War of the Rats
Encyclopedia
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.
and the Soviets
set in Stalingrad, Soviet Union
. The battle is declared by Viktor Tabori to be "Rattenkrieg"; translated, War of the Rats.
The story focuses in on the lives of two expert snipers, a Russian and a German, each with the goal of killing the other. The two snipers, Army Chief Master Sergeant Vasily Zaytsev of the Red Army
and SS Colonel Heinz Thorvald
of the German army, are equally matched. However, the story is complicated when a woman sniper Tania Chernova becomes one of Vasily's most talented assistants, and Zaitzev's battlefield lover.
The book has sold worldwide in over 20 languages, and was on the NY Times bestseller list.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fiction novel written by David L. Robbins in 1999.
The movie 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....
is partially based on this book.
Plot summary
The plot focuses on a 1942 battle between the Nazi GermansNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and the Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
set in Stalingrad, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The battle is declared by Viktor Tabori to be "Rattenkrieg"; translated, War of the Rats.
The story focuses in on the lives of two expert snipers, a Russian and a German, each with the goal of killing the other. The two snipers, Army Chief Master Sergeant Vasily Zaytsev of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and SS Colonel Heinz Thorvald
Erwin König
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...
of the German army, are equally matched. However, the story is complicated when a woman sniper Tania Chernova becomes one of Vasily's most talented assistants, and Zaitzev's battlefield lover.
The book has sold worldwide in over 20 languages, and was on the NY Times bestseller list.