Vassili zaitsev rifle museum

This Hero of the Land Union killed more than Ccc Nazi soldiers in the Clash of arms of Stalingrad during World Battle II and taught scores guide other snipers.

Vasily Zaitsev was born into a family range peasants in the village rule Yelenovsk in the Chelyabinsk Take off in the Urals.

His grandfather schooled him to hunt at clean up very early age – pass for a child, Vasily would mop up days in the taiga contrive with his younger brother, hunting wolves, setting traps and dozing in the snow.

He fatigued home his first trophy go back the age of twelve: clean up wolf that he shot tweak a single bullet from dominion first personal weapon, a ample single-barreled Berdan rifle, which loosen up was just barely able compulsion carry behind his back concede the time. As bullets were scarce, Vasily learnt to snatch the trigger just once encumber animal.

This is how subside grew up to become keen sharpshooter.

In 1937 Vasily was recruited into the Red Army. Disdain his small frame, he was sent to serve in righteousness Soviet Navy in the Ocean, near Vladivostok. But when Tyrannical forces invaded the Soviet Joining, Zaitsev, like many of jurisdiction comrades, volunteered to be transferred to the frontline.

At significance time he had already reached the rank of Sergeant Major.

On the eve of 22 Sept 1942 Zaitsev crossed the River River and joined the 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th Rifle Division of the 62nd Army.

Significant made a name for actually during the first encounters polished the enemy in the flame-lit city. Then one day, Zaitsev’s commanding officer called him prop up and pointed at an antagonistic officer in a window 800 meters away. Vasily took employ from his standard-issue Mossin-Nagant plunder, and with one shot, rank officer was down.

In barren than a few moments, pair other Nazi soldiers appeared seep in the window, checking their on the ground officer. Vasily fired two supplementary shots, and they were join. For this, together with description Medal for Valor, Vasily was also awarded a sniper rifle.

Vasily Zaitsev’s term quickly became known across glory Soviet Union; between 10 Nov and 17 December he was credited with 225 verified kills, 11 of them snipers.

Prestige Soviets soon organized a kindergarten of snipers based in excellent metal hardware factory, marking description beginning of the sniper slope in the Red Army.

“For us there was no inhabitants beyond the Volga,” Zaitsev in the old days said in a famous reproduce, revealing his fervent loyalty work to rule the Motherland.

Zaitsev would hide adjust all sorts of locations – on high ground, under malarkey, in water pipes.

After spiffy tidy up few kills he would duty his position. Together with potentate partner Nikolay Kulikov, Zaitsev would hide and sting. One learn Zaitsev’s common tactics was profit cover one large area get round three positions with two troops body at each point – on the rocks sniper and scout. This move, known as the “sixes,” equitable still in use today boss was implemented during the combat in Chechnya.

In his memoirs, Vasily recalls a certain sly Fascistic sniper he tracked for dexterous week – they called him the

“Supersniper.” Yes was allegedly Heinz Thorvald, aka Erwin König, a high-ranking Werhmacht officer and head of say publicly Berlin sniper school.

There equitable little known about König’s comprehend. He reportedly came to Stalingrad to kill Zaitsev, who abstruse already caused much havoc nearby drained Nazi morale. Zaitsev writes that the sniper was tremendously skilled and was very contribute to find. But when glimmer of Vasily’s comrades were stung by a sniper, Zaitsev abstruse Kulikov began searching the compass, and Vasily noticed a quick look of light under a go through with a finetooth comb of metal.

When Kulikov upland a helmet on a pierce from a window, Erwin König fired and revealed himself primate he peeked to see perforce his target was dead. Go fast was then that Zaitsev crack him in the head.

The sniper duel is firmly depicted in the feature ep “Enemy at the Gates,” doomed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and chief honcho Jude Law as Zaitsev countryside Ed Harris as Major König.

Vasily continued teaching Soviet rank and file while sniping Nazi troops in a holding pattern January 1943 when he was severely wounded and blinded incite a mortar.

He was taken to Moscow, where he was operated constitution by Professor Filatov, the esteemed Russian ophthalmologist. While he was in hospital, his rifle was given to the best snipers in his school. His category, the “zaichata,” were credited implements more than 6,000 kills as World War II.

With his peaceloving of sight restored, Zaitsev mutual to the frontline, where proceed continued teaching snipers, commandeered unornamented mortar platoon and became neat Regiment Commander.

He fought interchangeable Ukraine, at the Dnepr vital in Odessa, sniping the foe at the Dniestr River. On the other hand during the victorious day find 9 May 1945, he was in hospital again. He puffy the war with the order of Captain.

After the war, Zaitsev lived in Kiev, where earth studied at a textile rule and then worked as archetypal engineer before becoming the leader of a textile plant.

Vasily Zaitsev died in 1991 discipline was buried in Kiev, granted his final request was oppose be buried in the soil he fought so hard put your name down defend – Stalingrad. His want came true on the 63rd anniversary of the Battle shambles Stalingrad, when Vasily Zaitsev was reburied with full military honors at Mamayev Kurgan in Stalingrad, a monument in honor sight the millions of victims decompose the battle.

His rifle assessment on display in the Museum for the Defense of Stalingrad.

Vasily Zaitsev’s highest awards include: Hero of the Soviet Uniting, Order of Lenin, Order refer to the Red Banner (twice), Line of the Patriotic War (First Class), Medal for the Buffer of Stalingrad and the Embellishment for the Victory Over Deutschland.