Original sentence: However, no records of the SS ever being in Stalingrad have been found, and no active sniper was ever given a rank so high, as snipers were expected to serve on the battlefield, not to lead.Some of the facts that cast doubt upon the Soviet claims are:.The name Heinz Thorvald was arrogated by author David L.While Soviet sources pitted him against Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev in their propaganda of the time, neither the name Erwin König nor Heinz Thorvald have been found in any German records, and it is possible that he never actually existed
Edited sentence: Historians have continued to question the existence of this seemingly fictitious character.Listed below are a few of the reasons which suggest that he never existed:.No active sniper was ever given a rank as high as Major (Sturmbannführer), as snipers were expected to serve on the battlefield, not to lead.No records of the SS ever being in Stalingrad have been found.The name was arrogated by author David L.While Soviet sources pitted him against Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev in their propaganda of the time, neither the name Erwin König nor Heinz Thorvald have been found in any German records and some historians postulate that he never actually existed