Vasily Zaitsev is a legendary sniper, a hero of the Soviet Union. Sniper Vasily Zaitsev: what was the hero of Stalingrad

The Great Patriotic War was a time when soviet people showed what the official press called "mass heroism." He really was massive - everyone, young and old, did not spare himself in the battle with the Nazis.

But there were people who did absolutely incredible things. Not only the whole country, but the whole world learned about their exploits. One of these legends of war was a sniper. Vasily Zaitsev.

He was born in March 1915 in the village of Eleninka of the Polotsk village of the Verkhneuralsk district of the Orenburg province, into a peasant family. His grandfather Andrey Alekseevich Zaitsev, was a hereditary hunter-fishery and from childhood introduced his grandchildren to this occupation, especially highlighting the eldest, Vasya.

Basil in childhood grew slowly, which is why the parents even had a fear that he would remain "small-sized." However, this did not bother his grandfather - he handed over to the grandson all the secrets of the taiga hunter's skill. Although it is unlikely that little Vasya knew where and when this science would be useful to him.

Vasily Zaitsev graduated from a seven-year school, then a building technical school with a degree in “fitters”, then accounting courses.

In 1937, Zaitsev was drafted into the army. Despite the low growth, the commission appreciated its good overall physical development and sent it to the Pacific Fleet.

Zaitsev began as a clerk of the artillery department, and by the beginning of the war, thanks to education, he became head of the financial unit.

Here, far from Western front, one could sit out the war in relative calm. Only such a perspective did not suit Vasily Zaitsev. By the summer of 1942, the foreman of the 1st article literally withdrew the command of reports with a request to send him to the front.

Vasily Zaitsev in Stalingrad, October 1942. Photo: Public Domain

Fire baptism

And finally, he was enrolled in the second battalion of the 1047th regiment of the 284th rifle division. The unit, formed from the Pacific Fleet sailors transferred to the infantry, was transferred to Stalingrad.

On the night of September 22, 1942, the 284th rifle division safely crossed the Volga, entering Stalingrad, where heavy fighting was boiling.

The division immediately entered the battle. And here there was an episode that Vasily Zaitsev later described in his memoirs and which, in a very free interpretation, was included in the film "Stalingrad" Fedor Bondarchuk.

Zaitsev's battalion conducted an attack on the position of the Germans on the territory of the Stalingrad gas depot. Opponent trying to stop the onslaught soviet troops, artillery fire and air strikes set fire to fuel tanks. Here is how Zaitsev himself described what was happening in his book:

“Flames soared above the base, gas tanks began to burst, and the earth caught fire. Giant flames fluttered over the chains of attacking sailors with a deafening roar. Everything is engulfed in fire. Another minute - and we will turn into coals, into firebrands ...

Forward! Forward!

The soldiers and sailors, engulfed in fire, tore off burning clothes from themselves, but did not drop their weapons. Attack of naked burning people ... What the Nazis thought about us at this moment - I do not know. Perhaps they took us for devils or for saints, whom fire does not take, and therefore fled without looking back. We knocked them out of the village adjacent to the gas depot, and stopped on the extreme western street, lay among the small individual houses that this street consisted of. Here someone threw me a raincoat, and I somehow covered myself ... From the hot air the soldiers chapped their lips, their mouths went dry, their scorched hair stuck together - the teeth of the comb bent. But the commander of the battalion, Captain Kotov, was glad: the order had been executed! The gas tanks were recaptured, they took possession of the unfinished red building, they captured the office of the hardware plant, battles are taking place in workshops and breaks in the asphalt and hardware plants!

So the battalion Zaitsev managed to drive the Germans out of their positions and gain a foothold in the city. So the "burned down division" shown in "Stalingrad", in fact, did not die, but continued to beat the Nazis successfully.

It should be noted that Vasily Zaitsev and Fyodor Bondarchuk are connected by another moment - in 1989 in the film of the director Yuri Ozerov "Stalingrad" Bondarchuk played the role of a sniper Ivan, the prototype of which was Vasily Zaitsev.

Death from the stove

The battle of Stalingrad differs from others in that it grew into a months-long street battle, where the methods of a conventional war were ineffective. As a result, small assault groups and snipers became the main striking force in these battles.

Soviet and german snipers staged a real hunt for enemy soldiers and officers. In the city it became dangerous not only to walk, but even just to lean out of shelters.

Here, Vasily Zaitsev was greatly helped by the skills of a taiga hunter. He possessed excellent eyesight and hearing, iron endurance, composure, endurance and military cunning.

For a sniper, the ability to disguise himself and not reveal himself ahead of time is extremely important. Vasily Zaitsev possessed these abilities like no other.

Once Vasily hid in a dilapidated furnace, from which the entrances to fascist dugouts were clearly visible, as well as the basement, which served as the kitchen for the Nazis. In one evening, Zaitsev eliminated 10 enemy soldiers.

Only during the period from November 10 to December 17, 1942, Vasily Zaitsev destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers, including 11 enemy snipers. In total, the sniper groups of the 62nd Army that fought in Stalingrad during this period eliminated 6,000 enemy soldiers and officers.

Duel of two aces

The fame of Zaitsev’s exploits penetrated on the other side of the front line. The German command to eliminate the Soviet sniper summoned from Berlin its specialist - the head of the school of snipers, whom Zaitsev calls in his memoirs " major Koenig».

According to some historians, the opponent of Zaitsev was the head of the sniper school in Zossen, the SS Standartenfuhrer Heinz Torvald.

Koenig-Torvald managed to eliminate several Soviet snipers, after which Zaitsev began an oncoming hunt for him.

On the decisive day, Zaitsev acted in tandem with another sniper - Nikolai Kulikov. Here is what the Soviet ace himself writes about the climax of the duel: “We worked at night. Settled before dawn. The Nazis fired at the ferries across the Volga. It dawned quickly, and with the advent of the day the battle developed with renewed vigor. But neither the rumble of guns, nor the explosions of shells and bombs - nothing could distract us from the task. The sun has risen. Kulikov made a “blind” shot: the sniper should have been interested. We decided to wait the first half of the day, as the brilliance of optics could betray us. After lunch, our rifles were in the shade, and the direct rays of the sun fell on the position of the fascist. Something glistened at the edge of the sheet: a random piece of glass or an optical sight? Kulikov cautiously, as only the most experienced sniper can do this, began to raise his helmet. The fascist fired. The Hitler man thought that he had finally killed the Soviet sniper, whom he had hunted for four days, and stuck out half of his head from under the sheet. I was counting on this. Hit it right. The fascist’s head sank, and the optical sight of his rifle, without moving, shone in the sun until the evening ... "

The documents and the German rifle were delivered to the division commander. It turned out that the enemy Zaitsev was armed with optics with a 10-fold increase, while the Soviet sniper had an increase of only 4 times. However, this did not help the German.

Victory in a hospital bed

For four months in Stalingrad, a group of snipers, commanded by Vasily Zaitsev, destroyed 1,126 Nazis.

The battle ended for the sniper in January 1943, when he was seriously injured and lost his sight. The hero was taken to Moscow, where Professor Filatov himself operated on him, returning the sniper the opportunity to see.

After treatment at the hospital, Zaitsev headed the school of snipers, then commanded a platoon, and subsequently a company. But that was a bit later.

And on February 22, 1943, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for the courage and military valor shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was awarded the title Hero Soviet Union.

Vasily Zaitsev during the war years wrote two textbooks on sniper business. In addition, he came up with the “sixes” sniper hunting technique - when three pairs of snipers (arrows and observers) block the same battle zone with fire. This technique was widely used during the Chechen campaigns.

Victor May 1945, Captain Vasily Zaitsev met in Kiev, in the hospital, where he was treated after another wound.

Hero of the Soviet Union, participant in the Battle of Stalingrad Vasily Zaitsev, 1979. Photo: RIA Novosti / Igor Kostin

Last will

There, in Kiev, there was a peaceful post-war life of Vasily Zaitsev after demobilization.

He graduated from the institute, was the director of a garment factory, factory, headed a technical school. When the new SVD sniper rifle was adopted by the Soviet Army, among those who were connected to the tests was Vasily Zaitsev.

The Zaitsev rifle is now stored in the Volgograd Museum of Defense of the city, as one of the main rarities. In 1980, the city authorities awarded Vasily Zaitsev the title of Honorary Citizen.

The last years of the life of the hero of Stalingrad can hardly be called happy - the exploits of the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War were ridiculed, in Bandera, Ukraine, aspiring to independence, their heads were raised and their young like-minded people.

Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev died on December 15, 1991, just a few days before the country he fought for disappeared. His last wish was to be buried next to his comrades in the Mamaev Kurgan in Stalingrad.

However, in the conditions of the collapse of everything, the hero’s last will was never heard.

Vasily Zaitsev was again remembered in Russia in 2001, when a dedicated man was released in Hollywood. Battle of stalingrad the film "Enemy at the Gates." His main storyline was the fight between Zaitsev and Major Koenig. The blockbuster, in which actor Jude Law got the role of Zaitsev, looked like an open cranberry, but nevertheless allowed Russia to return the memory of the hero of Stalingrad from oblivion.

January 31, 2006 the last request of Vasily Zaitsev was granted - his remains with military honors were solemnly reburied on Mamaev Kurgan.

The grave of Vasily Zaitsev on the Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd. Photo: wikipedia.org / Konstantin Dorokhin

On December 15, 1991, Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev, the legendary sniper of the Great Patriotic War, passed away. During the Battle of Stalingrad, in a month and a half, he destroyed more than two hundred German soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers.

The war found Vasily Zaitsev in the service in the Pacific Fleet as head of the financial unit to which he was appointed due to his education. But Vasily, who received his first hunting rifle at the age of 12 as a gift from his grandfather, did not even think to sit out in bookkeeping. He wrote five reports with a request to send him to the front. Finally, the commander heeded the requests, and Zaitsev went to the army to defend his homeland. The future sniper was enrolled in the 284th Infantry Division.

Deserved a "sniper"

After a short military training Vasily, along with other Pacific Oceanians crossed the Volga and took part in the battles for Stalingrad. From the very first meetings with the enemy, Zaitsev proved himself to be an outstanding shooter. With the help of a simple "three-ruler" he skillfully killed an enemy soldier. In the war, his grandfather's wise hunting advice came in handy. Later, Vasily will say that one of the main qualities of a sniper is the ability to disguise himself and be invisible. This quality is necessary for any good hunter.

Just a month later, Vasily Zaitsev received the “For Courage” medal for the shown zeal, and in addition to it ... a sniper rifle! By this time, a well-aimed hunter had already disabled 32 enemy soldiers.

Sniper savvy

A good sniper is a live sniper. The feat of the sniper lies in the fact that he does his job again and again. To succeed in this difficult task, you must perform a feat every day and every minute: to beat the enemy and stay alive!

Vasily Zaitsev firmly knew that the pattern is the path to death. Therefore, he constantly came up with new hunting models. Hunting for another hunter is especially dangerous, but even here our soldier was always on top. Vasily, as if in a chess game, outplayed his opponents. For example, he made a realistic sniper doll, and himself disguised himself nearby. As soon as the enemy found himself shot, Vasily began to patiently wait for his appearance from the shelter. And time did not matter to him.

From savvy to science

Zaitsev commanded a sniper group and, taking care of the growth of them and his professional skills, accumulated considerable didactic material, which later allowed him to write two textbooks for snipers. Once, two shooters, returning from a firing position, met their commander. Punctual Germans left for lunch, which means that you can take a break yourself - you still can’t catch anyone in the crosshairs of the sight. But Zaitsev noticed that now is the time for shooting. It turns out that even when there was no one to shoot, the clever hunter calmly calculated the distances to the places of the possible appearance of the enemy and put them in a notebook, so that, in case, without losing a second, hit the target. After all, another chance may not be presented.

Duel with the German "super sniper"

The Soviet gunner was very annoying to the German “car”, so the German command sent from Berlin to the Stalingrad Front their best gunner: the head of the sniper school. The German ace was tasked with destroying the "Russian hare." In turn, Vasily received an order to destroy the German "super sniper." Between them began the game of "cat and mouse." According to the actions of the German, Vasily realized that he was dealing with a seasoned professional. But as a result of several days of mutual hunting, Vasily Zaitsev outwitted the enemy and emerged victorious.

This duel has glorified our sniper worldwide. This plot was reflected in modern cinema: in the 1992 Russian film “Angels of Death” and in the western “Enemy at the Gates” (2001).

Attack Disruption

Unfortunately, there was no time to triumph over victory in a principled duel. The division commander Nikolai Batyuk congratulated Vasily and entrusted his group of snipers with a new important task. It was necessary to disrupt the impending German offensive on one of the sections of the Stalingrad front. “How many fighters are at your disposal,” the commander asked. - "13". “Well, I hope you can handle it.”

Performing the task, Zaitsev’s group applied a new tactic of warfare at that time: group hunting. Thirteen sniper rifles took aim at the most attractive points in the enemy’s position. The calculation is this: Hitler’s officers will leave for the last inspection of the offensive zone - fire!

The calculation is fully justified. The offensive was disrupted. True, an experienced fighter Vasily Zaitsev, in the heat of battle, launched an open attack on the infantry, not expecting German artillery to fire a volley at his own or alien ...

Return to the front

When Vasily came to, he was clouded by darkness. As a result of a serious wound, his eyes were seriously injured. In his memoirs, he admits that when his hearing became aggravated, he thought about picking up a rifle ... Fortunately, after several operations his vision returned and on February 10, 1943, sniper Zaitsev saw the light again.

For the demonstrated military skill and valor, the commander of the sniper group was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. However, as at the beginning combat way Basil did not think to stay away from the main events and soon returned to the front. Victory in World War II he triumphed in the rank of captain.

(UPDATED.)

Today, January 31, 2006 - on the eve of the 63rd anniversary (which will be February 2nd) victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, 15 years after death, the ashes of the legendary Stalingrad sniper Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitseva was solemnly transferred from the Lukyanovsky war memorial cemetery of the city of Kiev and with corresponding military honors was reburied in Volgograd on Mamaev Kurgan at the foot of the main monument “Mother Mother Calls! ", On the third round of the serpentine hill next to the graves of the chairman of the Stalingrad city defense committee Alexei Semenovich Chuyanova (1905-1977), lieutenant colonel, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, bomber pilot Vasily Sergeyevich Efremova (1915-1990) [the graves of Colonel General Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Stepanovich are also nearby Shumilova (1895-1975) and Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikova (1900-1982).] A February 2nd on the grave of Vasily Zaitsev, a tombstone and a stone slab will be installed. By the same time, the book of V. G. Zaitsev “There was no land for us over the Volga,” will be republished by the forces of the city youth organization “New People”. Notes of a sniper ”(the very first edition was published in 1956) (Internet links to the book are given in this note).
It was V. G. Zaitsev who owned the words that became the nerve, the heart of the whole battle of Stalingrad: “ There is no land beyond the Volga for us! "(" For us, the soldiers and commanders of the 62nd Army, there is no land beyond the Volga! We stood and will stand to the death! ”). These words are immortalized at the end of the left wall of the Mamaev Kurgan memorial:

In the photo: The words of Vasily Zaitsev immortalized on the Mamaev Kurgan.
Source: http://www.1tv.ru/owa/win/ort6_main.main?p_news_title_id\u003d85639 (video frame).

The same words were also stamped on the grave of Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev in Kiev, repeating the title of his book - “There was no land beyond the Volga for us”:

In the photo: The grave of V. G. Zaitsev at the Lukyanovsky war memorial cemetery in Kiev
(even before its destruction after the exhumation of the remains of V. G. Zaitsev in 2005?).
At the grave - Zinaida Sergeevna, widow of V. G. Zaitsev.
Source:.

Vasily Zaitsev became an initiator, a pioneer of the sniper movement (its active and effective use at the front). The battle of Stalingrad is precisely characterized by the intensity and intensity of the use of snipers.
Zaitsev created his own sniper school, taught soldiers and officers sniper skills right on the front lines (including taking them for two or three days in ambush) and wrote two textbooks there, and after being wounded, he was treated and went to Moscow to share his experience sniper with the High Command - at and at the Institute for the Study of the Great Patriotic War Experience to Professor Isaak Izrailevich Mintsu (- gg.). Twenty-eight graduates of Zaitsev’s sniper school were jokingly called “rabbits” (in foreign countries they say “zaichata” with an explanation of “leverets” or “baby hares”), and the pupils of his pupil Viktor Ivanovich Medvedev “Bear cubs.” V.I. Medvedev even surpassed his teacher in the number of Nazis destroyed and, like V.G. Zaitsev, received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. VG Zaitsev himself - confirmedly - personally in Stalingrad personally destroyed 225 fascists (and all - 242 Nazis, while the unofficial account surpasses five thousand), including 11 enemy snipers. And this is only the so-called “personal account”, the number of “simple” (that is, without documentary confirmation by outside observers) killed and wounded in the general battles of the Nazi invaders is much greater. (Thus, during the whole war Vasily Zaitsev exterminated probably more than a thousand fascists.)
After the war (demobilized in 1945), Vasily Grigoryevich settled in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. After his death (in 1991), his last will, noted in his will, to be buried with his comrades in the Mamaev Kurgan, it happened, could not be fulfilled, since Ukraine hastily sought to disown “communism”, Russia and its “ambiguous "" Of the past, "and the authorities of Volgograd simply ignored the request.
The reburial of the hero became possible only now thanks to the cares and troubles of his wife - Zinaida Sergeevna, whom he met and married in Kiev. In Kiev, he was first the commandant of the Pechersky district, then he worked as a director of a machine-building (sometimes referred to as a car repair) factory, director of a sewing factory "Ukraine", then he headed a technical school for light industry.
In May 2005, Zinaida Sergeevna, through acquaintances, handed over a letter to the Volgograd administration (according to the mayor of Volgograd, E. P. Ishchenko, on May 9 during celebrations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Victory an elderly woman handed him an envelope), in which in particular, it was said: " My husband Zaitsev Vasily Grigoryevich - the legendary sniper of the Battle of Stalingrad, Hero of the Soviet Union - died 15 / XII 1991. The times were difficult, there were continuous strikes in the city, obviously, this affected the connection. We gave a telegram, which you obviously did not receive, that is, no one came and did not call. I had to bury him in Kiev, despite the fact that he asked me to bury him in Stalingrad. To this day, I worry that I have not fulfilled his request ... But the trouble is that I am already 92 years old, there is little left to live, and my conscience torments me that I did not fulfill his request. I will not, no one will look after his grave. It is painful and insulting - but it is. I beg you, do everything you can to rebury him on Mamaev Kurgan, next to his friends and comrades. He deserved it.
For ten years I was silent ... But every year I feel more and more painful that nobody except me needs him in Kiev, and I have a little left. Once again I ask you to fulfill his request, the last request, and ease my soul - let me die calmly ...».
Unfortunately, Zinaida Sergeevna herself was not able to come to Volgograd for the reburial ceremony, but she plans to come on May 9 in 2006. But from Kiev veteran organizations there was a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, secretary of the committee of writers of the Council of Veterans of War and Labor of Kiev, executive secretary of the Friendship Union of the CIS Hero Cities and the Kiev Hero City Ivanchenko (Born in 1926).
Earlier, on April 25, 1951, V. G. Zaitsev's sniper rifle was also transported from Kiev to Stalingrad [from the state historical museum Kiev in the current (since 1982) Volgograd State Museum-Panorama "Battle of Stalingrad"]. In 1945, after the Victory, this rifle became personalized - on behalf of the Soviet command, it was solemnly presented to Vasily Zaitsev in defeated Berlin, a plate with the inscription: “To the hero of the Soviet Union, to the guard to captain Zaitsev Vasily, was attached to the butt of the rifle. He buried more than 300 fascists in Stalingrad. ” Starting January 31, 2006, a separate exposition will be dedicated to V.G. Zaitsev in the museum, where his summer and winter uniforms, photo documents, personal items, military awards and personal sniper accounts introduced in December 1942 are presented. (It is planned that in the future this exhibition will grow and will be already dedicated not only to V. G. Zaitsev, but to the entire sniper movement, especially the period of the Battle of Stalingrad.)

In the photo: V. G. Zaitsev sniper rifle.
Source:
http://volganet.ru/fstl0202.php ,
link).

Vasily G. Zaitsev has the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, was awarded the Order of Lenin, two orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War I degree, medals. Vasily Zaitsev forever assigned to one of the military units, which had previously been deployed in the GDR. The ship, streets in many cities, cups of sniper shooting competitions are named after V. G. Zaitsev, many institutions bear his name.

Photos and images where Vasily Zaitsev is captured:

Source:
http://bratishka.ru/archnumb.php?statnum\u003d2002_7_3 [or so: (direct link) from here: (link)].

Photos taken no earlier than February 22, 1943
(possibly in Moscow after the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union).

http://www.uralpress.ru/show_article.php?id\u003d88172
[large photo: (link) (direct link)];
http://www.sovross.ru/2005/36/36_3_5.htm .

The image on the left is a front-line drawing of Lieutenant V. G. Zaitsev,
performed by an unprofessional artist
Evgeny Ivanovich Komarov.
The inscription [some parts are difficult to read from the photograph of the picture]:
“[Inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] (perhaps the“ Hero of the Soviet Union ”?)
Ml Lieutenant Zaitsev [inaudible] [inaudible]
A sniper who destroyed [inaudible, perhaps the word “from above”?] 2 [second and third digits - 38 or 98?] Of the Nazis
Stalingrad, [inaudible, perhaps 9?] January 1943. ”
(V.G. Zaitsev became the Hero of the Soviet Union not in January, but on February 22, 1943)
Sources (from left to right, and if the browser does not display, then from top to bottom):
http://panorama.volgadmin.ru/front_ris.html ,
direct link to the image: (link);
http://militera.lib.ru/h/stupov_kokunov/ill.html ,
direct link to image: (link).

In the photo: V. G. Zaitsev (far left), October 1942.
Source:
http://www.weltkrieg.ru/weapons/mosin ,
direct link to the photo: (link).

Photos of V. G. Zaitsev taken in October 1942.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Grigoryevich_Zaitsev ,
direct link to a large photo: (link);
.

Photos by V. G. Zaitsev, apparently made after February 1943
(on the shoulder straps there is one asterisk, which, apparently, corresponds to the rank of junior lieutenant).
Source:
http://airaces.narod.ru/snipers/m1/zaitsev1.htm .

In the photo: V. G. Zaitsev (far right).
Second from left - possibly (!), Commander of the 62nd Army, Lieutenant General V.I. Chuykov.
Winter 1942/1943
Photograph provided perhaps by the Magnitogorsk Museum of Local Lore
[this possibility follows from the fact that the museum is mentioned in the article where the photograph was taken from (see "Source")]
[IN. G. Zaitsev was born in the village of Eleninsky, located near Magnitogorsk
(since 1937, the village of Eleninskoye in administrative division
entered the Agapovsky (neighboring Magnitogorsk) district of the Chelyabinsk region)].
Photo Source:
http://www.uralpress.ru/show_article.php?id\u003d88205
[large photo: (link) (direct link)].

In the photo: V. G. Zaitsev (far left) with students (as an instructor).
Source:
http://airaces.narod.ru/snipers/m1/zait_vg.htm
(or here: http://www.lowfirthshire.net/cine/zaitsev.html).

In the photo: Sniper V. G. Zaitsev.
(Photos were taken no earlier than 1943, most likely a few years after the war.)
Sources (from left to right, and if the browser does not display, then from top to bottom):
http://airaces.narod.ru/snipers/m1/zait_vg.htm ;
http://www.redut.ru/sniper/ (section "Photo Gallery").

Source:
http://www.aif.ru/online/aif/1317/63_01?print ,
Photo from the personal archive of Zinaida Sergeevna, widow of V. G. Zaitsev.

Sources (from left to right, and if the browser does not display, then from top to bottom):
http://www.inter-volgograd.ru/second.shtml?id\u003d3180&number\u003d218 ;
http://nm.md/daily/article/2005/02/11/0000.html .

Sources (from left to right, and if the browser does not display, then from top to bottom):
http://www.notesofasniper.com/portrait.htm [or so (worse quality)]: (link);
http://volginfo.ru/mkv/2006/4/4 .

On the solemn ceremony of reburial of the ashes of V. G. Zaitsev on Mamaev Kurgan:
.

Feature films about Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev:
"Angels of Death" (1993, Russia-France). The original name is "Stalingrad", which coincides with the name of the epic film "Stalingrad", shot four years earlier - in 1989 (to which German cinema responded with its "Stalingrad" in 1992);
Enemy at the Gates (Duel - Enemy at the Gates) (2001, USA - Germany - Great Britain - Ireland). A good selection of materials that once and for all debunk the lies of the creators of this “film” is on the Dark Side of America website: http://usatruth.by.ru/duel.htm .

About Vasily Zaitsev in the press (tells his wife):
- Nicholas article Pacers « The last will of Vasily Zaitsev ”In No. 272 \u200b\u200b(3658) of 12/19/2005 in "Daily all-Ukrainian newspaper" "Kiev Vedomosti". It tells about the scum of the Ukrainian side, who did not even bother to restore the grave of the hero Vasily Zaitsev devastated after exhumation.
Granite fragments of the monument were piled up near the fence, they did not even bother to hide somewhere (referring to the lack of specially equipped rooms for this) or anything until spring, when weather conditions would allow cement work to restore it. Most likely, no one is going to restore the memorial place (grave). [For the same reason "Daily all-Russian newspaper" “Novye Izvestia” in the article (dated February 3, 2006) by Stanislav Anischenko titled “Return Private Zaitsev” [headline - vulgar contamination with the movie “Saving Private Ryan” (1998, USA)] reports: “ ... I had to face problems of a different nature. The authorities of the Ukrainian capital told the widow that since the remains of Zaitsev were moving, she was deprived of the right to be buried next to her husband’s former grave. The mayor's office of Volgograd was forced to buy a place in the cemetery to guarantee Zinaida Sergeevna the right to be buried at the site of her husband’s grave in Kiev".] In a word, bastards.
And here, according to the widow of Zinaida Sergeevna, the history of the Zaitsev family: “ They met after the war, when he worked as a director of a car repair [in official biographies they often write - engineering, maybe the factory was originally auto repair, and later developed to engineering?] factory on Podil, and she was the head of the special production of the machine-building plant "Glavpishchemash", which produced even the body of the bomb. Often met at meetings, but did not show any signs of attention. In 1953, when Vasily Grigoryevich already worked as chairman of the Podolsky district party committee, and Zinaida Sergeevna as head of the regional committee, she was dismantled in the Central Committee by anonymously. She was not her own in her office, and suddenly Vasily came in, reassured her and said: “Marry me, and no one will touch you.” In response, she joked: "And I will go out." After some time, Zaitsev called her and asked her to come in for lunch to solve several issues. A woman was sitting in his office. Vasily Grigoryevich immediately suggested: "Well, we will sign it - here is the head of the registry office." So they got married. And they lived in peace and harmony for 38 years". In life, Vasily Zaitsev was as militant as at the front during the war, he did not give his wife an insult.
And another not-so-famous episode of his military biography: " At the front, Vasily received several serious injuries in his leg and chest. Once in Stalingrad, he and a friend were playing enemy soldiers, tying a watch by a string and putting it on the road. The sniper did not even notice how the Fritz crept up to him, inserted a bayonet under the left shoulder blade, almost touching the heart. Another time from a wound, he lost his sight. He was barely able to restore the academician Filatov, and Zaitsev again got into operation. Moreover, not only aptly defeated the enemy during the war years, but also saved his sight until old age. Once at the shooting he was asked to show his skills to young fighters, and, already being a 65-year-old, wearing glasses, he threw all three bullets into the “top ten”. What I got the cup for»;
http://www.aif.ru/online/aif/1317/63_01?print - article by Catherine Goryacheva « Testament of the sniper ”In No. 04 (1317) dated January 26, 2006, the weekly Argumenty i Fakty weekly, based on an interview with Zinaida Sergeevna, widow of Vasily Zaitsev. Here is what, in particular, Zinaida Sergeevna said:
« - Zaitsev learned about the awarding of the title of Hero by chance. When he was blown up by a mine and blinded, he was sent to Moscow. The operation was successful. It somehow lies with other fighters in the ward, and on the radio they announce that “Vasily Zaitsev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union”. He even let this pass by, and the roommate jumps to him, claps his shoulder: “Vaska, so this was given to you a Hero!”».
« - Few people know that Vasily Grigoryevich is under 75 [in the previous article, “Return Private Zaitsev”, it is written that at the age of 65, - obviously, a typo here, in the article “Testament of a sniper”] shot as well and ́, as during the Battle of Stalingrad. I remember once invited him to evaluate the training of young snipers. When they fired back, the commander says: "Well, Vasily Grigoryevich, shake the old days." Zaitsev takes a rifle, and all three bullets - in the bullseye. Instead of a soldier, he got a cup».

Biography of Vasily Zaitsev:
http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id\u003d481 - biography of V. G. Zaitsev on the site "Heroes of the country." Excerpts: " During the war years, Zaitsev wrote two textbooks for snipers, and also invented the hitherto used sniper hunting technique - when three pairs of snipers (shooter and observer) block the same battle zone with fire". Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that there are a lot of inaccuracies on the page about V. G. Zaitsev and in the materials on the entire site. For example, V. G. Zaitsev speaks in his memoirs of the "Elenovsky Village Council," and the site says "El and but ”, although it may be Eleninsky. The following states that Zaitsev was born in "The family of the peasant"when how, in his own words, his "Grandfather - Andrei Alekseevich Zaitsev, hereditary hunter" Zaitsev went to the fleet not in 1936, as indicated on the site, but in 1937, which is also indicated in the memoirs. Etc.
http://militera.lib.ru/h/stupov_kokunov/06.html - information about Vasily Zaitsev in the fifth chapter, “The Severe School of Combat Experience,” A. D. Stupova and V. L. Kokunova “The 62nd Army in the battles for Stalingrad” (the first edition came out no later than 1953) - it was in the 62nd Army that Vasily Zaitsev served. Set out short biography Zaitsev, literally given some combat episodes of sniper practice, narrated both by Zaitsev himself and other snipers;
http://militera.lib.ru/h/samsonov1/04.html - in the study of Alexander Mikhailovich Samsonova The Battle of Stalingrad briefly describes the origin of the sniper movement in Stalingrad and the contribution of V. G. Zaitsev to it;
http://www.kv.com.ua/index.php?rub\u003d419&number_old\u003d3658 - an episode from the memoirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Alekseeva (B. 1918) “My Stalingrad”: (g.) “ At the most critical hour, the "Oath to Comrade Stalin." Its meaning was extremely simple: “We will die, but we will not surrender Stalingrad!” Oh, that was a special document! Under it were the signatures of all participants in the great battle - from the privates to the front commander. It took tons of paper and two [aircraft] “Douglas” to forward the oath letter to Moscow, and then to the Podolsk Military Archive. The famous Stalingrad sniper Vasily Zaitsev later told me that even in his secret shelter a scout crawled up to him so that he, Zaitsev, would leave his signature on it. All political workers were given the task: to collect all signatures in their units and subdivisions within one day, so that everyone, therefore, a Stalingrad man personally witnessed his oath". M. N. Alekseev - author of the cycle of prose "Soldiers" (1951) (this novel-chronicle was put forward by K. M. Simonov for the Stalin Prize), the epic novel Cherry Whirlpool (1961) (the film of the same name in 1985), the well-known novel "Bread is a Noun" (1964) [the series of the same name (1988) and the film " Zhuravushka ”(1968)], the novel in two books“ Ivushka is not weeping ”(USSR State Prize in 1976) [the film“ Russian Field ”(1971)] and others.

Personal, human qualities of Vasily Zaitsev:
« I personally met with many notable snipers, talked with them, helped them with what I could. Vasily Zaitsev, Anatoly Chekhov, Victor Medvedev and other snipers were on my special account, and I often consulted with them.
These noble people were no different from the others. Quite the contrary. When I first met Zaitsev and Medvedev, I was struck by their modesty, leisurely movements, exceptionally calm character, an attentive look; they could look at one point for a long time without blinking. Their hand was firm: when they shook hands, they squeezed their palm like ticks", Recalls Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuykov (1900-1982) in the chapter" There is no land beyond the Volga for us! "His memoirs" The Battle of the Century "(1975), dedicated to the heroic defense of Stalingrad;
« Tells Zaitsev calmly, slowly. He tries not to talk about himself, but listening to him, you understand why the whole army is proud of him. <…> Zaitsev pronounces words that have become known to the whole world, which have become the slogan of the entire struggle of the 62nd Army [“There is no land beyond the Volga for us!”]. He pronounces them without any pathos, just like the most ordinary words.
“We had great hatred for the enemy,” he continues. [IN. G. Zaitsev]. - You’ll catch a German, you don’t know what to do with him, but you can’t - it’s as expensive as a language. Reluctantly, you lead it.
Fatigue did not know. Now, as I look around the city, I get tired, and there in the morning, at 4-5, you have breakfast, at 9-10 in the evening you come to have dinner and do not get tired. For three or four days they did not sleep, and did not want to sleep. How can this be explained? So the situation was already working. Each soldier only thought how to kill as many fascists as possible “", - this is a quote from the previously mentioned fifth chapter of the" Harsh School of Combat Experience "memoirs by A. D. Stupov and V. L. Kokunov" The 62nd Army in the battles for Stalingrad ";
« The face of the famous sniper Zaitsev seemed glorious at home - a cute leisurely peasant guy. But, when Vasily Zaitsev turned his head and squinted, the severe features of his face became apparent", - this is from the first part of the book of the war correspondent and writer Vasily Semenovich Grossman (1905-1964) “Life and Fate” (1960);
« Vasily was a fair-haired, short, stocky Ural hunter with incredibly clear blue eyes. <…> Vasily Grigorievich was easy to communicate, open-hearted and with very strong nerves”, - says the former guide of the Volgograd travel and excursion bureau, member of the board of the Volgograd-Cologne society Olga Vladimirovna Zayonchkovskaya;
« ... a very modest person. A very silent person. I never stood in the front row when photographing", - the deputy director for scientific work of the Volgograd State Panorama Museum" Battle of Stalingrad ", Ph.D. in Art Svetlana Anatolevna shares her impressions Argastseva;
« He was a modest person, with him it was possible to talk about everything"- recalls the national sculptor of Russia Viktor Georgievich Fetisov who knew Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev well and even invited him to stay at his house in Kiev at his invitation.

INSTEAD OF AN AFTERWORD

You can often hear reasoning that Vasily Zaitsev, de, “didn’t specially study anywhere in sniper business”, that this is a kind of miraculous nugget of Russian land.
You need to know that they started hunting Vasily Zaitsev from the age of 4, and at the age of 12 he started firing a gun and was actually already a well-established hunter, and therefore a shooter, since the shooter determines knowledge, experience, his psychology, and skill just shoot accurately ”is also fruitless, as well as the ability to heat a pan with a lack of understanding how to cook fried food on it. At 15, he entered the construction college, graduated with honors. Then came the courses of accountants, working as a senior insurance inspector. At the same time, of course, he actively continued to hone his hunting skills. It was the skills acquired in the hunt that helped V. G. Zaitsev to be so successful in sniper art.
There is only one conclusion from this - you need to be a professional in your field, and not wait for “charisma” and “unexpected talent.” It is unlikely that a person worthless in peaceful life could become a worthy, powerful and formidable defender of his fatherland.

Fate is whimsical - Vasily Zaitsev, maybe not being the most productive sniper (he is not even in the top ten), but he has become the most famous. Here, most likely, his role was played by the fact that he was one of the first in the sniper movement, and at the same time he was on the most difficult and crucial section of the front - Stalingrad. In addition, he brought up a galaxy of followers, created his own sniper school.

V. G. Zaitsev, among other things, won a brilliant victory in a duel with the head of the Berlin school of snipers major Conings (Conings had 300 killed on the battle account).

Vasily Zaitsev was known not only for the fact that he beat the Fritz accurately between the eyes, and even more for the fact that he sprouted, sharing his shooting skills and sniper tactics, in other snipers, and those, in turn, shared this - and theirs - experience with others .

Before the front, Vasily G. Zaitsev served in the Pacific Fleet (he was), where he ended up due to small growth in 1937 at the call. [Where it is indicated that he " from 193 6 years in the navy", - most likely a mistake, as his memoir clearly states:" In 1937, I was drafted into the army. In terms of overall physical development, in spite of my small stature, I turned out to be suitable for service in the navy. What was incredibly happy". For those who don’t understand this, “glad” - at that time (not understandable to the current degenerates), he who for some reason (the way and “respectful”) did not serve in the army, for the rest of his life in the eyes of the whole of Soviet society for each of its members individually was perceived as something abnormal, flawed, and even almost as a declassified element, pariah.]
In the Battle of Stalingrad, he became a sniper.
After being wounded in January 1943 by a mine and several eye operations performed by the famous ophthalmologist V.P. Filatov (1875-1956) in Moscow, V.G. Zaitsev commanded a mortar platoon until the end of the war.
Thus, sniping for Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev was "just" a combat episode, but in it the Soviet, Russian soldier revealed himself a hundredfold.

[Continued (next, 2 of 4 parts):.]

Vasily Zaitsev is a famous Soviet sniper who became famous during the Battle of Stalingrad. During street battles outside the city, he alone killed more than two hundred soldiers of the German army. He was part of the 62nd army of the front. Having great experience, this sniper studied the strategy of the enemy army, which allowed him to repel the attacks for two months. At the same time, he managed not only to fight off the enemy, but also took active offensive actions.

Life before the war

Vasily Zaitsev was born into a peasant family in 1915 in the Orenburg province. From early childhood, he learned to shoot under the guidance of his grandfather and soon became an excellent shooter. He said that his grandfather, being an Ural hunter, taught him to walk on a beast. The child mastered all the intricacies of the hunting craft, which later helped him in the war. The boy received an incomplete secondary education, then entered the construction college in Magnitogorsk.

Seven years later, in 1937, the future hero of the Soviet Union joined the clerk as a clerk in the fleet. In service, he strictly followed discipline, was diligent and neat, for which he was enrolled in the Komsomol. Vasily Zaitsev also studied at the Military Economic School, so after a while he was appointed head of the economic unit in the Pacific Fleet.

Service at the beginning of the war

The sniper several times applied for voluntary participation in hostilities. From the fifth time, his request was granted, and he went to the army. In September 1942, he, along with his colleagues, crossed the Volga River and began to participate in battles. At the very beginning of hostilities, he showed himself an outstanding shooter. Vasily Zaitsev hit the enemy the first time, for which he soon received the award “For Courage”.

Soon he became known to the entire regiment. He received a sniper rifle, from which he defeated many enemies. The fighter was not only unusually sharp, but also cunning, the ability to disguise himself, to hide in the most unusual places. A soldier could hide in places where his presence was impossible to imagine.

Memories of the Battle of Stalingrad

He left a memoir in which he tells of the first combat experience on this front. According to him, at first he had to fight with all the other soldiers on an equal footing. Several times he met hand-to-hand with the Germans on the outskirts of the city and subsequently attached great importance to the days when he first found himself in a fighting position and took direct part in the battle. His memoirs contain a large amount of valuable information about the situation that was in the city during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Vasily Zaitsev (sniper) - a hero of the Soviet Union, took part in the defense of the famous city plant "Red October". In the first months, he and his colleagues had to fight with enemies who were hiding in basements and sewer manholes, which greatly complicated the operation to liberate the city.

Duel with a German fighter

Vasily Zaitsev (sniper) fought with the head of the German school of shooters, H. Torvald, who was sent to the city specifically to fight Soviet soldiers. His task was to destroy the Soviet soldier himself. The latter recalled that it was a very difficult battle, but he, together with his colleagues, managed to find a successful position that allowed them to defeat the enemy. Torvald carefully studied the tactics of Soviet snipers and their combat positions.

For a while he acted quietly, undercover. He began to attack suddenly, and under his blows fell the best students of Zaitsev - three fighters. However, the German fell into the trap of Vasily Grigorievich - a dummy doll, a trick that he often used during battles. According to historians, the enemy of the Soviet soldiers was very experienced, and his rifle was equipped with the latest technology. Therefore, the victory that Vasily Zaitsev (sniper) won was very significant for raising the morale of Soviet soldiers.

Tactics Features

He developed a special manner of fighting in a besieged city. Usually, he led small groups into combat positions, but forbade his fighters to immediately defeat the enemy. Invariably, his main goal was to defeat the representatives of the high command. Therefore, whenever his groups met with enemy forces, the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev waited some time until the appearance of command officers. Then he gave the order to open fire. In implementing this strategy, the soldier aimed to defeat those who directly supervised operations in order to decapitate the enemy.

Zaitsev also owes the merit of using the so-called group hunt for the enemy. The essence of the tactics was that the group members took the most important points of the Nazis on their sights and unexpectedly opened fire when they appeared on the battlefield. This method fully paid off, and the German offensive was frustrated. Zaitsev was sometimes so carried away that he once went into the open infantry. Fortunately, the enemy fired without looking, and the sniper survived, but was seriously injured. The legendary fighter during the war years rose to the rank of captain.

Shooting technique

The legendary hero used special methods during the conduct of hostilities. So, even in the absence of the enemy, he wondered and calculated, like an experienced hunter, the possible place of the enemy’s appearance, so that he could be beaten for sure during a sortie. He constantly developed new shooting strategies, realizing that his habits could be studied by the enemy and, therefore, could one day play against himself. This skill of the Soviet soldier created world fame for him, as evidenced by the film dedicated to him. Vasily Zaitsev (sniper) was known throughout the regiment for his outstanding ingenuity.

One of his most famous tricks was that he made a mock up of a doll, while he himself hid nearby, tracking down the enemy. When the latter found himself shot, then Zaitsev began to wait until he came closer. Moreover, he could wait an infinitely long time, regardless of circumstances.

Service in the following years of the war

The following year, he took part in a special operation to disrupt an enemy attack on the right flank. During the fighting, he was seriously injured and blinded. However, after a complex operation, his vision returned to him. He headed the mortar regiment, and was also the director of the school of snipers. The remaining years of the war, he fought on the Ukrainian front, took part in many operations to liberate the largest cities of the country. The future hero made a great contribution to the theory of sniper training. Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev himself wrote two textbooks on the conduct of battle, in which he outlined his observations on the operation of covering military groups with arrows and special observation units.

Personal life

The story about Vasily Zaitsev may be interesting to students, so the story of his biography can be given to students as a report. He worked for a while at the car factory, where he met his wife, whose name was Zinaida Sergeevna. She served as secretary of the Politburo at a machine factory. An interesting fact is that the legendary sniper kept accuracy until old age. It is known that he always adhered to the rule not to make a single extra shot. The only exception was the Victory Parade, during which he saluted with weapons. When he was already 65 years old, he took part as an honored guest in shooting competitions and beat all the young participants, three times in the top ten, after which the main prize was awarded to him, and not to the players themselves.

Value

The role of the legendary fighter is difficult to overestimate. He was, in fact, the initiator of the sniper movement in our country. This fully manifested itself during the years of World War II. Zaitsev created his own school and trained his soldiers directly in a combat position. It is indicative that he wrote his scientific manuals right during the conduct of hostilities. After being wounded, while being treated, he shared his experience with representatives of the General Staff, as well as with the Institute for the Study of War. He brought up a whole generation of students who proved to be outstanding soldiers on the fronts. One of his pupils, V. Medvedev, also became famous as a talented sniper, who, in turn, prepared a new battle group.

Rifle History and Exhibition

In the year of Victory, the Soviet command presented Zaitsev with an inscribed rifle, which gained some fame thanks to its owner.

An interesting fact is that the famous fighter received it in Berlin during the capture of the city by the Red Army. The weapon was stored in the Kiev museum, and then was transferred to Volgograd. Zaitsev himself was devoted to a whole exposition, where his weapons, personal documents, photographs were exhibited. However, there is a plan to turn this personal exhibition into an exposition on the Battle of Stalingrad.

Confession

Zaitsev received several prestigious awards. His most important achievement is receiving the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, he was awarded several medals, including the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. It should also be mentioned that the streets in different cities are named after him, the ship, as well as many competitions in sniper shooting are confined to his name.

After the war

After 1945, he settled in Kiev, where he continued his service. He served as commandant of the Pechersk district. Besides military activities, this man is also famous for his contribution to the development of industry. He held a number of prominent posts in factories and plants, was the director of a textile technical school. Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Zaitsev and in subsequent years continued to work in the military industry.

He took part in testing the Dragunov sniper rifle. The legendary sniper died in 1991 in Kiev, bequeathed to bury his ashes in Stalingrad. This request was fulfilled only in 2006, when his remains were buried on Mamaev Kurgan.

Image in painting

Zaitsev is depicted in the famous panorama dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad. This indicates how important his figure was for the Soviet people. His image was used in ideological propaganda. The painting was created in 1944, i.e., even during the war. The main part of the composition is the defense and defense of the Mamaev Kurgan; in this operation, as mentioned above, the famous sniper took an important part.

In cinema

In addition, the hero of the cinema was Vasily Zaitsev. A film about him was shot in 2001. The leading role was played by the famous British actor D. Lowe. The tape was based on the famous episode of the confrontation between a fighter and a German major. Criticism restrained this film, because, according to several reviewers, the role of ordinary defenders of the city was belittled in the film. In addition, the documentary “Legendary Sniper” is dedicated to the image of the famous fighter (release date is 2013). Such an interest in the hero’s personality testifies to how great his significance was not only for the Soviet army, but also for military world history. We should also mention the domestic film, the main character of which is sniper Ivan. The prototype of this character was Zaitsev and his military biography. The role was played by the famous actor F. Bondarchuk.

He was born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elininsk, now Agapovsky district of the Chelyabinsk region, in a peasant family. In 1930 he received the specialty of a fittings engineer at the school of FZU (now SPTU ...

He was born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elininsk, now Agapovsky district of the Chelyabinsk region, in a peasant family. In 1930, he received the specialty of a fittings engineer at the school of FZU (now SPTU No. 19 of the city of Magnitogorsk). Since 1936 in the Navy. He graduated from the military - economic school, until 1942 he served in the Pacific Fleet.

Since September 1942 in the army. For the period from October 10 to December 17, 1942, a sniper of 1047 rifle regiment (284th Infantry Division, 62nd Army, Stalingrad Front) Junior Lieutenant V. G. Zaitsev destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers. Directly on forefront He taught the sniper business of fighters and commanders, trained 28 snipers. On February 22, 1943, for the courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

In total, he destroyed 242 enemies (officially), including several well-known snipers.

After the war, demobilized. He worked as director of the Kiev Engineering Plant. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, Red Banner (twice), World War 1 degree, medals. His name is the ship cruising along the Dnieper.

Vasily Zaitsev became one of the most famous snipers of the battle of Stalingrad. As the spirit of art lives in a real artist, so in Vasily Zaitsev lived the talent of a magnificent shooter. Zaitsev and the rifle were, as it were, a single whole.

The legendary Mamaev Kurgan! ... Here, at the height pitted with shells and bombs, the Pacific sailor Vasily Zaitsev began his combat sniper count.

Remembering those harsh days, Marshal of the Soviet Union V.I. Chuikov writes:

“In the battles for the city, a massive sniper movement unfolded. It began in Batyuk’s division at the initiative of a wonderful sniper Vasily Zaitsev, and then spread to all parts of the army.

The glory of the fearless Vasily Zaitsev thundered on all fronts, not only because he personally exterminated more than 300 Nazis, but also because he taught dozens of other soldiers, as they were called then, “rabbits” ... Our snipers forced the Nazis to crawl along land and played a significant role both in defense and in the offensive of our troops. "

The life path of Zaitsev is typical of his contemporaries, for whom the interests of the homeland are above all. The son of a Ural peasant, he served as an anti-aircraft gunner in the Pacific Fleet since 1937. A diligent, disciplined sailor was admitted to the Komsomol. After studying at the military-economic school, he was appointed head of the financial department in the Pacific Fleet, in Transfiguration Bay. Working as an quartermaster, Zaitsev studied weapons with love, pleased the commander and colleagues with excellent shooting results.

It was the 2nd year of a bloody war. Already 5 reports were submitted by the foreman of the 1st article Zaitsev with a request to send to the front. In the summer of 1942, the commander finally granted his request and Zaitsev left for the army. Together with other Pacific people, he was enrolled in the division of N.F. Batyuk, on a dark September night crossed the Volga and began to participate in battles for the city.

One day, the enemies decided to burn alive the daredevils bursting into the territory of the Metiz plant. With an air strike, German pilots smashed 12 gas storages. Literally everything was burning. It seemed that nothing was alive on the Volga land. But as soon as the fire died down, from the Volga side the sailors again rushed forward. For five days in a row fierce battles continued for each factory floor, house, floor.

Already in the first battles with the enemy Vasily Zaitsev showed himself an outstanding shooter. Once the battalion commander called Zaitsev and pointed out the window. Fascist ran 800 meters. The sailor carefully aimed. A shot rang out - and the German fell. After a few minutes, 2 more invaders appeared in the same place. They suffered the same fate.

In October, from the hands of the commander of his 1047th regiment, Metelev, he received a sniper rifle and a medal “For Courage”. By that time, from a simple "three-ruler" Zaitsev had killed 32 Nazis. Soon they started talking about him in a regiment, division, army.

During the battles for Stalingrad, the front-line press took the initiative in deploying the sniper movement that arose at the front on the initiative of the Leningraders. She widely talks about the famous sniper of Stalingrad Vasily Zaitsev, about other masters of well-aimed fire, and called on all soldiers to mercilessly destroy the fascist invaders.