Erwin Konig | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Unknown Nazi Sniper |
| Born | Erwin Konig or Heinz Thorvald Unknown Germany |
| Died | 1943 Stalingrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
Cause of death | Killed (By Vasily Zaitsev) |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Wehrmacht Heer or Waffen-SS |
Service years | Unknown |
Rank | Heer Major (Heer), SS-Sturmbannführer (Waffen-SS) |
Conflicts | Battle of Stalingrad |
Erwin König was reported to have been a German Heer Officer in the Wehrmacht the regular military of Germany or was an Officer in the Waffen-SS who was a sniper killed by the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev during the Battle of Stalingrad.[1][2] Due to the lack of any German records proving the existence of König and his achievements, there is some doubt as to whether he existed at all or was an invention of Soviet propaganda. According to the official Soviet account, the sniper was SS major Heinz Thorvald and was considered the best sniper in the entire German military. Zaitsev, however, stated in his autobiography that he'd been told the German's name was Erwin Konig. Whichever his name, according to the Soviets, he was reassigned from his role as a sniping instructor and sent to Stalingrad specifically to kill Zaitsev once the Germans learned the Russians were using Zaitsev's accomplishments in their propaganda to boost morale.[3] However, there's no official record of anyone by either name having served in either the German army or the SS.
König is mentioned both in Zaitsev's memoir Notes of a Russian Sniper: Vassili Zaitsev and the Battle of Stalingrad (a "Major Konings", potentially SS) and William Craig's 1973 non-fiction book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad.[4] According to Zaitsev, his duel with König took place over a period of three days in the ruins of Stalingrad.[1] In a post-war visit to Berlin, Zaitsev was allegedly confronted by a woman who told him that she was König's daughter, with Soviet authorities quickly evacuating Zaitsev to avoid any confrontation.[5]
In popular culture
A fictionalized account of the duel in the film Enemy at the Gates portrays Erwin König—played by Ed Harris—as the head of the Wehrmacht Sniper School for the Wehrmacht’s Heer (ground army).[6] He is sent to Stalingrad to take on the increasingly aggressive Soviet snipers.[7] Initially he is successful, killing four of Zaitsev's partners, but eventually he is outwitted by the Russian, portrayed by Jude Law.[8]
The duel between Thorvald and Zaitsev is the subject of David L. Robbins' 2000 novel War of the Rats.
Ramón Rosanas wrote a comic about the conflict between Zaitsev and König.[9]
References
- Zaitsev, Vasily (2010). Okrent, Neil (ed.). Notes of a Russian Sniper: Vassili Zaitsev and the Battle of Stalingrad. Frontline. p. 193. ISBN 9781848325654.
- Craig, William (2000). Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad. Reader's Digest Press. p. 457. ISBN 0141390174. OCLC 613817.
- "The Mythical German Sniper From the 'Enemy at the Gates' Who Challenged Vasily Zaitsev". warhistoryonline. 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- Naughton, John (28 February 2013). "War mentality: How a man boosted the morale in Stalingrad". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- "Vassili Zaitsev (Russian)". Fakty (in Russian). Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
- MP Film Management. "Famous snipers in history". CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc. p. 10. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- Seitz, Matt Zoller (28 March 2001). "Ed Harris in Enemy at the Gates". NY Press. Straus News. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- Jones, Robert (30 September 2016). "Best Netflix films: top movies to check out now". T3.com. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- Jiménez, Jesús (19 August 2013). "Ramón Rosanas lleva al cómic al famoso francotirador ruso Vasili Záitsev". Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2019.