Our scouts brought a German spy that night. After long interrogations he
told that the German command was really concerned with the actions of the
Soviet snipers. A top specialist had been sent from Berlin with the only
aim - to destroy Russian sharpshooters. The spy told that the Berliner
had already killed two snipers, with all things going on, one round – one
body. It was a real challenge to our riflemen. However we had our own outstanding
snipers. Vasily Zaitsev, one of them, managed to kill 42 German soldiers
and officers in 10 days. Thus the duel, that became history, began.
It is worth saying that, the battle of Stalingrad became a triumph of
snipers. Best Wermacht shooters met top Soviet “hunters”.
Zaitsev was born in Siberia. He would go to taiga with his father to
hunt squirrels with a self-made bow. When Vasily was 12 his father gave
him an old hunting gun. Vasily started training. He would use as much rounds,
as he needed. Who knows, maybe such “thrift” became the rot of his indisputable
skill.
Only few of great shooters usually manage to become snipers, since it
is not for shooting targets at a shooting-range. Sniper must be ready to
endure long duels with death embodied by the enemy. Sniper’s skill demands
courage, overwhelming patience, great power of observation, calmness, perseverance,
and finally quick wits at the same time. Sniper must deal small tactic
problems fast.
Zaitsev would camouflage his position well each time. Germans could
not find him; he was invisible to Soviets too. He would turn into a stone,
covered with moss, or become a sheaf of wheat. He could pretend to be a
sturdy stump, or a chimney of the burnt down house.
By the beginning of the war, 26-year-old Zaitsev, was considered to
be a real sniper virtuoso, though, strangely enough he joined the fleet
and served on the man-of-war. Only in September 1942, the Soviet command
recalled his unbelievable skills. On the 21 of October Vasily became a
sniper in Stalingrad.
First of all he decided to adjust his new rifle. In order not to waste
the rounds, Vasily checked his weapon in a fight. A German soldier was
walking along the lakeside. “There were lots of them on that side”, - remembered
Zaitsev.
Early in the morning Vasily had another German sniper shadowed. Zaitsev
took his position, and no one in the world could notice him.
Where is the Berliner? Vasily could easily tell the rookie German snipers
from professionals, a coward from the really obstinate and bold enemy.
However his new rival was a mystery to Vasily. It was really hard to find
the place where the Berliner hided himself. They were equal to some extend.
Both were trying hard to target each other, though it was almost impossible.
However it happened so that the German sniper wounded one of Vasily’s friends,
and a bullet broke another friend’s sight. Both of them were considered
good shooters. Thus it became clear that the German super-sniper was tracked
down.
The duel lasted for several days; it was thoroughly controlled by both
sides. Commanders decided to cease artillery fire and stop bombings for
a while. Unlike the enemy that worked on his own, Zaitsev had a partner
– Nikolai Kulikov. Together they examined every detail of the landscape,
remembering all the streets, ruined buildings, blown up cars - thousands
of places where the enemy could hide himself.
On the first day of the duel, the Berliner tried to fool Vasily with
a rookie-trick. He raised his helmet put on a spade from his trench, but
Vasily was hard to cheat. First day passed in adjustment…
It was followed by the second day of calm. The Berliner took a good
position, and was waiting for the moment to come. However Zaitsev and his
friend had nerves of steel. The third day brought an unwilling surprise.
A military commissar came to Vasily’s position to find out why the German
sniper was still alive. He started giving useless instructions, and then
lied down in the nearby trench. The Hitlerite noticed that, and used another
trap. When the commissar noticed it and showed himself from the trench,
the Berliner made a shot and wounded him. Acting this way the sniper wanted
to lure Vasily from his trench, but Zaitsev stayed calm. The commissar
was crying like mad. The partners understood that the whole operation was
endangered by the fool.
Checking every inch of the territory through his binoculars, Zaitsev
noticed a piece of steel plate leaning against the wall. It was an ideal
“hole” for a sniper. It was time for Zaitsev to test the super-sniper.
Vasily put his glove on a spade, and leaned it out from the trench. The
German snapped at the bait and made a shot. However he appeared to be still
out of reach. For several hours Zaitsev was vainly trying to find another
position, the sun blinded him. He had to wait again.
The denouement came on the fourth day. Kulikov, Vasily’s partner, made
a shot from his position to draw the attention of the enemy sniper, but
he ignored this move. After several hours Kulikov raised his helmet above
the trench. The enemy “surrendered”, he fired at the fake target. Kulikov
made a long scream full of pain in response. The skillful imitation brought
the fruit immediately. The happy German believed that Vasily was stroke
down by the bullet, and stood up. The second after he fell dead on the
ground.
That is how Vasily used to tell about the duel:
“This fight lasted for three days, but it ended in one second. The fascist
started the duel already aware of what I could do. Besides he had shot
two snipers the day before. However I managed to slay him with the help
of my fellow-snipers. I knew that he was a very skillful and important
figure. When we dragged him out of the trench, and examined his documents,
we understood that he had been the head of the Berlin sniper “school”.
Altogether I destroyed 242 fascists in the battle of Stalingrad. Many enemy
soldiers and officers died by my apprentices’ bullets. I managed to train
30 snipers who then destroyed 1126 fascists”. (the voice of Vasily Zaitsev
in RA)
On the Victory Day Zaitsev fired his first round in the air. He directed
his barrel at the empty skies and fired his salute in honor of the Great
Victory near prostrated Reichstag.
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