Vasily Zaitsev - Hero of the Soviet Union, a famous sniper during the Second World War. Streets are called by his name, most people of the post-Soviet space know about him. History remembered Vasily as one of the most successful shooters.
Vasily Zaitsev: biography
Vasily was born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Eleninka, Orenburg Region (now Chelyabinsk) in an ordinary peasant family. He studied at a rural school, where he graduated from 7 classes. At the age of 15, he already graduated from the construction technical school, where he studied for a fittings engineer.
Since childhood, Vasily’s grandfather, Andrei, often took him and his brother to hunt with him. Already at the age of 12, the future sniper had a gun. Grandfather taught grandchildren the intricacies of hunting, surveillance, patience, and shooting instinct. Perhaps these lessons predetermined the future of Vasily.
In 1937, Vasily Zaitsev served as a clerk in the Pacific Fleet. Then he is trained in accounting and continues to serve as the head of the financial department. With the outbreak of war, he asks the command to send him to the front. After 5 reports he receives the go-ahead. And the 27-year-old Vasily is sent to the zone of the most fierce and bloody battles - to Stalingrad. Later in the city on the Volga, where the Nazi invasion was stopped, he will say his famous phrase: "There is no land beyond the Volga for us. We stood and will stand to the death!"
62nd Army sniper
Before the front, Vasily underwent a little training. From the first days he proved himself to be an extremely sharp shooter, killing 3 Nazis from an ordinary rifle from a distance of almost a kilometer. The command transferred him to a group of snipers. There he received a Mosin sniper rifle - a mass-produced weapon, rather simple. From it Zaitsev managed to destroy 32 invaders. After this, a novice sniper gains fame among the entire group of troops.
Hunter hunt
In almost one month, Vasily kills 225 fascists. Rumors about him creep across the country and even around the world. In the partially occupied and almost completely destroyed Stalingrad, the name of Zaitsev is of particular importance. He becomes a real hero, one of the symbols of resistance. Leaflets with new shooter achievements are regularly distributed among the population and personnel of the Red Army.
Rumors about Vasily Zaitsev reach the Nazi leadership. They understand its importance in terms of propaganda, so they send their best sniper ace with the task of killing the Soviet shooter. This ace was Major Koenig (according to other sources - Heinz Torvald, possibly Koenig is the call sign). He trained snipers in a special school and was a real professional. Immediately upon arrival, he injures one Red Army shooter and falls into the arms of another. Conventional sniper rifles are approximated 3-4 times, since working with high magnification is already difficult for the shooter. The increase on the rifle of the Nazi major was tenfold! This speaks of the professionalism and virtuosity of Koenig.
Major fight
Upon learning of the arrival of the super sniper in the city, the Soviet leadership gives the order to destroy him personally Zaitsev, later this fight will be considered legendary. It reflected not only the battle of two snipers, but also the battle of two peoples, two ideologies.
After a long hunt, Vasily discovered Koenig's position. A long wait was justified: the ray of the sun reflected for a moment from the German optics. This was enough for Basil, after a second the Nazi fell dead. Soviet propaganda joyfully informed the people: Vasily Zaitsev won. The hero of the Soviet Union will later describe this duel in detail .
After the war, he stayed to live in Kiev. He worked as a manager in a garment factory.
He died in 1991. After 15 years, he was reburied with honors in Stalingrad, as he bequeathed.
Vasily Zaitsev: film
The figure of the Soviet sniper was widely reflected in the culture: many documentaries were shot and a considerable number of works were written. The most famous feature film about Vasily Zaitsev is "Enemy at the Gates" of American production. In the role of Zaitsev is Jude Law.
The main storyline revolves around the fight between Vasily Zaitsev and Koenig. Also in parallel is a love line with a sniper girl and a friend of Vasily. Filmed in 2001, the film boasts magnificent visual effects. The scene of forcing the Volga and the landing of Soviet troops in Stalingrad turned out to be extremely colorful and catchy. She demonstrates the heavy losses of the Soviet troops: everywhere the blood, the dead lie next to the living, pain, screams, panic. The scenery of Stalingrad itself turned out to be good too: devastation, concrete desert - all this looks very atmospheric. A large crowd allows you to assess the scale of the battles.
But the film was shot by the Americans, so it could not do without propaganda. The Soviet leadership is shown entirely by cowards, bloodthirsty killers, tyrants. The scene when only new recruits leave for a frontal attack on a tank with one rifle for two, and then even the commanders shoot their own in the back, makes you think. There are also a number of inconsistencies. For example, the commander of Zaitsev and the entire Stalingrad Front was Khrushchev, who in reality was not close there. Just a colorful figure of Nikita Sergeevich is very familiar to American inhabitants.
Enemy at the Gates is a good movie from a purely technical point of view, but spoiled by propaganda. However, if we discard the obvious American component, then we can watch with pleasure.