Stories of Vasily Zaitsev. “It seemed as if I heard a bullet hitting the enemy’s head”: what feats did the Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Zaitsev become famous for

The Great Patriotic War was a time when the Soviet people showed what was called "mass heroism" in the official press. It really was massive - everyone, from young to old, was included in the battle with the Nazis, not sparing himself.

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 the war was the sniper Vasily Zaitsev.

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

Vasily grew up slowly in childhood, which is why his parents even had a fear that he would remain “small”. However, this did not bother the grandfather - he passed on to his grandson all the secrets of the skill of a taiga hunter. Although it is unlikely that little Vasya guessed where and when this science would come in handy.

Vasily Zaitsev graduated from a seven-year school, then a construction technical school with a degree in fittings, then accounting courses.

In 1937, Zaitsev was drafted into the army. Despite his low growth, the commission appreciated his good general physical development and sent him to the Pacific Fleet.

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

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

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

baptism by fire

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

On the night of September 22, 1942, the 284th Rifle Division successfully crossed the Volga, entering Stalingrad, where heavy fighting was in full swing.

The division immediately went into battle. And here an episode took place, which Vasily Zaitsev would later describe in his memoirs and which, in a very free interpretation, was included in the film "Stalingrad" Fyodor Bondarchuk.

Battalion Zaitsev led an attack on the positions of the Germans on the territory of the Stalingrad gas depot. The enemy, trying to stop the onslaught of the Soviet troops, set fire to the fuel tanks with artillery fire and air strikes. Here is how Zaitsev himself described what was happening in his book:

“Flames shot up over the base, gas tanks began to burst, the ground caught fire. Gigantic flames roared over the lines of attacking sailors with a deafening roar. Everything is on fire. Another minute - and we will turn into coals, into firebrands ...

Forward! Forward!

The soldiers and sailors, engulfed in fire, tore off their burning clothes on the move, but did not drop their weapons. An attack of naked burning people ... What the Nazis thought of us at that moment - I don’t know. Perhaps they mistook us for devils or saints, whom even the fire does not take, and therefore they fled without looking back. We kicked them out of the village adjacent to the gas depot, and stopped on the extreme western street, lay down 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 lips of the soldiers cracked, their mouths dried up, scorched hair stuck together - the teeth of the comb bent. But the battalion commander, Captain Kotov, was happy: the order had been fulfilled! The gas tanks were recaptured, they seized the unfinished red building, they seized the office of the hardware plant, the battles are going on in the shops and breaks of the asphalt and hardware plants!

So Zaitsev's battalion managed to drive the Germans out of their positions and gain a foothold in the city. So the “burned-out division” shown in Stalingrad did not actually die, but continued to successfully beat the Nazis.

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

Death from the oven

The Battle of Stalingrad differs from others in that it developed into a months-long street battle, where the methods of conventional warfare were ineffective. As a result, small assault groups and snipers became the main strike 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 stick out of shelters.

Here the skills of a taiga hunter helped Vasily Zaitsev a lot. He had excellent eyesight and hearing, iron restraint, 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 oven, from which the entrances to the Nazi dugouts were clearly visible, as well as the basement, which served as a kitchen for the Nazis. In one evening, Zaitsev eliminated 10 enemy soldiers.

Only for 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 liquidated 6,000 enemy soldiers and officers during this period.

Duel of two aces

The fame of Zaitsev's exploits also spread to the other side of the front line. The German command, in order to eliminate the Soviet sniper, called its specialist from Berlin - the head of the sniper school, whom Zaitsev calls in his memoirs " Major Koenig».

According to a number of historians, Zaitsev's opponent was the head of the sniper school in Zossen, SS Standartenführer Heinz Thorwald.

Koenig-Torvald managed to eliminate several Soviet snipers, after which Zaitsev began a counter 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. Sat down until dawn. The Nazis fired at crossings across the Volga. It was dawning quickly, and with the advent of the day, the battle developed with renewed vigor. But neither the roar 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 out the first half of the day, as the brilliance of the optics could give us away. After lunch, our rifles were in the shade, and the direct rays of the sun fell on the fascist position. Something glittered at the edge of the sheet: a random piece of glass or an optical sight? Kulikov carefully, as only the most experienced sniper can do, began to raise his helmet. The fascist fired. The Nazi thought that he had finally killed the Soviet sniper, whom he had been hunting for four days, and stuck out half his head from under the sheet. That's what I was counting on. Hit it right. The fascist's head sank, and the optical sight of his rifle, without moving, shone in the sun until evening ... "

The German's documents and rifle were delivered to the division commander. It turned out that Zaitsev's opponent had an optic with a 10x magnification on his weapon, while the Soviet sniper only had a 4x magnification. 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 1126 Nazis.

The battle ended for the sniper in January 1943, when he was severely wounded and lost his sight. The hero was taken to Moscow, where he was operated on by Professor Filatov himself, who returned the sniper the ability to see.

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

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

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

Captain Vasily Zaitsev met the victorious May 1945 in Kyiv, 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

In the same place, in Kyiv, Vasily Zaitsev spent a peaceful post-war life after demobilization.

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

The Zaitsev rifle is now kept in the Volgograd City Defense Museum 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 Ukraine, striving for independence, Bandera's shortcomings and their young like-minded people raised their heads.

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-arms on Mamaev Kurgan in Stalingrad.

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

Vasily Zaitsev was again remembered in Russia in 2001, when the film Enemy at the Gates dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad was released in Hollywood. his main storyline there was a fight between Zaitsev and Major Koenig. The blockbuster, in which the role of Zaitsev went to actor Jude Law, looked like a frank "cranberry", but nevertheless allowed the memory of the hero of Stalingrad to be returned from oblivion in Russia.

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

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

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

Born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elininsk, now the Agapovsky district of the Chelyabinsk region, in a peasant family. In 1930 he received the specialty of a fitter at the FZU school (now SPTU No. 19 in 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, the sniper of the 1047th Infantry Regiment (284th Infantry Division, 62nd Army, Stalingrad Front) Junior Lieutenant V. G. Zaitsev destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers. Directly at the forefront, he taught sniper business to fighters and commanders, trained 28 snipers. On February 22, 1943, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

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

Demobilized after the war. He worked as the director of the Kyiv Machine-Building Plant. Awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), Patriotic War 1st degree, medals. His name is the ship plying 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 the talent of a magnificent shooter lived in Vasily Zaitsev. Zaitsev and the rifle were, as it were, a single whole.

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

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 on the initiative of the remarkable sniper Vasily Zaitsev, and then spread to all parts of the army.

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

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

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

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

Already in the first battles with the enemy, Vasily Zaitsev showed himself to be an outstanding shooter. Once the battalion commander called Zaitsev and pointed out the window. A fascist fled 800 meters away. The sailor took careful aim. A shot rang out and the German fell. A few minutes later, 2 more invaders appeared at 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, Zaitsev had killed 32 Nazis from a simple "three-ruler". Soon they started talking about him in the regiment, division, army.

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

It is not entirely true that only with the advent of a certain age we are literally “covered with a wave of nostalgia” when we hear the melody of youth, or see some attributes of that time. Even quite Small child begins to yearn for his favorite toy, if someone took it away or hid it. We are all, to some extent, in love with old things, because they keep the spirit of an entire era in themselves. It is not enough for us to read about it in books or on the Internet. We want to have a real antique that you can touch and smell. Just remember your feelings when you picked up a Soviet-era book with slightly yellowed pages exuding a sweetish aroma, especially when turning over them, or when you looked at black and white photographs of your parents or grandparents, those with an uneven white border. By the way, for many, such shots remain the most beloved so far, despite the low quality of such shots. The point here is not in the image, but in that feeling of spiritual warmth that fills us when they come across our eyes.

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A mass sniper movement arose in the autumn of 1941. And already in January 1942, over 4,200 fighters participated in the “fighter competitions”. More and more often, unplanned “decorations” appeared in the German trenches: signs with threatening inscriptions “Caution! Shooting Russian sniper.

A patriotic movement of sniper fighters was born in the NKVD, a once very formidable department headed by Lavrenty Beria. The border troops of the NKVD, as well as the destruction battalions and rifle divisions of the NKVD, turned out to be the most prepared for the war against the Nazi invaders. Apparently, due to the fact that later Beria was shot as an "enemy of the people", in Soviet historiography, the feat of the border guards and fighters of the NKVD divisions was not given due attention. But in the border battles with the Nazis, the fighters in green caps knocked out six times more enemies than they themselves lost. The Germans never had such a ratio of losses again throughout the Second World War. The divisions of the NKVD troops played their significant role during the defense of Moscow in the autumn of 1941 and in 1942, when the enemy broke through to Stalingrad. Divisions were dying, sometimes losing more than 80% of their personnel in battles, but they did not retreat ...

The movement of fighters from the structure of the NKVD quickly spread to the entire Red Army. It was attended by artillerymen, mortarmen, tankers, who learned to hit the enemy, like snipers - from the first shot.

On the Stalingrad front, the military glory of the sniper Vasily Zaitsev thundered.

Who is he - the sniper Zaitsev, who in the period from November 10 to December 17, 1942, in the battles for Stalingrad, destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers, including 11 snipers?

The war found Vasily in the Far East, in Preobrazhenie Bay on the Pacific Ocean, where he served as chief foreman.

He was born into a peasant family in the Urals, worked, graduated from the seven-year plan, was drafted into the Navy. An excellent business manager, an expert in his field. But then the war began, and he rushes to the front, but not everyone is taken there. Nearby is your enemy in the face of Japan. In Manchuria, on the border with the USSR, the millionth Kwantung Army is located ...

But, apparently, the information of the famous Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge, which reached Stalin, played a role, that Japan had found another enemy in the Far East, and by order of the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, Marshal Shaposhnikov, they were pulled from Siberia and Far East echelons with troops, first near Moscow, and then near Stalingrad. There were not very many troops, but this was the very case about which they say "the spool is small, but expensive." These were personnel units, well trained and regularly armed. They played a very important role in the war.

In September 1942, as part of a combined detachment of sailors, Vasily was sent to the Stalingrad Front, to the 62nd Army of General Chuikov, to the 284th Rifle Division, and the 1047th Rifle Regiment.

On September 22, 1942, having crossed to the right bank of the Volga, the fighters of the division immediately entered the battle and broke into the territory of the Stalingrad hardware plant. They were opposed by the troops of General Paulus - in Germany they were also called Hitler's guards.

But the Pacific did not give up, showing unprecedented perseverance. For five days and nights there were fierce battles for every workshop, floor, flight of stairs. In one of the hand-to-hand fights, Zaitsev received a bayonet wound in the shoulder, but did not leave the battle. His comrade, shell-shocked in battle, loaded his rifle, and Vasily fired at the Germans. Shot and didn't miss. The grandson of the Ural hunter turned out to be a worthy student of his grandfather. From a simple three-ruler without a sniper scope, he destroyed 32 Nazis.

“Enemy machine gunners did a lot of damage to us,” the hero of Stalingrad recalled. There was no life. At first, wanting to somehow alleviate the situation, I removed the machine gunners, but they were immediately replaced by new ones. He began to break the sights of machine guns, but this required high accuracy of hitting. In the end, it became clear that I would not do the weather alone ... By decision of the Komsomol meeting of the regiment, supported by the unit commander, a school was opened in the hardware workshops, where I trained the first ten snipers ... "

On the front line, the “hare”, as his students in the 62nd Army were called, worked in pairs, insuring each other and knocking out enemy officers, machine gunners, rangefinders, signalmen in the first place ...

Zaitsev was especially famous for the sniper duel with the German “super-sniper”, whom Vasily himself calls Major Koening in his memoirs (according to other sources, this is the head of the sniper school in Zossen, SS Standartenführer Heinz Thorwald), sent to Stalingrad with a special task to kill Russian snipers, and in first of all - to destroy Zaitsev himself. And Vasily, in turn, was given the task of destroying the eminent German. After one of the Soviet snipers had an optical sight broken by a bullet, and another was wounded in the same area, Zaitsev still managed to establish the position of the enemy ... And Standartenfuehrer Torvald died.

In January 1943, Zaitsev was seriously shell-shocked and could not see. His sight was saved by the famous Professor Filatov in a Moscow hospital. And on February 22, 1943, Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The story of Vasily Grigorievich about how he destroyed 242 Nazis in two months of fighting and trained 28 snipers right at the forefront (and they liquidated another 1106 Nazis), the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army published a brochure, and Vasily himself was sent to improve his skills at the Higher Shooting Command Courses Composition "Shot". After graduation, Vasily fought again, participated in the liberation of Donbass and Odessa, the battle for the Dnieper and the Berlin operation. And again he was seriously injured ...

Upon recovery, his comrades-in-arms handed him his own sniper rifle on the steps of the Reichstag, which became a relic in his native division and was passed on to the best shooter. Now this rifle is on display at the Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad in Volgograd. And the Mauser rifle with a tenfold Zeiss sight, which belonged to the German Standartenführer, whom Vasily shot in Stalingrad, can be seen in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow.

The mere mention of the name of the sniper Vasily Zaitsev terrified the Nazi soldiers.

SPECIALLY to hunt for him, Hitler sent the super shooter of the Third Reich, Major Koenig, to Stalingrad, who had not returned to Berlin: Zaitsev’s bullet got him too. The famous story of the duel of the best shooters of World War II was the basis for the plot of the Hollywood film "Enemy at the Gates".

IN JANUARY 1943, Zaitsev was seriously wounded and ended the war on the Dniester. After the Victory, he settled in Kyiv, where he found his one and only Zinochka, who became his faithful wife and reliable friend. 14 years ago, Vasily Grigorievich passed away. For objective reasons, it was not possible to fulfill then the order of his spouse - to bury him on the Mamaev Kurgan next to his comrades-in-arms.

And now, 92-year-old Zinaida Sergeevna decided to remove the stone from her soul and rebury her husband's ashes on the land that he defended, not sparing his life, and which made him a hero for all time.

An agreement was reached between the mayors of Kyiv and Volgograd that this ceremony should take place on January 31.

Recently they visited Kyiv on a visit to the widow of Vasily Zaitsev. Zinaida Sergeevna told our correspondents about some little-known facts of the biography of her legendary husband.

About accuracy, reward and Chuikov

WHEN little Vasya asked his grandfather-hunter to shoot from a rifle, he made a bow for him and said: as soon as you learn to hit a squirrel in the eye with it, you will get a gun. The grandson turned out to be capable and after a few days received a rifle, from which he later skillfully fired at the wolves. After all, in Stalingrad, he shot from an ordinary rifle for a whole month. He filled so many fascists that rumors reached Chuikov: “Well, bring me this Zaitsev.” I looked at him and… handed him a real sniper rifle…

About awarding him the title of Hero Zaitsev learned by accident. When he hit a mine and went blind, he was sent to Moscow. The operation was successful. Somehow he lies with other fighters in the ward, and on the radio they announce that "Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union." He generally missed it, and a ward mate jumps up to him, claps on the shoulder: “Vaska, so they gave you a Hero!”

After the hospital, he again returned to Chuikov. Vasily Grigorievich had a very reverent relationship with him, almost brotherly, although at the front Chuikov beat Zaitsev with a stick a couple of times. Soviet propaganda constantly idealized our army commanders and front-line life. And the same Chuikov, after all, was of simple peasant blood, he could send a message to his mother and shout. There were all sorts of things at the front - they loved to party, and drink more than the front-line 100 grams, for which Chuikov could beat. Anyone!

Few people know that up to the age of 75 Vasily Grigorievich shot as skillfully as during the Battle of Stalingrad. I remember once he was invited to assess the training of young snipers. When they fired back, the commander says: "Well, Vasily Grigorievich, shake the old days." Zaitsev takes a rifle, and all three bullets are in the bullseye. Instead of soldiers, he received the cup.

About work, wedding and fun company

AFTER the war, Vasily Grigorievich was first the commandant of the Pechersky district in Kyiv, then the director of an auto repair plant, the director of the garment factory "Ukraine", then he headed the technical school of light industry.

I, too, was not such a simple Kiev woman (laughs). We met when I served as secretary of the party bureau of the machine-building plant. Then they took me to the regional party committee. We had a wonderful relationship, but even thoughts of any romance did not arise. Once Zaitsev called me: “Zinaida Sergeevna, can you run in?” I come, and besides him in the office - a lady. Handing me some papers! The lady, it turns out, is the head of the registry office. I was taken aback, I clapped my eyes, I looked at Zaitsev. And he told me so strictly: “Sign, I tell you! Sign!" So I became Zaitseva. No wedding white dress and "bitter!" we did not have.

When we just got married, I immediately took him to a closed studio at the regional committee. Dressed from head to toe. A hero is a hero, but in such positions it was also necessary to look your best, and then he didn’t have extra trousers. We left the studio, he hugs me and says: “No one has ever paid such attention to me ...”

You see, I respected him, but there were no Italian passions in our relationship. At that time I was no longer 18 years old, my previous marriage was behind me, my son was an adult ... Vasily loved me very much, he could not breathe - not all women were so lucky. And I have been behind him all the years like a stone wall. We quarreled once in several decades ...

With a hero, especially - SUCH, everyone wanted to be friends. And somehow he had a merry company. They began to gather periodically in our house. Once I could not stand it and asked everyone to leave. To this, Vasily said: “If you don’t understand me, I’m leaving for my place in the Urals.” I packed my things, took a ticket to Chelyabinsk and disappeared for a week. I decided for myself: either he realizes his mistake and returns, or he will continue to arrange Sabantu, and I will lose him anyway. Zaitsev is back. Silently opened the door with his key, silently hugged me, had dinner, went to bed. I didn’t ask him then, nor many years later, and he didn’t say anything. We just forgot everything, like a bad dream.

About a foreigner, a nurse and people's memory

There were no less legends about the MATERIAL blessings that were then given to the heroes than about themselves. Of course, there were those who were given five-room mansions on Khreshchatyk and on the Volga a year, but it was definitely not Zaitsev. They gave him an apartment, but without special rooms for servants, as they said behind his back then. We bought the car ourselves. We didn't have a cottage. Abroad, he was only in the GDR and Czechoslovakia. In Germany, there was a military unit to which Zaitsev was assigned for life. There he had "his" bunk and bedside table. And somehow he met with the inhabitants of the GDR in the club. A woman rises in the hall and says that she is the daughter of that same Koenig. Zaitsev was quickly removed from the stage and sent from Germany to Kyiv on the same day. They were afraid that they would kill them out of revenge, because he sent more than 300 Nazis to the next world.

Every time we came to Mamaev Kurgan, Vasily recalled that he had been buried fifteen times at the front, but he was alive. It was beneficial for the Nazis to start rumors that Zaitsev himself had finally been shot. True, once he was actually almost buried alive. After being severely wounded, he lay unconscious in the hospital. And just then the orderlies went to the hospital to collect the dead. They see Zaitsev lying and not breathing, so they took him away. When they began to fill up with earth, Vasily moved his hand. Thank God the nurse saw it. Vasily corresponded with this girl for many years.

...Today there is a lot of debate about how to talk about the war. I think it should be done honestly. No ideology. But the main thing is that neither in 60 years, nor in 100 years, it should be forgotten. This is OUR pride. And it doesn't matter who Zaitsev was - Russian, Tatar or Ukrainian. He defended the country, from which now 15 small states have turned out. There were millions like him. And they should know about them. In each of these 15 states...