Photo: cottonbro studio

Who was Russia's greatest sniper?

en.wikipedia.org - Vasily Zaitsev (sniper) - Wikipedia

What is it called when you plan to do something?

arrange. verb. to make plans for something to happen, for example by agreeing a time and place.

Last updated Feb 10, 2022

What are the 3 things a woman wants in a man?

Women desire a man who is honorable, fair, and ethical. In terms of relationships, having integrity can help strengthen the bond a man has with a...

Last updated Aug 23, 2019

Promotion

Soviet sniper (1915–1991)

Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev (Russian: Васи́лий Григо́рьевич За́йцев, IPA: [vɐˈsʲilʲɪj ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ˈzajtsɨf]; 23 March 1915 – 15 December 1991) was a Soviet sniper during World War II. Between 22 September 1942 and 19 October 1942, he killed 40 enemy soldiers.[1] Between 10 October 1942 and 17 December 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad, he killed 225 enemy soldiers.[2] Zaitsev became a celebrated figure during the war and later a Hero of the Soviet Union, and he remains lauded for his skills as a sniper. His life and military career have been the subject of several books and films: his exploits, as detailed in William Craig's 1973 book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, served as the story for the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates, with Jude Law portraying Zaitsev. He is also featured in David L. Robbins's 1999 historical novel War of the Rats.

Early life [ edit ]

Zaitsev was born in Yeleninskoye, Orenburg Governorate in a peasant family of Russian ethnicity[3] and grew up in the Ural Mountains, where he learned marksmanship by hunting deer[4] and wolves with his grandfather and older brother. He brought home his first trophy at the age of 12, a wolf that he killed with a single bullet from his first personal gun (given to him by his grandfather), a single-shot 20-gauge shotgun. In 1930, Zaitsev graduated from construction college in the city of Magnitogorsk, where he received the speciality of fitter. He also studied accounting. From 1937, Zaitsev served in the Pacific Fleet, where he was clerk of the artillery department. After studying at military school, he was appointed head of the finance department of the Pacific Fleet in Transfiguration Bay.

Military career [ edit ]

Zaitsev, left, in Stalingrad, December 1942

Zaitsev was serving in the Soviet Navy as a clerk in Vladivostok when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. Like many of his comrades, he volunteered for transfer to the front line. He had attained the rank of chief petty officer in the Navy and was assigned the rank of senior warrant officer upon transfer to the army. He was assigned to the 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th "Tomsk" Rifle Division, which became part of the 62nd Army at Stalingrad on 17 September 1942.[5] Zaitsev's accuracy with a rifle led to him becoming a sniper. Zaitsev would conceal himself in various locations, for example on high ground, under rubble, or in water pipes. After a few kills, he would change his position or relocate. Together with his partner, Nikolai Kulikov, Zaitsev perfected his hide and sting tactics. One method was to cover a large area from three positions, with two men at each point – a sniper and a scout. This tactic, known as the "sixes", is still in use today by Russian forces and was implemented during the Chechen wars.[6]

Why do people bury face down?

The new study reveals an increase in the number of bodies placed face-down on the edges of Christian cemeteries between the 14th and 17th...

Last updated Oct 25, 2021

How do I Debloat and cleanse my gut?

Tips to ease bloating Stay hydrated. Sipping water before, during, and after meals can help reduce bloating by flushing excess sodium, which can...

Last updated Mar 20, 2018

Promotion

Zaitsev fought at the Battle of Stalingrad until January 1943, when a mortar attack injured his eyes. Some conflicting stories state it was a landmine, but the doctor who treated Zaitsev and eventually restored his eyesight was ophthalmologist Vladimir Filatov, founder of the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy in Odessa, and a pioneer in corneal transplantation. Had Zaitsev been injured by a landmine, an ophthalmologist would not have treated him.[citation needed] Before his injury, he had killed 225 people in the Battle of Stalingrad alone. On 22 February 1943, Zaitsev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Zaitsev recruited and trained other marksmen during his service in Stalingrad.[7] He returned to the front, and finished the war at the Battle of the Seelow Heights in Germany, with the military rank of captain. He became a member of the Communist Party in 1943.

Civilian life [ edit ]

After the war, Zaitsev settled in Kyiv, where he studied at a textile university before obtaining employment as an engineer. He fell victim to the post-war "spy frenzy" paranoia, spending 1951–1953 in a pretrial detention center. However, he rose to become the director of a textile factory in Kyiv, where he remained until his death on 15 December 1991, at the age of 76, just 11 days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

2006 commemoration [ edit ]

Why did medieval people drink so much beer?

Beer was a democratic beverage in that most people could afford it. Large noble households brewed their own beer, and the servants would drink it...

Last updated Nov 19, 2019

Why do I feel nauseous after juicing?

It can be due to many things, but normally it results from drinking the juices too quickly. To avoid nausea during cleansing, start your day with...

Last updated Jun 24, 2018

Promotion

On 31 January 2006, Vasily Zaitsev was reburied with full military honors at the Stalingrad memorial at Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd.[1]

In popular culture [ edit ]

Film [ edit ]

A feature-length film, Enemy at the Gates (2001), starring Jude Law as Zaitsev, was based on part of William Craig's book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad (1973), which includes a "snipers' duel" between Zaitsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König. Zaitsev indicates in his own memoirs that a three-day duel did indeed occur and that the sniper he killed was the head of a sniper school near Berlin; however, historian Sir Antony Beevor states that the Russian Ministry of Defence archives contradict this and that the duel had been created as Soviet propaganda.[8]

Literature [ edit ]

David L. Robbins's historical novel War of the Rats (1991) includes a sniper duel in Stalingrad, but between Zaitsev and a German adversary named Colonel Heinz Thorvald, identified in the author's introduction as an actual combatant.[9] Ramón Rosanas wrote a comic about the conflict between Zaitsev and König.[10]

Who was Russia's greatest sniper?

What is it called when you plan to do something?

What are the 3 things a woman wants in a man?

Soviet sniper (1915–1991)

Early life [ edit ]

Military career [ edit ]

Zaitsev, left, in Stalingrad, December 1942

Why do people bury face down?

How do I Debloat and cleanse my gut?

Civilian life [ edit ]

2006 commemoration [ edit ]

Why did medieval people drink so much beer?

Why do I feel nauseous after juicing?

In popular culture [ edit ]

Film [ edit ]

Literature [ edit ]

Awards and honors [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ]

How do I Debloat and cleanse my gut?

Is a 3 day cleanse worth it?

Can any country be self-sufficient?

What kind of life do minimalists try to live?