was also invited to participate in the tests sniper rifle Dragunov.
Hero of the USSR Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev died on December 15, 1991, and was buried at the Lukyanovsky cemetery (Kiev), despite his last desire to find his final refuge in the land of Volgograd. His will was fulfilled only on January 31, 2006, when the ashes of the legendary shooter were reburied on Mamayev Kurgan (Volgograd).
Two films were made about the great sniper, hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Zaitsev feature films: “Enemy at the Gates” (2001, USA – Germany – Great Britain) and “Angels of Death” (2002, Russia). Also about his biography was filmed documentary“Legendary Sniper” (2013, Russia).
