History of War

MATTHÄUS HETZENAUER

ALLEGIANCE: Nazi Germany LENGTH OF SERVICE: 1943-45 KILLS: 345

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Born in a small village in the Austrian Alps, Matthäus Hetzenauer learned his deadly trade hunting deer in the hills. Officers identified his excellent marksmansh­ip after he was drafted into the Wehrmacht at the age of 17, and he was quickly transferre­d to sniper school.

Hetzenauer was unleashed in the Carpathian­s in August 1944 with orders to protect mountain artillery units from the advancing Red Army. Almost every day the Germans came under attack from Soviet guns. Hetzenauer slipped away from the lines to find a position from which he could take out any officers who were unfortunat­e enough to draw his attention. During one Soviet assault, Hetzenauer shot dead eight different company commanders, throwing the attack into confusion.

Hetzenauer stayed in position throughout the daylight hours, looking to take particular advantage at dawn and dusk when enemy soldiers were more careless and vulnerable to his marksmansh­ip. During ten months at the front, Hetzenauer made 345 confirmed kills – more than one a day. He was also on the receiving end, suffering a head wound during an artillery barrage. Only capture by the Red Army in May 1945 brought the most prolific Axis sniper’s reign of terror to an end.

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