Erwin König
Encyclopedia
Erwin König and Heinz Thorvald are names of an apocryphal highly skilled Wehrmacht
sniper
allegedly killed by the legendary Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev. König is depicted in fictional accounts as a ruthless Bavarian
aristocrat pitted against the shepherd
Vasily Zaytsev. In the fictionalised account of these events in the film Enemy At The Gates
, he is killed at the Stalingrad train yard by Zaytsev.
American author David L. Robbins used the name of Heinz Thorvald in his 1999 novel War of the Rats
. This story portrays Thorvald (König) as an SS
-Standartenführer
who was originally an instructor at the Wehrmacht
underground headquarters in Zossen
. However, aside from a few staff officers, no SS division fought in Stalingrad and no active sniper had such a high rank. German snipers were not employed in units but were deployed as Jäger
s. The Red Army, conversely, deployed snipers in large units up to battalion strength. Zaytsev was a Junior Lieutenant (мла́дший лейтена́нт) and eventually Captain (капита́н) of a Russian sniper unit.(Photo shows German sniper using the mauser 98k rifle with Russian PE scope mounted. This set-up was unusual but local German Waffenmeisters of Infantry Bns, did mount captured Russian optics to the standard German 98k)
There is great debate over wether the legendary WWII German sniper that was sent to Stalingrad to dispatch of Vasili Zaitzev was Konig, Thorvald, or even wether he existed at all. In fact in the actual Soviet war records, it originally showed up as a Maj. Erwin Konig, which is in fact a very basic and plain German Name at the time. In Vasili Zaitsev's war memoirs, he later refers to him as Heinz Thorvald, which was yet another popular German name in that time period. Thorvald seems to be the name that is used more now, and its confusing as to which it was, and if they were the same person, or one was a mistake, or wether the German Super Sniper was fabricated by the Soviet press to represent the German army, or German snipers on a "whole", and that the story was just a means of providing morale for the Soviet troops. The two names are on official Soviet war records, but there is no record of either name in the German record books (not to say they couldn't have removed the name to save grace).
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
allegedly killed by the legendary Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev. König is depicted in fictional accounts as a ruthless Bavarian
Bavarian
Bavarian is the adjective form of the German state of Bavaria, and refers to people of ancestry from Bavaria. Bavarian may also refer to:* Austro-Bavarian, a group of closely related dialects of German, spoken in parts of Bavaria, most of Austria and the Alto Adige/Südtirol* Bavarian cream, a...
aristocrat pitted against the shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
Vasily Zaytsev. In the fictionalised account of these events in the film Enemy At The Gates
Enemy at the Gates
Enemy at the Gates is a 2001 war film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins and Ed Harris set during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II....
, he is killed at the Stalingrad train yard by Zaytsev.
American author David L. Robbins used the name of Heinz Thorvald in his 1999 novel War of the Rats
War of the Rats
War of the Rats is a World War II fiction novel written by David L. Robbins in 1999.The movie Enemy at the Gates is partially based on this book.-Plot summary:...
. This story portrays Thorvald (König) as an SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
-Standartenführer
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
who was originally an instructor at the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
underground headquarters in Zossen
Zossen
Zossen is a German town in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, and next to the B96 highway. Zossen consists of several smaller municipalities, which were grouped together in 2003 to form the city.-Geography:...
. However, aside from a few staff officers, no SS division fought in Stalingrad and no active sniper had such a high rank. German snipers were not employed in units but were deployed as Jäger
Jäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
s. The Red Army, conversely, deployed snipers in large units up to battalion strength. Zaytsev was a Junior Lieutenant (мла́дший лейтена́нт) and eventually Captain (капита́н) of a Russian sniper unit.(Photo shows German sniper using the mauser 98k rifle with Russian PE scope mounted. This set-up was unusual but local German Waffenmeisters of Infantry Bns, did mount captured Russian optics to the standard German 98k)
There is great debate over wether the legendary WWII German sniper that was sent to Stalingrad to dispatch of Vasili Zaitzev was Konig, Thorvald, or even wether he existed at all. In fact in the actual Soviet war records, it originally showed up as a Maj. Erwin Konig, which is in fact a very basic and plain German Name at the time. In Vasili Zaitsev's war memoirs, he later refers to him as Heinz Thorvald, which was yet another popular German name in that time period. Thorvald seems to be the name that is used more now, and its confusing as to which it was, and if they were the same person, or one was a mistake, or wether the German Super Sniper was fabricated by the Soviet press to represent the German army, or German snipers on a "whole", and that the story was just a means of providing morale for the Soviet troops. The two names are on official Soviet war records, but there is no record of either name in the German record books (not to say they couldn't have removed the name to save grace).