An acclaimed military historian leads you into the world of the combat sniper-on the safe side of the crosshairs...
From the black-powder chaos of the American Revolution to the bitter carnage of Vietnam, he is a presence as familiar to war as death itself. He is the combat sniper-revered as the ultimate warrior by some and reviled as a monster by those who have known the terror of his invisible ambush.
As the "Wild Boys" who crawled the no-man's-land between the trenches in WWI, terrorizing the enemy and dodging fire from the shelter of shell craters.
As the officer-hunting German snipers is WWII's Normandy-so unnerving that hardened commanders began to disguise their rank.
As the men who boasted a shot/ill ration of 1.7 to 1 in Vietnam-a figure that was 50,000 to 1 among general soldiers.
From the evolution of the art, to firsthand accounts of legendary exploits, through the basics of sniper training, Sniper traces the development of these feared huntsmen, marking their historical battles and their pivotal role in modern forces.
Includes 8 pages of authentic action photographs!
From the evolution of the art, to firsthand accounts of legendary exploits, through the basics of sniper training, Sniper traces the development of these most feared huntsmen, marking their historical battles and their pivotal role in modern forces. Includes eight pages of authentic action photos. (Military History)
| Acknowledgements | ||
| Figures in the text | ||
| Introduction | ||
| A note on measurements | ||
| Pt. 1 | The Historical Background | |
| 1 | Riflemen and Skirmishers | 3 |
| 2 | The American Civil War | 13 |
| 3 | Sniping and Nineteenth-Century Technology | 26 |
| Pt. 2 | Sniping in the Two World Wars | |
| 4 | The Sniper Emerges: 1914-16 | 37 |
| Trench Warfare | 37 | |
| Gallipoli Adventure | 49 | |
| Violence and Moderation | 54 | |
| 5 | A Fully-Fledged Article: The Sniper 1916-18 | 58 |
| The New Professionals | 58 | |
| Sniper versus Sniper | 60 | |
| Camouflage and Observation | 68 | |
| 6 | The Second World War | 76 |
| Opening Rounds | 76 | |
| Barbarossa and After | 79 | |
| War in the West | 92 | |
| Sniping in the Pacific | 103 | |
| Pt. 3 | The Modern Sniper | |
| 7 | The Korean War | 113 |
| 8 | Wound Ballistics | 122 |
| 9 | The War in Vietnam | 132 |
| Snipers from the North | 135 | |
| The Marine Corps Response | 140 | |
| The Army Sniper Programme | 153 | |
| Technology and the Sniper | 158 | |
| 10 | British Sniping After 1945 | 162 |
| 11 | The Basics of Sniper Training | 173 |
| Marksmanship | 174 | |
| Field Training | 183 | |
| Sniper Employment | 194 | |
| 12 | The Sniper Training Course | 198 |
| 13 | Sniping in Recent Conflicts | 207 |
| 14 | The Sniper Today | 220 |
| Pt. 4 | Weapons of War | |
| 15 | Rifles | 233 |
| 16 | Ammunition | 261 |
| Notes | 265 | |
| Bibliography | 277 | |
| Index | 284 |
SportShooter
Posted January 31, 2011
I Also Recommend:
I first read "Sniper" in 2001 or 2002, and have found myself re-reading it at least 4 times since.
A fast paced account describing the emergence of snipers in the militar and further development of their role throughout history. The author's descriptive wordsmithing makes "Sniper" read more like a work of fiction than a documentary, but still offers high level detail on the historical involvement of snipers in various military branches, American and European alike.
The author tackles a huge task with this 300pg work. The range of topics covered in "Sniper" is impressive, however, author Adrian Gilbert manages to offer high-level detail on each topic, while still maintaining a gentle flow, without getting bogged down in excessive detail. The author conveys a large amount of information in a format that is still entertaining to read. Enough detail is provided (plus excellent bibliographical references) to satisfy the appetite of military historians looking for "research-worthy" detail, precision shooters looking for a leg up in competition, or professional snipers in search of a training aid. However, casual readers with an interest in military history, precision shooting, or sniper fieldcraft will also find the book engrossing and entertaining.
On a side note, paint ball players or hunters with an interest in military history will find "Sniper" to be a valuable training aid, from fieldcraft and camouflage techniques such as camouflage selection and application or ghillie suit construction, to high level ballistic performance information on wind estimation and long range shooting techniques.
Anonymous
Posted July 29, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
An acclaimed military historian leads you into the world of the combat sniper-on the safe side of the crosshairs...
From the black-powder chaos of the American Revolution to the bitter carnage of Vietnam, he is a presence as familiar to war as death itself. He is the combat sniper-revered as the ultimate warrior by some and reviled as a monster by those who have known the terror of his invisible ambush.
As the "Wild Boys" who crawled the ...