Mark Black

“Zaitsev records in his memoirs one difficult duel he had with a German sniper. While there is no actual proof of the identity of the German sniper, many believe that he was Heinz Thorvald, the head of the Berlin sniper school. Thorvald was also known as Erwin Konig. Zaitsev stated that the German sniper was difficult to find but when two Soviet soldiers were shot in the same area, Zaitsev and his partner Kulikov began searching the area for the German sniper. While searching, Zaitsev spotted a flash of light beneath a scrap of metal. As soon as Zaitsev’s partner, Kulikov placed a helmet on a rod and lifted it up to a window, Konig shot the helmet. Then when Konig peeked out of his hiding spot to determine if the victim was dead, he got a headshot from Zaitsev.”
― Mark Black, The Battle of Stalingrad: A Very Brief History

“Vasily Zaitsev was the most popular and well-known sniper for the Soviets. During the battle he had over 242 confirmed kills. Zaitsev was part of a corps of snipers. Some thirty students were under his wing. During the war, these students killed more than 3,000 German soldiers.”
― Mark Black, The Battle of Stalingrad: A Very Brief History