The work of a sniper became relevant even in the First World War. Quickly enough, it developed into a separate military activity. The creators of sniping were the Germans, who included in the light link one soldier each, armed with a rifle with a telescopic sight. In a day, a German sniper could destroy several opponents, in a month this figure grew significantly.
The article will focus on only one sniper. Josef Allerberger - one of the most successful snipers of the Wehrmacht. Only one fighter who served in the same division managed to surpass him. Two hundred fifty-seven people - the number of enemies killed, according to official figures.
Biography
Joseph Allerberger was born on December 24, 1924. Although he himself claimed that his birthday was in September. Place of birth is Styria, Austria. For a short time he was a machine gunner, after which he was transferred to the sniper division.
A family
Joseph’s family was not very different from other families of that time. Father was a carpenter. Success in this profession wanted to achieve and son. Already at the age of eighteen, Joseph was able to master all the subtleties of this case.
The Second World War
In 1942, Joseph Allenberger was drafted into the ranks of the German army. The place of service was the Alps. The reason was that he was a native of the mountainous regions (Salzburg, Austria). He managed to enter the battle only in the summer of 1943. According to Wacker's book "German Sniper on the Eastern Front 1942-1945", Joseph had to undergo a training course, which lasted about six months. All this time he trained as a machine gunner.
The Third Mountain Division became Joseph’s duty station. During bloody battles, he changed a lot. It is known from the sniper’s recollections that only he and the company commander managed to survive from the group. Now the young man looked ten years older and was no longer so naive as at home. The soldier’s only desire was to survive.
The regiment in which he had to serve Joseph did not have his own snipers. It is located near Voroshilovsk. During the winter months, the regiment was reduced to a quarter. Recruits had to restore the regular number, which was done by the command in the following months. At that time, clashes with the Soviet army decreased. Shelling and small-scale shootings only occasionally occurred.
However, Russian snipers created serious problems. Mostly their victims were untrained soldiers who had just arrived in the 144th regiment. It was difficult to pinpoint the position of the shooter . In rare cases, it was possible to destroy a sniper with a machine gun or mortar. Even then, it was clear that the regiment needed its own snipers.
Joseph Allerberger praised Soviet snipers in his memoirs. They disguised themselves perfectly and created huge problems. They fired from a distance of less than 50 meters, which meant one hundred percent accuracy. Often a German soldier had the feeling that Russian snipers would destroy the entire regiment.
Wound
Already at that time, Joseph Allerberger began to realize that, being a machine gunner, there was little chance of surviving to the end of the war. The thing is that they were most often exposed to the fire of large guns. Everything changed after a slight wound in the arm.
It was the fifth day of fighting, and a shell exploded near Joseph. After the battle, he went to an impromptu hospital. Here terrible pictures were revealed to Allergerger's gaze: there were many wounded around. Since his damage was not critical, I had to wait in line for three hours. The wound was treated without anesthesia. The soldier held the corporal, and the doctor skillfully cleaned and sutured the wound.
Training
After recovery, Joseph Allerberger was sent to simple work. At the same time, he decided in any way to try to avoid service, being considered a machine gunner. Since Joseph was a carpenter, he was instructed to restore the butts of weapons, as well as to sort it.
Once, a Russian sniper rifle fell into Allergerger’s hands. Joseph wanted to practice shooting from her, which he asked the non-commissioned officer for. Immediately the soldier showed impressive results and managed to establish himself as a good sniper.
Health recovery lasted fourteen days, after which Allerberger was supposed to return to the company. In parting, the non-commissioned officer gave him a sniper rifle with an optical sight.
Return to the front
In August 1943, Joseph returned to the company, received from the sergeant a black badge "For Injury" and award documents. Allerberger managed not to get into the machine gunners camp. Now he is a sniper. The news of his appearance quickly spread throughout the entire regiment. Co-workers warmly welcomed Joseph.
Soon, the commander approached Allerberger and gave the task to destroy the Soviet sniper. He had long been harassed by German soldiers. The first shot from a rifle without a sight turned out to be accurate. The Germans rushed into battle. After a hundred meters, Allerberg with colleagues found the body of a dead sniper. The bullet hit exactly in the eye, leaving a huge hole in the head. The shooter was about sixteen. Joseph felt sick at the sight of his victim. At that moment, as he recalled, he was overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, pride and horror. However, none of his colleagues tried to condemn him.
For about nine months, a German sniper fought with the Soviet trilinear. Josef himself noted that only senior in rank could count him killed enemies, despite the fact that he was a field sniper. Enemies killed not from sniper weapons did not count. So the official statistics of the victims can seriously differ from the real ones.
Vacation
Like many WWII snipers, Joseph, thanks to the excellent service, was able to earn a vacation. In 1944 he went to Germany, where he took training courses and learned a lot for himself. Now he has become a more calculating and professional shooter.
After that, the Mauser 98k became the new weapon of the German sniper . Often he had to use the Walther 43 rifle. Allerberger spoke positively of this weapon, noted its extreme effectiveness at different distances.
Skills
Joseph Allerberger described the basic principles of the shooter's survival quite extensively. As you know, WWII snipers were very much appreciated, therefore their preparation was very difficult and long. Allerberger believed that each shooter must be able to choose a position that can be changed in case of danger. It is not superfluous also a reserve in advance prepared place for a sniper.
The chief corporal paid great attention to camouflage. Here he used the well-known Wehrmacht technique, in which the sniper merged with the vegetation. Weapons also had to be masked. Face and hands had to be covered with dirt, but it did not hold well, so the juice of plants was used more often. Similarly, Joseph Allerberger disguised himself throughout the war. This camouflage was easy and convenient, and it was possible to use it under any circumstances.
However, he called psychological stability, as well as courage, the basis of a good shooter. Not the last place Allerberger put sniper accuracy and caution.
Joseph did not like the method of selecting snipers, which was based only on shooting skills and the ability to disguise themselves. Priority in sniper combat was aimed at the ability of a soldier to kill. On the Eastern Front, most of the time was spent in battles at medium distances of up to five hundred meters. Killing at a distance of more than eight hundred meters was already considered luck.
Shooting of snipers not only German but also Soviet was usually conducted on the enemy’s corps. It was difficult to get into the head. By shooting into the body, the sniper increased his chances of hitting. In addition, hitting the corps also put the enemy out of action and helped not to notice the shooter.
Joseph Allerberg told many examples of how to successfully use a sniper rifle against infantry, incapacitating soldiers.
Awards
Joseph Allerberger received the Knight's Cross on April 20, 1945. However, there is no official confirmation of this. Nevertheless, many soldiers received similar awards during that period.
End of war
The end of World War II found Joseph in Czechoslovakia. At this point, he had become a fairly recognizable personality, thanks to Goebbels propaganda. His photographs appeared several times in German newspapers. However, such popularity could play a bad service for him. Fearing capture, Allerberger decided to do everything to return home.
For about two weeks, Joseph, along with his colleagues, made his way through the alpine forests. I had to move at night so as not to run into patrols of the American army. On June 5, 1945, Allerberger managed to get to his native village. She had not changed at all, as he himself mentioned, as if she had slept through the whole war. Around it was quiet and calm.
Allerberger had to go to many battles. However, the sniper was not just alive, but also did not receive serious injuries.
Joseph’s future life is not unusual. He worked as a simple carpenter, like his father. Allerberger died on March 3, 2010 in the city of Salzburg (Austria). At that time, the German sniper was 85 years old.
Memory
In 2005, the book Sniper on the Eastern Front was released. The work consists of the memoirs of Joseph Allergerger. The book has collected not only positive reviews. Many critics believe that the information is distorted in it, and Joseph exaggerates his achievements.
Allerberger decided to tell his memories only fifty years after the end of the war. In long conversations with the writer, the sniper told his vision of the war. The reader is given the opportunity to see these horrors through the eyes of an ordinary German shooter.
It is worth saying that all the names in the book are replaced. This is done to protect Allergerger. After all, even in his country, he is considered not an outstanding sniper, but a brutal killer. However, all events are real, the names of other actors are also fictitious.