Vasily Zaytsev Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev ( ; 23 March 1915 – 15 December 1991 ) was a Soviet sniper during World War II , notable particularly for his activities between 10 November and 17 December 1942 , during the Battle of Stalingrad ; during this five - week period he killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies , including 11 enemy sniper s . Prior to 10 November , he had already killed 32 Axis soldiers with the standard - issue Mosin – Nagant rifle effective range of 900 meters . Between October 1942 and January 1943 , Zaytsev made an estimated 400 kills , some of which were over 1000 meters . Early life . Zaytsev was born in Yeleninskoye and grew up in the Ural Mountains , where he learned marksmanship by hunting deer and wolves with his grandfather and younger brother . He brought home his first trophy at the age of twelve : a wolf that he shot with a single bullet from his first personal weapon , a large single - barreled Berdan rifle , which he was just barely able to carry behind his back at the time . War career . Zaytsev served in the Soviet Navy as a clerk in Vladivostok . When Germany invaded the Soviet Union , Zaytsev , like many of his comrades , volunteered to be transferred to the front line . He was a chief petty officer in the Navy , and was assigned the rank of senior warrant officer upon transfer to the army . World War II . On 22 September 1942 , while still in training , Zaytsev and a comrade were hidden in one building , with a German sniper in another building . When Zaytsev ' s friend was shot by the German , Zaytsev found himself locked into a duel with the German sniper over the next three days . When Zaytsev finally killed his opponent , he examined the body expecting that the German was of high rank , but instead discovered that his victim was a regular soldier . During Zaytsev ' s career as a sniper , he would conceal himself in various locations – on high ground , under rubble , in water pipes , etc . After a few kills , he would change his position . Together with his partner Nikolay Kulikov , Zaytsev would exercise his hide and sting tactics . One of Zaytsev ’ s common tactics was to cover one large area from three positions , with two men at each point – a sniper and scout . This tactic , known as the “ sixes ” , is still in use today , and was implemented during the war in Chechnya . Zaytsev took part in the Battle of Stalingrad until January 1943 , when he suffered an injury to his eyes from a mortar attack . He was attended to by Vladimir Filatov , who is credited with restoring his sight . On 22 February 1943 , Zaytsev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union . He then returned to the front and finished the war in Seelow Heights in Germany with the military rank of Captain . Civil life . After the war , Zaytsev settled in Kiev , where he studied at a textile university before he obtained employment as an engineer . He rose to become the director of a textile factory in Kiev , and remained in that city until he died in 1991 at the age of 76 , just 10 days before the final dissolution of the Soviet Union . He was initially buried in Kiev despite his final request to be buried at Volgograd . 2006 commemoration . On 31 January 2006 , Vasily Zaytsev was reburied on Mamayev Kurgan in Stalingrad ( now Volgograd ) with full military honours . Zaytsev ' s dying wish was to be buried at the monument to the defenders of Stalingrad . His coffin was carried next to a monument where his famous quote is written : " For us there was no land beyond ( the ) Volga " . Colonel Donald Paquette of the US Sniper School was present and laid a wreath as a sign of respect to a legendary sniper . " US Army News " quoted Colonel Paquette : " Vasily Zaytsev is a legend and every American sniper must memorize his tactics and methods . He is a legend amongst snipers . May he rest in peace . " In popular culture . In 2001 , a feature length film , " Enemy at the Gates " , starring Jude Law as Zaytsev , was based on part of William Craig ' s book " Enemy at the Gates : The Battle for Stalingrad " , which includes a " sniper ' s duel " between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director , Major Erwin König . Zaytsev himself indicates in his own memoirs that a three - day duel did indeed occur and that the sniper he killed was the head of a sniper school near Berlin . However , there is no evidence that any Major Erwin König ever existed , despite the claim made by the Armed Forces Museum of Moscow that they are in possession of his telescopic sight .