Notes of a Russian Sniper: Vassili Zaitsev and the Battle of Stalingrad

‘As a sniper, I’ve killed more than a few Nazis. I have a passion for observing enemy behavior. You watch a Nazi officer come out of a bunker, acting all high and mighty, ordering his soldiers every which way, and putting on an air of authority. The officer hasn’t got the slightest idea that he only has seconds to live.’

Vassili Zaitsev’s account of the hell that was Stalingrad is moving and harrowing. This was a battle to the death – fighting street by street, brick by brick, living li…