Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was one of the most well-known Soviet snipers during the Second World War, with an extraordinary capability to hit during the Stalingrad Battle. All the victories achieved by him as a sniper and his tactics played a significant role in the morale of the Soviet Army and were strategic for military planning, and this remains recognized in military history. This article provides an exhaustive view of the life, career, and legacy of Vasily Zaitsev in an optimized manner, showing only the distinct features of the life of this legendary sniper and his exploits.
Vasily Zaitsev was born on March 23, 1915, in Yeleninskoye, a small village in the Orenburg Governorate in Russia. He was born into a poor peasant family and grew up in one of the toughest conditions of the Ural Mountains.
His grandfather and elder brother taught him marksmanship by taking him on hunts to shoot deer and wolves. Such early training would often take place in inclement weather and over very difficult terrain. According to Wikipedia By the age of 12, Vasily Zaitsev had already become quite skilled in shooting. His first trophy had come when he killed a wolf with one bullet using his first firearm, which was a single-shot 20-gauge shotgun. It was that level of upbringing that proved helpful when evolving Zaitsev into the sniper that he would become.
Magnitogorsk Construction College, Russia [PHOTO: rurrijoseph]Zaitsev graduated from school and went to Magnitogorsk Constructional College specializing as a fitter and taking courses in accounting. In 1937, he enlisted in the Soviet Navy's Pacific Fleet and was appointed as a clerk in the artillery department. By the time the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Zaitsev was already a chief petty officer in the Navy.
Many people, including Vasily Zaitsev, were called to the front lines when Operation Barbarossa began and the Germans invaded the Soviet Union.
Vasily Zaitsev, based in Vladivostok, requested a transfer from his position within the Soviet Navy to the front line. With his clerical experience aside, it was his reputation as a marksman that placed him in the 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th “Tomsk” Rifle Division, which formed the 62nd Army in Stalingrad.
Vasily Zaitsev, the ‘Don Juan of sniping, was an elite sniper. He came to prominence with this one of the most........