Erwin König

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The title of this article contains the character ö. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Erwin Koenig.

Major Erwin König (also known as Heinz Thorvald) was named by the Soviets as the best German sniper during World War II, with more than 400 kills. While Soviet sources pitted him against Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev in their propaganda of the time, neither the name Erwin König nor Heinz Thorvald have been found in any German records, and historians are pretty sure he never actually existed. Some argue however that if he did exist, any record of him may have been destroyed by the Germans as the death of a hero may have been disastrous for morale.

After the war, Zaitsev's writings referred to the sniper he actually encountered as being Heinz Thorvald, which was reportedly the name found on the documents on his body, and was taken up by author David L. Robbins in his 1999 novel War of the Rats, although he claims that Thorvald was an SS colonel (Standartenführer), and claimed that he was an instructor in Zossen.

The character of Major König was given a major role in the film Enemy at the Gates, where he was played by Ed Harris.

Historians have to this day continued to pick holes in this seemingly fictitious character, listed below are a few of the reasons why they strongly believe he never existed:

No records of the SS ever being in Stalingrad have been found.

The SS had very few snipers as they viewed this role as a dishonorable way to fight. Sniping was a task for the Wehrmacht.

No active sniper was ever given a rank as high as Major (Sturmbannführer), as snipers were expected to serve on the battlefield, not to lead.

At the end of the war, Germany's best sniper was a 21 year old Private (Gefreiter) by the name of Matthäus Hetzenauer with a total of only 345 confirmed kills, compared to Konigs supposed 400+ confirmed kills.

Soviet propaganda was rife with fictitious stories to boost morale during a time when the war was so uncertain. The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point for the German offensive into Russia.