German sniper Josef Allerberger: biography and photos

The work of the sniper became urgent in the First World War. It quickly developed into a separate military activity. The founders of sniping were the Germans, who included a lightly armed unit for one soldier armed with a rifle with a telescopic sight. For a day a German sniper could destroy several opponents, for a month this figure grew at times.

In the article we will only talk about one sniper. Josef Allerberger - one of the most productive snipers of the Wehrmacht. It was possible to surpass it only to one fighter who served in the same division. Two hundred and fifty-seven people - the number of dead opponents, according to official figures.

Biography

Josef Allerberger was born on December 24, 1924. Although he himself claimed that his birthday was in September. The birthplace is Styria, Austria. He was not long a machine gunner, after he was transferred to a sniper division.

A family

The family of Joseph was not very different from other families of that time. My father was a carpenter. The son wished to achieve success in this profession. At the age of eighteen, Josef managed to master all the subtleties of this case.

The Second World War

In 1942, Josef Allenberger was drafted into the ranks of the German army. The place of service was the Alps. The reason was that he was a native of the mountain regions (Salzburg, Austria). He managed to enter the battle only in the summer of 1943. According to Vucker's book "German Sniper on the Eastern Front 1942-1945", Josef had to undergo a training course that lasted about six months. All this time he trained for a machine gunner.

The Third Mountain Division was the seat of Joseph's service. During the bloody battles, he changed a lot. From the memories of the sniper it is known that only the commander of the company managed to survive from the group. Now the young man looked ten years older and was no longer as naive as at home. The soldier's only desire was to survive.

The regiment, in which I had to serve Joseph, did not have his own snipers. It is located near Voroshilovsk. During the winter months, the regiment reduced to a quarter. Recover the regular number should have recruits, which was done by the command in the following months. At that time, clashes with the Soviet army decreased. Only occasionally did artillery fire and small skirmishes occur.

However, serious problems were created by Russian snipers. Basically, their victims were unlearned soldiers, only arrived in the 144th Regiment. It was difficult to mark the position of the shooter. In rare cases, it was possible to destroy a sniper from a machine gun or mortar. Even then it was clear that the regiment needed its own snipers.

Josef Allerberger in his memoirs praised the Soviet snipers. They perfectly masked and created huge problems. Fire from a distance of less than 50 meters, which meant one hundred percent accuracy. Often a German soldier had a feeling that Russian snipers would destroy the entire regiment.

Wound

Already at that time Josef Allerberger began to understand that, being a machine gunner, there was little chance of surviving until the end of the war. The thing is that they were most often exposed to the fire of large guns. Everything changed after a slight injury in the arm.

It was the fifth day of fighting, and a shell exploded near Josef. After the end of the fight, he went to an improvised hospital. Here, horrible pictures were opened to Allerberger: there were many wounded around. Since its damage was not critical, it took three hours to wait for the turn. The wound was treated without anesthesia. The soldier was kept by the corporal, and the doctor cleverly cleansed and sewed up the wound.

Training

After recovery, Josef Allerberger was sent to work uncomplicated. At the same time, he decided in any way to try to avoid service, being considered a machine gunner. Since Josef was a carpenter, he was instructed to restore the arms of the weapons, and also to sort it.

Once a Russian sniper rifle fell into the hands of Allerberger. Josef wanted to practice shooting from it, which he asked the non-commissioned officer. Immediately the soldier showed impressive results and managed to prove himself as a good sniper.

Restoration of health lasted fourteen days, after which Allerberger was supposed to return to the company. At parting, the non-commissioned officer gave him a sniper rifle with an optical sight.

Return to the front

In August 1943, Josef returned to the company, received from the sergeant a black sign "For Wounds" and award documents. Allerberger managed not to get into the camp of the machine-gunners. Now he's a sniper. The news of his appearance quickly flew around the whole regiment. Co-workers greeted Josef warmly.

Soon the commander approached Allerberger and gave the order to destroy the Soviet sniper. He had long given no rest to the German soldiers. The first shot from a rifle without an aim was accurate. The Germans rushed into battle. A hundred meters later, Allerberg and his colleagues found the body of a dead sniper. The bullet hit just in the eye, leaving a huge hole in my head. It was sixteen years old. Josef became ill from the sight of his victim. At that moment, as he recalled himself, he was filled with feelings of guilt, pride and horror. However, none of his colleagues tried to condemn him.

About nine months, the German sniper fought with the Soviet trilinear. Josef himself noted that only senior officers could count up the killed enemies, despite the fact that he was a field sniper. Do not go into account enemies killed not from sniper weapons. So the official statistics of the victims can seriously differ from the real.

Vacation

Like many snipers of the Second World War, Josef, thanks to his excellent service, was able to earn a vacation. In 1944 he went to Germany, where he took training courses and learned a lot for himself. Now he has become more prudent and professional shooter.

After that the new weapon of the German sniper became Mauser 98k. Often he had to use the rifle "Walter 43". About this weapon, Allerberger responded positively, noted his extraordinary effectiveness at different distances.

Skills

Josef Allerberger described quite extensively the main principles of survival arrow. As you know, the snipers of the Great Patriotic War were very appreciated, therefore, their preparation was very difficult and long. Allergberger believed that every shooter must be able to choose a position that can be changed in case of danger. It is not superfluous and a spare pre-prepared place for a sniper.

Great attention to the Oberrefire sent camouflage. Here he used the well-known technique of the Wehrmacht, in which the sniper merged with the vegetation. The weapon also had to be disguised. The face and hands had to be covered with mud, but it did not hold well, so the juice of plants was more often used. Similarly, Josef Allerberger was masked throughout the war. Such camouflage was easy and convenient, and it could be used under any circumstances.

However, the basis of a feature of a good shooter, he called psychological stability, as well as courage. Not the last place, Allerberger put the sniper's accuracy and caution.

Joseph did not like the method of selecting snipers, which was based only on the skills of shooting and the ability to mask. Priority in the conduct of a sniper fight was aimed at the ability of a soldier to kill. On the Eastern Front, it was necessary to spend most of the time in battles at medium ranges up to five hundred meters. Murders on a distance of more than eight hundred meters have already been considered luck.

The shooting of snipers, not only German, but also Soviet, was usually conducted around the enemy's corps. It was difficult to get into the head. Shooting at the body, the sniper increased his chances of hitting. In addition, hitting the body also led the enemy out of action and helped to miss the arrow.

Josef Allerberg told many examples of how to successfully use a sniper rifle against infantry, putting out of action the soldiers.

Awards

Josef Allerberger received the Knight's Cross on April 20, 1945. However, there is no official confirmation of this. Nevertheless, at that time many soldiers received similar awards.

End of the war

The end of World War II caught Josef in Czechoslovakia. By this time he had become a recognizable personality, thanks to the propaganda of Goebbels. His photographs appeared several times in German newspapers. However, such popularity could play for him a bad service. Fearing being taken prisoner, Allerberger decided to do everything to return home.

About two weeks, along with his colleagues, Josef made his way through the prialpine forests. It was necessary to move at night, so as not to run into the patrols of the American army. June 5, 1945, Allerberger managed to get to his native village. She did not change at all, as he himself mentioned, as if he slept through the whole war. Everything was quiet and calm.

Allerberger had to go to many fights. However, the sniper was not just alive, but also not seriously injured.

The further life of Josef does not stand out as something unusual. He worked as a simple carpenter, like his father. Died Allerberger March 3, 2010 in the city of Salzburg (Austria). At that time, the German sniper was 85 years old.

Memory

In 2005, the book "Sniper on the Eastern Front" was published. The work consists of the memoirs of Joseph Allerberger. The book collected not only positive reviews. Many critics believe that information is distorted in it, and Joseph himself exaggerates his achievements.

To tell his memoirs, Allerberger decided only fifty years after the end of the war. In long conversations with the writer, the sniper told his vision of the war. The reader is given the opportunity to see these horrors with the eyes of an ordinary German shooter.

It is worth saying that all the names in the book are replaced. It was done to save Allerberger. Even in his country, he is not considered an outstanding sniper, but a cruel murderer. However, all events are real, the names of other actors are also fictitious.