Stalingrad in the crosshairs

In the midst of the inhuman and brutal battle for Stalingrad, German and Russian snipers roam the ruins like angels of death, spreading fear and terror.

Katja Kalikova lost her husband to German bombs and her youngest son, Boris, to a Soviet bullet. Since then, she and her 8-year-old son, Grisha, have been fighting for their daily survival.

Major Erwin Koenig is an officer in the Wehrmacht and was stationed in Stalingrad. When his son Rolf is also sent to Stalingrad and falls victim to Russian snipers, Koenig has only one goal left. To avenge his son's death, the former sniper instructor sets his sights on living Russian sniper legend Vasily Saizev. Koenig blazes a bloody trail through dying Stalingrad, quickly turning from hunter to hunted.

When Katja and Major Koenig's paths fatefully cross, they make a pact to defeat Saizew.

The fate of the soldiers fighting in Stalingrad, as well as that of the Russian civilians forced to remain in the city, is portrayed bleakly, coldly, and without pathos.

A few exemplary original photos from the Second World War and accompanying drawings illustrate the Battle of Stalingrad and the legendary sniper duel between Saizev and Koenig.