Erwin König was a German ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

'' sniper reportedly killed by the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

. König is mentioned both in Zaytsev's memoirs ''Notes of a Sniper'' (a "Major Konings", potentially '' SS'') and William Craig's 1973 non-fiction book '' Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad''. According to Zaytsev, the duel between him and König took place over a period of three days in the ruins of Stalingrad. In a post-war visit to Berlin, Zaytsev was allegedly confronted by a woman who told him that she was König's daughter, with Soviet authorities quickly evacuating Zaytsev to avoid any confrontation.

In popular culture

A fictionalized account of the duel in the film ''

Enemy at the Gates ''Enemy at the Gates'' (''Stalingrad'' in France and ''L'Ennemi aux portes'' in Canada) is a 2001 war film directed, co-written, and produced by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on William Craig's 1973 nonfiction book '' Enemy at the Gates: The Batt ...

'' portrays Erwin König—played by

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), ''The Truman Show'' (1998), ''Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award n ...

—as the head of the ''Wehrmacht'' Sniper School. He is sent to Stalingrad to take on the increasingly aggressive Soviet snipers. Initially he is successful, killing four of Zaytsev's partners, but eventually he is outwitted by the Russian, portrayed by

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

. König appears in the 1999 novel ''

War of the Rats ''War of the Rats'' is a World War II fiction novel written by David L. Robbins in 1999. The book has sold worldwide in over 20 languages. Synopsis The plot focuses on a 1942 battle between the Nazi Germans and the Soviets set in Stalingra ...

'' by David L. Robbins in which he is an SS Colonel named Heinz Thorvald. Ramón Rosanas wrote a comic about the conflict between Zaytsev and König.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konig, Erwin Fictional marksmen and snipers Fictional Nazis People whose existence is disputed