Vasily Gregoyevich Zaitsev (Васи́лий Григо́рьевич За́йцев, March 23, 1915-December 15, 1991), was born in the Ural Mountains of Priulaliye, often with his father and brother. Hunting, he practiced good marksmanship when he was 12 years old.
In the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, Vasily had already shot 40 German troops in the first 10 days of the battle. The unrefined shooting skill attracted the attention of the regimental commander, Lieutenant Colonel Meteleev. He personally granted Zaitsev a sniper rifle with a scope, and asked him to select 10 fighters to form a sniper team, specifically responsible for shooting and killing German troops alone or sporadically infested. They often lay ambush near the German quarters and toilets, and sometimes also lurked in front of the German positions, specializing in the German artillery's observation instrument, tank sight glass and German officers, and sometimes they could wipe out dozens of enemies in one day. When his record was close to 100, he became the focus of the Soviet propaganda department as a model deed in the Soviet army.
Vasily’s reputation attracted the attention of the German army. The principal of the German "Zossen Sniper School", Major Erwin Koenig, was sent to Stalingrad to eliminate Vasily. After four days of life and death, Vasily finally succeeded in shooting Major Erwin Koenig. Throughout the Battle of Stalingrad, he achieved a record of killing 149 German troops. By the end of World War II, he had eliminated a total of 400 German troops.
During the Cold War in the 1950s and 1980s, the Soviet Union vigorously promoted his heroic deeds.
