The Unknown Soldier of Stalingrad: Vasily Zaitsev's Real Story

While the movie 'Enemy at the Gates' dramatized the sniper duel, the real Vasily Zaitsev trained 28 snipers (including his 11-year-old sister) during the Battle of Stalingrad. He claimed 225 confirmed kills. The famous 'duel' with 'Major Konig' may have been Soviet propaganda. What the movies don't tell you: Zaitsev was actually temporarily blinded by a mortar explosion at the end of the battle and was declared medically unfit. He was treated by Professor Vladimir Filatov, who performed experimental corneal transplants using tissue from recently deceased soldiers. Zaitsev regained his sight and lived until 1991.