Matthias Hetzenauer
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| Matthias Hetzenauer | |
|---|---|
| 23 December 1924–3 October 2004 | |
 Hetzenauer with G98 |
|
| Place of birth | Styria(Austria) |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Rank | Gefreiter |
| Unit | 3rd Mountain Division |
| Awards | Iron Cross 2nd & 1st class Infantry Assault Badge Wound Badge (black) Sniper's Badge (gold) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Matthias Hetzenauer (December 23, 1924 in Styria, Austria - October 03, 2004) was a German sniper in the 3rd Mountain Division on the Eastern Front of the Second World War, who was credited with 345 kills, tops for his team.
Hetzenauer trained as a sniper from March 27 through July 16 1944, before being assigned to the 3rd Gebirgsjäger Division, issued both a K98 rifle with 6x scope and a Gewehr 43 rifle with 4x scope.
On November 6, 1944, he suffered head trauma from artillery fire, and was awarded the Verwundeten-Abzeichen three days later.
Awarded the Ritterkreuz on April 17, 1945, Hetzenauer was captured by Soviet troops the following month, and eventually served 5 years in a Soviet prison camp.
He died on October 3, 2004, after several years of deteriorating health.
[edit] Awards
- Iron Cross 2nd Class - September 1, 1944
- Verwundeten-Abz. Schwarz November 9, 1944
- Infantry Assault Badge (silver) - November 13, 1944
- Iron Cross 1st Class - November 25, 1944
- Sniper's Badge (1st class - gold) - December 3, 1944
- Ritterkreuz - April 17, 1945
| World War II Snipers |
|---|
| Finland | Simo Häyhä | Sulo Kolkka
Soviet Union | Marie Ljalková | Nina Lobkovskaya | Fyodor Okhlopkov | Lyudmila Pavlichenko | Roza Shanina | Vasily Zaytsev Germany | Sepp Allerberger | Matthias Hetzenauer | Erwin König | Friedrich Pein | Bruno Sutkus | Helmut Wirnsberger |
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