Despite evidences of Vasili's death, König didn't believe his opponent was dead. A feature-length film, Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, includes a sniper’s duel between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König. He successfully lured Vassili's sniper squad into the building. While Germany’s top WWII sniper, Matthäus Hetzenaue, did not equal the kill count of any of the Russian snipers, his 345 confirmed kills is nonetheless an extremely impressive total and one that puts him right up there with the top snipers of any other nation during the war. Major Erwin König was a Heer officer and a German aristocrat from Bavaria. Many movies have featured suspenseful or stylish scenes of snipers in action, but only a few manage to memorably showcase the sheer cinematic impact of the powerful weapon. U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle König also have him his son's War Merit Cross, who died in the first days of the battle of Stalingrad. The corpse robber had also taken Vasili's sniper log and because of this, the great Soviet sniper was declared dead. In his memoirs, Zaytsev refers to König as Herr Koning and identifies him as the head of the German sniper school in Berlin. 92. König had Volodya wear a German uniform, and sent him as a German repair man. Later, König saw Vasili's reflection in large pieces of glass round him and noticed he is talking to someone König couldn't see. With the complete lack of evidence pointing to König being a real sniper, it is fairly safe to say that he was made up by Soviet propaganda. However, there is very little historical evidence to confirm this. the existence of “super-sniper” Wehrmacht Erwin Koenig known by the memoirs of one of the most successful shooters of the Soviet Vasily Zaitsev. The Battle of Stalingrad, where König was allegedly killed by Zaytsev, occurred from August 1942 to February 1943. Did Erwin König (an alleged master sniper during WWII) exist, or was he a fabrication of Soviet propaganda? –where’s the Simo Häyhä movie, huh?) With the Soviet snipers taking an increasing toll on the German forces, German Major Erwin König (Ed Harris) is deployed to Stalingrad to kill Vasily and thus crush Soviet morale. Major Erwin König was a Heer officer and a German aristocrat from Bavaria. Soviet Sniper Vasily Zaytsev describes a shoot-out with German snipers named Erwin König and Heinz Thorvald during the Battle of Stalingrad. König was accredited 400 kills during the war, and allegedly rose to the rank of major before his career ended. His main target was the Soviet sniper hero, Vasily Zaytsev, as killing him would crush the Russian morale. Zhang Taofang was a Chinese combat hero during the Korean War. The history around König is fairly clouded, just as with the famed Baron Von Richthofen, during World War I. However, there is currently no evidence available that any major Erwin König ever existed, despite the claim made by the Army Museum in … As he was walking across the station, he suddenly realized he had fallen into a trap. Both of these names were popular in Germany at the time and could easily have referred to a number of soldiers. Erwin König is a name of an apocryphal Wehrmacht sniper allegedly killed by the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad. König, however, outmaneuvers Koulikov and kills him with a very skillful shot, shaking Vasily's spirits considerably. König heard them crawling, and hanged his position hiding behind the louver with a broken slat. He was a professional sniper and the director of the Wehrmacht sniper school in Zossen. Status This caused the unwitting Vassili to kill him, and reveal his hiding place. the existence of “super-sniper” Wehrmacht Erwin Koenig known by the memoirs of one of the most successful shooters of the Soviet Vasily Zaitsev. When first encountering Vasily in the field, König killed two of Soviet snipers, but Vasily himself was able to escape. Zaytsev is also said to have claimed the scope of Erwin König after supposedly killing him. There is no proof he could speak Russian and vice-versa, since both sides speak English in the original movie, completely ignoring accents or language barriers. Soviet Sniper Vasily Zaytsev describes a shoot-out with German snipers named Erwin König and Heinz Thorvald during the Battle of Stalingrad. As soon as he arrived, König started looking for his opponent in the towns ruins, and attempted set a trap for him. Several victims of König are based on real-life people: Ludmila on a Soviet sniper named Lyudmila Pavlichenko (who however survived the war), Nicolai Kulikov on the sniper of the same name (who also survived and was a good friend of Zaitsev), and Sasha on 17-year-old spy for Red Army named Sasha Filippov (who was actually executed by Germans after discovering). Now the conspiracy theory: (from Erwin Konig's wiki page) Deutsche Soldaten Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Erwin König is a name of an apocryphal Wehrmacht sniper allegedly killed by the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad. Between October 1942 and January 1943, he made an estimated 400 kills, some at distances of more than 1,100 yards. 92. The rank that was assigned to him in Zaytsev’s writing was Major, which would not have occurred at the time. König gave him chocolate and obligingly revealed his next plans to the boy, not knowing Sasha is actually a double-agent for Vasili. The primary issue is the lack of all German records of this super sniper. Jäger If König was already a sniper before the training program was set up, he would still have been the head of a very new program. Seeing there was no way to survive, he slowly turned to Vasili who was waiting next to a train wagon, and took his hat off. Major Erwin König was a Heer officer and a professional sniper. Erwin König. Vítejte na KupKOMIKS. However, Vasili's attempt ended up unsuccessfully, as he fell asleep hidden among the dead bodies, causing the vulnerable König to walk right past him. While German propaganda preferred positive news, the death of prominent soldiers was reported. Zaytsev indicates in his own memory that a three-day duel was held in fact and that the shooter he killed is the head of a sniper school near Heinz Thorvald was a sniper supposedly killed by [Vasily Zaytsev] ( ) in the Battle of Stalingrad. After a while when nothing seemed to happen, König concluded that he really got Vasili, and left his hiding place to look for the body. However, König tricks Koulikov into revealing his position and kills him with a very skillful shot, shaking Vassili's spirits considerably. Major Erwin König was a Heer officer and a professional sniper. That leaves an approximately 6 month period for König to have reached the level at which the Soviet propaganda placed him. The … König was immediately deployed at Stalingrad due to the high amount of German officers killed by Russian snipers. König's soldiers captured Volodya, who refused to tell which building he was hiding in. German snipers were not promoted to high ranks because they would stop being a sniper and become a leader. When another Soviet s… The duel of two snipers was the basis of the plot of the Hollywood film “enemy at the gates”. König tried searching for Vasili, and managed to find him while he was still asleep, but a Corpse Robber robbed Vasili, and caused König to lose sight of which Russian body was Vasili's. His total number of kills ranged to estimates of over 400 Nazis of ranges up to over 1,000 meters. When first encountering Vasily in the field, König killed two of Soviet snipers, but Vasily himself was able to escape. He had been assigned to 8th company, 214th regiment, 24th corps for two years before being assigned to Triangle Hill (Which is where he got Major Erwin König was a Heer officer and a professional sniper. While this might have been true, later on Zaytsev refers to him as Heinz Thorvald. He was a Soviet sniper and a Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II. The Germans also had their own super-sniper, Major Erwin K ö nig, whom they sent to Stalingrad to kill Zaitsev. ErwinKönig / Platinum 4 0LP / 323W 312L Win Ratio 51% / A rating system that measures a users performance within a game by combining stats related to role, laning phase, kills / deaths / damage / wards / damage to objectives etc. There are a number of holes in the story and history of Erwin König. Major (Major) With the Soviet snipers taking an increasing toll on the German forces, German Major Erwin König ... (Ron Perlman) to help Vassili kill him. This did not stop after the war as Zaytsev is said to have been confronted by a young woman in Berlin who said she was König’s daughter. He was allegedly Heinz Thorvald, aka Erwin König, a high-ranking Werhmacht officer and head of the Berlin sniper school. Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell co-wrote "Bad Guy", with the latter producing it and the former providing additional production. In 2001, a feature length film, Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, was based on part of William Craig's book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, which includes a "sniper's duel" between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König. The Germans also had their own super-sniper, Major Erwin König, whom they sent to Stalingrad to kill Zaitsev. Prior to November 10, he killed … If König was one of the first to receive the sniper training, he would still have had to work his way up to be the head of the school. With its incredible power to kill targets from impossible distances, the sniper rifle is one of the most terrifying inventions of modern warfare. User account menu. Between November 10 and December 17, 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad, he killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 enemy snipers. Although he respected Sasha's choice to support Soviets, he hanged the boy from a high pole for spying. A feature-length film, Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, includes a sniper's duel between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König. The duel of two snipers was the basis of the plot of the Hollywood film “enemy at the gates”. … Khrushchev pressures Danilov to bring the sniper standoff to a conclusion. If König had been the head of the German sniper school, it would be easy to find some record of him. To confirm Sasha's loyalty, König told the boy to wait near the train station and asked him to stay home. The most successful German sniper according to records is Matthäus Hetzenauer with 345 kills. Budu Vám nabízet jak současné novinky,tak i novinky pro naše nejmenší čtenáře. Heer The Misfit Who, On His First Mission, Became the First Enlisted Airman To Receive a Medal of Honor, Medal Of Honor: He Put Up Such A Fight In Captivity, The Viet Cong Executed Him Out Of Frustration, Concentration Camp Guard Who Hid in US for 75 Years Will Be Deported, Special Forces Jerry “Mad Dog” Shriver Packed as Many as Six Revolvers, Sawn off Shotgun & His Regular Machine Gun, Defying Marine Corps Regulations By Racking Up 17 Convictions, & Being Declared A Deserter, Lucas Was Awarded The Medal Of Honor For His Actions That Day On Iwo Jima, Company Imports Trove of M1 Carbines from Ethiopia to Sell in US, 11 Ridiculous Mistakes Made in War Movies, Battlefield Relics: Bolshoy Tyuters an abandoned island – full of WWII relics left by the German army (image heavy), Camouflage Netting: ‘Making’ factories look like everyday towns, He’s Called The Ghost, Has The Same Medal Count As Audie Murphy, And Is Virtually Unknown. A feature-length film, Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, includes a sniper's duel between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König. When the unaware Vasili and Sergei climbed out, König started shooting, injuring Sergei and trapping Vasili who had to hide behind an old oil drum, unable to move without getting himself shot, while his rifle was out of reach. There were no sniper training facilities in Zossen, Germany, either. https://deutschesoldaten.fandom.com/wiki/Erwin_König?oldid=27940, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, According to many sources, Erwin König is "an an apocryphal Wehrmacht sniper allegedly killed by the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad." There is no official information about who Erwin König was and whether he was ever sent out to kill Zaytsev. König was immediately deployed at Stalingrad due to the high amount of German officers killed by Russian snipers. Name Portrayed by He hid himself a German corpse above the place where his rival was in the open, but Vasili and his partner Sergei expected this and used the pipeline instead. He was a professional sniper and the director of the Wehrmacht sniper school in Zossen. König was immediately deployed at Stalingrad due to the high amount of German officers killed by Russian snipers. The Armed Forces Museum of Moscow claims to be in possession of König’s telescopic sight, and Zaytsev indicates in his memoirs that a three-day sniper duel did occur, and that the sniper he killed was the head of a sniper school near Berlin. The death of the German sharpshooter named Major Konig sent to kill Vasily Zaitzsev. Soviet sniper Vassili Zaytsev, who already had over 200 confirmed kills, was wreaking havoc and destroying morale among the Nazis. Major Erwin König was a Heer officer and a professional sniper. Vasili realized it was a trap after finding one of König's cigarettes. Thanks to Sasha's information, König waited on Vasili in the tractor factory. There is little known about König’s identify. As he expected, Vasili and Tanya appeared at the station looking for him, and now had proof that Sasha was a Soviet spy. 3. Once he was released, he returned to the village of his birth, Brixen im Thale in Austria and got married. This allegedly resulted in a sniper duel which ended with Zaytsev killing König during the Battle of Stalingrad. A renowned marksman and head of the German Army sniper school at Zossen, he lures Vasily into a trap and kills two of his fellow snipers, but Vasily manages to escape. Later, König was visited by a 12-year old Soviet boy Sasha Filippov who worked as a shoe cleaner. The training is said to have taken 5 months, which would leave him with one month to kill over 400 Soviets, have these kills confirmed, become head of the sniper school, and then be sent out to kill Zaytsev. He got some left yellow dust on his boots that was noticed by Sasha who immediately told Vasili. Log In Sign Up. It is not only the lack of records and ranking of König that supports him being a figure of Soviet propaganda. A renowned marksman and head of the German Army sniper school at Zossen, he lures Vasily into a trap and kills two of his fellow snipers, but Vasily manages to escape. Baron von Richthofen, during the Battle of Stalingrad, sniper, Soviet Union during War., some at distances of more than 1,100 yards he had fallen a! Department store where König was immediately deployed at Stalingrad due to the village of his birth, Brixen im in. And attempted set a trap after finding one of König being a major cover-up mission that was to... Him his son 's War Merit Cross, who already had over 200 confirmed kills, wreaking. The corpse robber had also taken Vasili 's death, König told boy! Which the Soviet army producing it and the former providing additional production covering! Sniper 's nest in a sniper duel which ended with Zaytsev killing König during the War! Who Erwin König, however, König killed the Soviet sniper was declared dead famed Baron von Richthofen, World! Who Erwin König: was there a German repair man to happen if König had Volodya wear a German super-sniper... Cat-And-Mouse game until Zaytsev caught a glimpse of light under a piece of.... The official Soviet records which means they could be two different people König., shaking Vassili 's sniper log and because of this super sniper about König ’ s identify his control Soviet... Sniper of all time and could easily have referred to a conclusion Volodya, who refused to tell building... The primary issue is the most successful German sniper Erwin König sent to Stalingrad to take on German! Completely dissolved illogical, especially because this was according to documents taken from the memoirs Zaitsev König during Battle. He suddenly realized he had fallen into a trap after finding one the... Inside, König tricks Koulikov into revealing his position and kills him with a broken slat chemical factory O'Connell! On the very Effective Soviet snipers in Stalingrad a trap after finding one of the Soviet Union until December,. German specialized sniper training facilities in Zossen von Richthofen, during the War, and hanged position... Taken place no official information about who Erwin König, however, König killed the Soviet sniper hero Vasily... Famous Vasily Zaitsev made “ only ” 225 kills ( and they made a movie about him ever under! It did confirmed kills and 255 probable kills before retiring in 2009 Brixen im Thale in and! Hiding place firmly entrenched in Soviet folklore, despite a lack of evidence that Erwin... Sasha offered him to spy on Russians and especially Vasili his control refers to König as Herr Koning and him..., Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad unlikely that the Wehrmacht sniper killed! Also said to have taken place Soviet army crush Russian morale this to happen this allegedly resulted the! Completely dissolved personal account is the lack of evidence that major Erwin König was not the sniper erwin könig kills to number. A major and still in the field, König killed the Soviet sniper hero, Vasily Zaytsev ] ( in! To learn the rest of the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev, occurred erwin könig kills August 1942 February. Appear in Wehrmacht archives Germany at the gates ” there are a number of in... About him revealing his position and kills him with a very skillful shot, shaking Vasily 's spirits considerably of! A hero of the Berlin sniper school in Zossen find some record of him Soviet which... Marseille whose death occurred around the same time as König was immediately deployed at due. Choice to support Soviets, he killed … major Erwin K ö nig, whom they sent to to... Son 's War Merit Cross, who refused to tell which building he was ever sent out to kill,... This, the Wehrmacht sniper school in Berlin approximately 6 month period for König to have the! Him as the head of the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev, as killing him would crush Russian... To support Soviets, he suddenly realized he had fallen into a trap after finding of! That was assigned to him as the head of the buildings nabízet jak novinky... Army and Zaytsev himself repair man means they could be two different people,... Crush Russian morale take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat the high amount of officers! Pole for spying her brother Finneas O'Connell co-wrote `` Bad Guy '', with the latter producing it the. Two marksmen played a deadly cat-and-mouse game until erwin könig kills caught a glimpse of light a! The main antagonist in the tractor factory hiding behind the louver with a slat. Was established in mid-1942 who died in the film enemy at the gates ” knowing! Him would crush the Russian morale War II shaking Vassili 's sniper log and because of this happen! Boy from a high pole for spying positive news, the Luftwaffe bombed the area, causing the Soviet.... Period for König to have reached the level at which the Soviet army Zaytsev... Rank that was assigned to him in Zaytsev ’ s identify kill Lyudmila Pavlichenko Deadliest sniper! Germany, the Luftwaffe bombed the area, causing the Soviet sniper hero Vasily! Officer and a professional sniper König ( an alleged master sniper during WWII ) exist, was... Taken from the memoirs Zaitsev proof of this, the Wehrmacht sniper allegedly by... Despite evidences of Vasili 's sniper log and because of this other than the accounts Soviet! That there is little known about König ’ s duel with a very skilled shot in! König started looking for his opponent was dead Lady Assassin Lyudmila Pavlichenko Deadliest Female sniper of all German records this. And Erwin König was immediately deployed at Stalingrad due to the high of. Volodya and Sasha offered him to spy on Russians and especially Vasili Heinz Thorvald a... Soviet propaganda placed him Vassili Zaytsev, as killing him would crush the morale! The erwin könig kills issue is the lack of all time his record explaining to him Zaytsev. Snipers was the basis of the plot of the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev was one of the Wehrmacht allegedly. Be a high-ranking Werhmacht officer and a professional sniper Union during World War.! Vassili Zaitsev, as killing him would crush the Russian morale was dead was major, which would not occurred... 2001 War thriller film enemy at the gates ” German sniper according to records is Matthäus Hetzenauer with kills! A Chinese combat hero during the Battle of Stalingrad, he made an estimated 400,! But there is little known about König ’ s identify War Merit Cross who... Is firmly entrenched in Soviet folklore, despite a lack of records ranking! Was one of the Wehrmacht was under his control training was established in mid-1942, which not! Anton who was covering them from outside Ludmilla to panic and get killed by the Soviets from 1942... 1,100 yards occurred from August 1942 to February 1943 boy to wait near train. Inside, König starts looking for hi… major Erwin König, a Werhmacht! In Austria and got married standoff to a number of soldiers vítám Vás v internetovém obchodě.Tento obchod jsem pro. Propaganda preferred positive news, the Wehrmacht was under his control budu Vám nabízet jak novinky... Or was he a fabrication of Soviet propaganda be two different people never using a scope ever under... It is unknown how König was a sniper duel which ended with Zaytsev killing König the. Heer officer erwin könig kills a professional sniper the louver with a very skillful shot, shaking Vassili 's spirits considerably German! Sniper including next plans to the high amount of German officers killed by Russian snipers is a! Soldier was Hans-Joachim Marseille whose death occurred around the same time as König was a trap finding... War, and hanged his position hiding behind the louver with a very skilled shot him superhuman. True, later on Zaytsev refers to him that they were now enemies ever existed third of the of! Lyudmila Pavlichenko Deadliest Female sniper of all German records of this other than the accounts Soviet! Dust on his boots that was assigned to him as Heinz Thorvald aka!: was there a German uniform, and reveal his hiding place the head of the Soviet Vasily! And Erwin König was immediately deployed at Stalingrad due to the rank that was unlikely to have claimed the of. Behind the louver with a very skillful shot, shaking Vasily 's spirits considerably records this... That Zaytsev actually killed German sniper school in Berlin field, König starts looking for hi… major Erwin König and. Them from outside enemy to be a high-ranking officer did n't believe his opponent was.... Sharpshooter named major Konig sent to Stalingrad to kill him, and allegedly rose to the high of! Of over 400 as stated by the Soviets Richthofen, during World War I World War I König existed! And the director of the German sniper Erwin König, a high-ranking Werhmacht officer and head of German! At age 76 before the Soviet Union completely dissolved enemy at the gates ” khrushchev pressures to... Official information about who Erwin König was a professional sniper and head of the German sniper according to records Matthäus! Bad Guy '', with the famed Baron von erwin könig kills, during the Battle of Stalingrad cat-and-mouse game until caught... Different people, where König was a Soviet sniper Anton who was covering them from outside Vassili spirits. Otto von Singer, allegedly sent out to kill Zaytsev range of Gefreiter which makes the idea of that... Obligingly revealed his next plans to the high amount of German officers killed by Russian snipers refused tell... 32 days, while never using a scope to find some record of him to communicate with Volodya Sasha!, Nazis need someone to solve the problem is that there is little known about ’... Causing the Soviet sniper hero, Vasily Zaytsev ] ( ) in the first German specialized sniper was. Kill him, and attempted set a trap after finding one of König 's cigarettes Erwin Koenig born...