Josef Allerberger

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Josef Allerberger
September, 1924–?

Nickname	Sepp
Place of birth	Steiermark(Austria)
Allegiance	Germany
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Obergefreiter
Unit	3rd Mountain Division
Awards	Iron Cross 2nd & 1st class Infantry Assault Badge Wound Badge (silver) Sniper's Badge (gold) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Josef 'Sepp' Allerberger was a German(Austrian) sniper in the 3rd Mountain Division on the Eastern Front of the Second World War, and was credited with 257 kills.

Sent to the Eastern Front in December 1942, Allerberger was wounded at Stavropol and experimented with a captured Soviet sniper-rifle while recuperating. Eventually he made 27 kills before being selected for sniper training at Seetaleralpe, and being assigned a K98 with 6x scope.[1]

During combat, Allerberger was noted for using a painted umbrella to camouflage himself.[2]

He was reportedly awarded the Ritterkreuz by Ferdinand Schörner on April 20th 1945, although no official documentation ever recorded the award. However, this was not uncommon at this late point in the war.

In 2005, a book titled Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knight's Cross ISBN 1-84415-317-7 was published, written by Albrecht Wacker based on interviews with Allerberger. The book was noted for suggesting that the Soviets had cannibalized German corpses, and graphic depictions of torture.

[edit] References

Albrecht Wacker (2005,2006), Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knight's Cross. Pen & Sword Military.
Albrech Wacker (2006), Im Auge des Jägers: Der Wehrmachtsscharfschütze Josef Allerberger. VS-Books.

World War II Snipers

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