Read the book "War of the Rats"

Rating: Null/10 (18 March 2001)

David L. Robbins wrote an account of the sniper duel which took place during the Battle of Stalingrad. It is a gripping tale. The book diverges factually from the film Enemy at the Gates. For example, in the book, Zaitsev starts his military career as a naval clerk pressed into infantry service. Also, the book's German sniper is SS Colonel Thorvald, rather than Wehrmacht Major Konig. The book also presents much of the fieldcraft used by the snipers on both sides. Crucially, the book's plot is much more credible than the film's.
The film is beautifully photographed and the actors are skilled but the story is not nearly as good as the book's.
Some of the other reviewers mention the film "Stalingrad", the Wehrmacht's view of the battle. That is an excellent film and I highly recommend it. It's the German infantryman's "Das Boot".