Vasily Zaitsev - Hero of the Soviet Union,known sniper of the Second World War. His name is called the street, most people of the post-Soviet space know about him. History has remembered Vasily as one of the most effective shooters.
Vasyl Zaitsev: biography
Was born on March 23, 1915 in the villageYeleninka, 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 was already graduating from a construction technical school, where he studied for a fixture.
Since childhood, the grandfather Vasily - Andrey, often tookhim and his brother with him on the hunt. Already at the age of 12 a future sniper had a gun. Grandfather taught his grandchildren the subtleties of hunting, shadowing, patience and a small flicker. Perhaps, these lessons predetermined the future of Basil.
In 1937, Vasily Zaitsev is serving as a clerkin the Pacific Fleet. Then he studies accounting and continues to serve as the head of the financial department. With the outbreak of the war, he asked the command to send him to the front. After 5 reports get good. 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 earth beyond the Volga for us." We stood and will stand to death! "
Sniper of the 62nd Army
Before the front, Vasily went through a little training.From the first days he showed himself as an extremely accurate shooter, killing from an ordinary rifle 3 Nazis from a distance of almost a kilometer. The command transferred him to a group of snipers. There he received a Mosin sniper rifle - weapons of mass production, quite simple. From it Zaitsev managed to destroy 32 invaders. After that, the sniper-novice acquires fame among the whole group of troops.
Hunting for a hunter
Почти за один месяц Василий убивает 225 фашистов.Rumors about him are creeping all over the country and even all over the world. In the partially occupied and almost completely destroyed Stalingrad, Zaitsev's name is of particular importance. He becomes a real hero, one of the symbols of resistance. Leaflets with new achievements of the shooter are regularly distributed among the population and personnel of the Red Army.
Before the Nazi leadership rumors aboutVasiliy Zaitsev. They understand its importance in the propaganda plan, therefore 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, perhaps, Koenig - callsign). He trained snipers in a special school and was a real professional. Immediately upon arrival, he injures one Red Army gunner and gets into another's weapon. Conventional sniper rifles approach 3-4 times, as working with a large increase is already difficult for the shooter. The increase on the rifle of the Nazi major was tenfold! This shows the professionalism and virtuosity of Koenig.
Fight with the Major
Upon learning of the arrival of a super-sniper in the city, the Sovietthe leadership gives an order to destroy him personally Zaitsev, later this fight will be considered legendary. It reflected not only the battles of two snipers, but also the battle of two peoples, two ideologies.
After a long time tracking, Basil discoveredposition Koenig. A long wait was justified: the ray of the sun for a moment was reflected from the optics of the German. This was enough for Vasily, a second later the Nazi fell dead. Soviet propaganda joyfully informed the people: Vasily Zaitsev defeated. The hero of the Soviet Union will later describe this duel in detail.
After the war, he remained in Kiev. He worked as a manager at a garment factory.
Vasily Zaitsev: the film
Фигура советского снайпера была широко отражена в culture: many documentaries have been shot and a considerable number of works written. The most famous film about Vasily Zaitsev - "The Enemy at the Gates" of American production. In the role of Zaitsev - Jude Law.
Основная сюжетная линия крутится вокруг поединка Vasily Zaitsev with König. Also in parallel is the love line with a girl-sniper and a friend of Vasily. Filmed in 2001, the film boasts great visual effects. The scene of forcing the Volga and the landing of Soviet troops in Stalingrad turned out to be extremely colorful and catchy. It demonstrates the heavy losses of the Soviet troops: everywhere there is blood, the dead lie next to the living, pain, screams, panic. The scenery of Stalingrad itself also turned out quite good: ruin, concrete desert - it all looks very atmospheric. A large crowd allows us to estimate the scale of the battles.
But the film was shot by the Americans, so withoutPropaganda was not worth it. The Soviet leadership is shown entirely by cowards, bloodthirsty murderers, and tyrants. The scene, when only arrived recruits go to a frontal attack on a tank with one rifle for two, and then the commanders shoot their own backs, makes you wonder. 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 even close there. Just a colorful figure of Nikita Sergeevich is very familiar to American inhabitants.
“The Enemy at the Gates” is a technically good cinema, but spoiled by propaganda. However, if we discard the obvious American component, we can look at it with pleasure.
