Vasily Zaytsev
Captain Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev [1] (23 March 1915 – 15 December 1991) was a Soviet sniper during World War II.
| Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Years of service | 1942 — 1943 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Great Patriotic War |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class Medal for the Defence of Stalingrad Medal For the Victory Over Germany |
He is particularly notable for his activities between 10 November and 17 December 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad. He killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 enemy snipers.[2] Before the 10th November, he had already killed 32 Axis soldiers with the standard Mosin-Nagant rifle.[2] Between October 1942 and January 1943, Zaytsev had made 242 verified kills,[3] but the real number may be much higher;[4] some argue it might have been as many as 400.[5] His military rank at the time was Junior Lieutenant.
- A film called Enemy At The Gates is based on his achievements during WWII.
References
- ↑ Russian: Васи́лий Григо́рьевич За́йцев, pronounced [vʌˈsʲilʲɪj grʲɪˈgorʲjevʲɪtɕ ˈzajtsɨf]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 (in Russian)Biography at the website on Heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia
- ↑ "About Vassili Zaitsev". Archived from the original on 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
- ↑ Top WW2 Snipers
- ↑ World War II Snipers
Books
- Zaytsev,Vasily (1956) "Notes of a Sniper:For us There is no Land Beyond the Volga" Vladivostok:Moscow/2826 Press Inc.
- Beevor, Antony (1998). Stalingrad. Penguin Books Ltd.: London. ISBN 0-14-100131-3.
- Robbins, David L. (2000). War of the Rats. Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-58135-X.
- (1989). The Reader's Digest Illustrated History of World War II. Reader's Digest Association Limited.: London. ISBN 0-89577-333-3
Other websites
- (in Russian) Vasily Zaytsev war hero biography – On the website dedicated to the Heroes of the Soviet Union/Russia
- (in Russian) Василий Зайцев "За Волгой земли для нас не было.Записки снайпера" — Vasily Zaytsev's book (Zip archive)
- WWII snipers