Customer Reviews

NOTES OF A RUSSIAN SNIPER

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Considering I have waited years to get this account it was a bit disappointing and it took quite a bit of determination to actually finish it. But I told myself it was probably heavily influenced by what was and what was not permissable to write and publish in the Soviet Union in 1956 and again in 1971.
It certainly is not a 'Sniper's Handbook'. One could get the impression that he made a few spectacular 'kills' and was then content to be an instructor to new recruits. Those who know the story better realise this was not the case and that he continued on as an active and very successful sniper during much of the battle.
Rather it is a rambling and somewhat dis-jointed account of Zaitsev's overall experiences from 1937, when he joined the navy and was posted to Vladivostok, to life under constant artillery, mortar and sniper fire in Stalingrad in 1942.
If you are interested in the Battle for Stalingrad then YOU MUST READ IT, but be prepared for disappointment, especially with the frequent mention of the Germans' use of explosive bullets in everyday sniping and general fighting. So far as I know explosive bullets were not used by the Germans until 1944, long after the Battle was over. Perhaps that is the Soviet publishers' propaganda licence coming through ???

This book was interesting though not all that well written in my opinion. It seemed a bit disjointed at times but then if the sniper, Zaitsev, was indeed the book's author I suppose one should not expect a polished account. The most annoying feature of the book for me was Zaitsev's blindness to any Soviet brutality. To hear him tell it only the Germans were guilty of any excesses. That does not square with other accounts of the horrific fighting on World War Two's eastern front. I much prefer memoirs which more honestly recount not only the honorable and courageous exploits of your fellow warriors but the regrettable events as well.

Notes of a Russian Sniper by Vassili Zaitsev is a very fair book. I wanted to give it five stars but could in good conscience give it only three because the book has some annoying issues.

First, the first sixty pages are really disjoined. The reader isn't given a linear time line like he was born here, grew up doing this, went to school, was skilled at that, joined the Soviet Navy, and then volunteered to fight at Stalingrad. Instead the first sixty pages are jumbled and the typical reader will lose track of why the first few chapters have titles. It's not until page fifty-seven where Vassili becomes a sniper that the book goes over to a regular linear style and it becomes a wildly good read. Indeed, if the book had been a hundred pages longer it would have shot up to four to five stars.

Now, this book was used as a rough guide for Enemy at the Gates [Blu-ray]. The story of using a piece of glass (mirror) to blind a German sniper was true but, of course, the circumstances are completely different. There was a German sniper ace sent to destroy Vassili but the issue was never really in doubt and they shot him in less than a day. The method of the German's destruction was very matter-of-fact and the movie seemed to use a technique that worked in real life but didn't work when shown in the movie. Vassili did try to romance a nurse when he would show up at the local battlefield aid station for treatment of various injuries: what would incapacitate an American soldier was merely stitched up for the typical Soviet and sent back to the front. Anyway, that nurse treated Vassili as more of an annoyance so the romance goes no where.

Now, the part that is important for modern soldiers or amateur snipers starts on page 162. This tells of the importance of the Sniper's notebook and data sheets. Vassili stresses that a good sniper must take very good notes of the battlefield. Now, in his hunts for the German snipers he will go as far as counting the piles of expended artillery shell cases and noting that in his data book. One German sniper is found because the count of shell cases does not match the previous day. All objects of note have their ranges written down. Next, Vassili reprimands some of his snipers that they have not properly zeroed their weapons and miss targets of opportunity. This chapter is timeless in its advice. Modern soldiers can learn a lot from Vassili at this point.

Now, a lot of older readers, because of the Cold War and Vietnam, have a bias against the Communists. Some of those biases are confirmed. Vassili was assigned to a penal detail to fight at the front until wounded. Note this was done while his paperwork was sent in for becoming a Hero of the Soviet Union, an award equal to the US Congressional Metal of Honor. Such was the power and uncaring nature of the old Soviet Union. Next, Vassili comments on a constantly drunk Lieutenant Fedasov. Soviet Units had a notorious reputation for drunkenness. It would not be uncommon for a Soviet Union to expend great cost and take a position from the Nazi's only to have the whole unit get drunk and be destroyed in a German counterattack. Vassili honestly does not mind that a superior officer is in a constant state of inebriation.

There are lots of foot notes one almost every other page. These are used to explain some sort of Russian slang or expression. Some are good but the vast majority of the sayings doesn't translate well or are translated badly with the book's writer then giving an English approximation of the saying. Why that saying was not used in the first place is an example of bad editing. Since the book was taken from Vassili's remembrances, were written down by his writer, and then were later translated means that some things will get lost in the translation.

In closing this book is extremely good. It's just that it's disjointed nature and some poor translations cost it two stars. Indeed, I've read some books by former WWII German soldiers and they are fantastically good. It helps they knew some English and their translators were far more intimate with German than more difficult Russian language

I have always admired the World War II Russian snipers, and this memoir was the perfect companion to my war book shelf! A great read! Zaitsev does extol the virtues of Soviet Russia a bit excessively, but other than that, it's an amazing book.

Book was written from the perspective of a life long hard line communist. Not one word in the book critical of Russian soldiers, generals or Stalin. The writer gives the impression every German soldier was a war criminal, every Russian was pure as the new winter snow.

The communist propaganda greatly detracts from the story.

If you are looking for detailed instruction on how to be a sniper this is not your book. The U S military has many books on that subject. If you want to get a feel for what it was like to be a Russian Sniper in Stalingrad during WW2 then this is the book to read. I found it to be a page turner about his experiences. Vassili Zaitsev through out the book repeatedly says that a sniper can not and should not work alone. He must talk and work with his fellow soldiers to get the lay of the land and to find enemy snipers. Through his experiences and the information he provides you do learn how a sniper should work under the conditions he was in.

There appeared to be at my place of work so much interest in my first copy of this Book, that after I read it I loaned it to a co-worker who up to now has not returned it. This book is a very comprehensivly(sic?) detailed account by one of, if not the most well-known Russian Snipers of the WWII era. It not only covers his actions during that time but reference is also made of the Movie "Enemy at the Gates" and the "literay license" that movie makers are known for. I especially enjoyed the emphasis placed on the mundane subjects that all combat survivors live through such as shortages of food water clothing and additional support from the higher echoleons of their respective services. And yet despite this the everyday soldier continues to "Carry On" day after day until the Battles cease or their lives are cut short.

This book is written with incredible detail, much more like a diary or journal that was written as it happened than memoirs written much later. For military history buffs or those who want a peek into the mindset of a sniper, this book is invaluable!

I became interested in the battle of Stalingrad after watching the movie "Enemy at the Gates" with Jude Law. The movie is a travesty to the actual events and the portrayal of Vassily Zaitsev. If you want to know the real story of Vassily Zaitsev and the battle of Stalingrad, read this book then read the book by William Craig, "Enemy at the Gates". The movie was pure entertainment with no real historical value, this book is the real thing. It is also written in a fashion that is not just about his military life/exploits. It goes through his childhood and discusses many of the horrors he witnessed as a soldier, not just what he did as a sniper for the Red Army.

I bought this book for history class for my son, a 16 year old who doesn't generally sit down and read anything. Well, he's reading this voluntarily and not even complaining about writing the summaries required for the class. He actually turned off the TV in order to read this book! It may not be something I'd ever pick up for myself, but I'll give it a good review because it caught, and held, his attention.