Josef Sepp Allerberger was the second most successful sniper in the German Wehrmacht and one of the few soldiers honored with the Knight's Cross medal for his service with the 3rd Mountain Division on the Eastern Front, which suffered heavy losses. An Austrian conscript, he was deemed suitable as a marksman and was deployed to the southern sector of the Russian front in July 1942. After being wounded in Voroshilovsk, he experimented with a Russian sniper rifle, impressing his superiors with his skill. When he returned to the front, he was the only sniper in his unit and remained there until the end of the war, being honored with the Iron Cross Knight's Cross.