VASSILI THE WOLF HUNTER

 Vassili Zaitsev was a legendary Russian sniper at the siege of Stalingrad

German soldiers on the whole did not know the name of this mountain lad

He set fear and dread into the invader’s hearts with his cold hunter’s eye

And no German soldier in his sights was safe beneath the harsh winter sky

 

The political commissars tried to turn him into a hero of the Russian peoples

But Vassili saw himself simply as the young wolf hunter from the Urals

Despite the propaganda his record shows he went about his work without pity

His kills reaching two hundred and forty-two during the siege of the city

 

It can only be surmised what impact his deeds had on the battles out come

Just the knowledge of his existence would have instilled real fear in some

His actions certainly affected the efficiency of the German war machine

To the average foot soldier young Vassili represented their doom unseen

 

The Germans called on an SS Colonel Thorvald to cancel out the Russian

But Vassili Zaitsev was triumphant out foxing the wily German marksman

His success deprived the Nazis the freedom of movement within Stalingrad

So young Vassili the wolf hunter from the Ural Mountains didn’t do too bad