Stronge - Sniper in action history, equipment, techniques

U.S. Marine Corps scout/snipers at Marine Corps Development and Education Command. Both snipers wear ghillie suits, developed from the camouflage originally used by Scottish ghillies, which enables them to blend effectively with their surroundings and also breaks up their profile. The Marines are equipped with the M40A3 sniper rifle.

T he sniper, as this particular breed of solitary marksman is now called, is the master of many skills. He is first and foremost a marksman and supreme practitioner with a long-range rifle; he is a master of movementable to maneuver himself into position unseen and remain undetected, often for hours, sometimes for days; he is an expert at camouflage, taking this art way beyond the skills of a regular soldier; and he has a generals ability to assess ground, fields of fire and the optimum positions to take advantage of all these.

The common snipe bird, which gives its name to the sniper, is known to be remarkably difficult to find on the ground, because of the way it conceals itself in long grass and its well-camouflaged nest and because of its erratic flight. These skills enable both the snipe and the sniper to survive. Concealment from the enemy mixed with deadly accuracy of aim make the sniper an extremely effective weapon and creates a hugely disproportionate effect on the enemy. A sniper is capable of literally reaching the enemys heart with his unseen hand, striking terror into all those around. Not only can the unseen bullets of the sniper keep large numbers of troops pinned down and too afraid to move, they can also eliminate key personnel and thus create an instant impact on the chain of command and morale of the enemy.

This mortal efficiency has caused the sniper to be respected, feared and loathed. The sniper seems akin to an assassin, although in military terms his aims are no different to any other of the fighting arms. A machine-gunner blazing away may hit targets almost at random. An artilleryman is unlikely to see the effects of his shells. A submarine captain is inured from the terror and devastation wreaked by a torpedo and an airman is similarly detached from the damage and victims below. The cold hand of the sniper, however, has a personal and clinical quality that sets it apart.

This book will chart the development of the sniper through history, from the early roots of the sniper as a master of fieldcraft and hunting. Those with the skills to stalk animals and shoot them at long ranges, such as the American frontiersmen, possessed the natural skills to hit human targets from concealed positions. The book examines the personal characteristics and motivations of the sniper through the years and highlights some of the leading snipers in history. The book charts the development of sniping in different wars, how it was used by smaller forces to have a disproportionate effect on larger ones and how it was also used by world powers struggling to contain insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. In between are some of the great battles of World War I and World War II, including the stalemate at Stalingrad when the sniper was king.

The book also analyzes the tools of the snipers trade, from the British Baker and Whitworth rifles of the nineteenth century, through the Lee-Enfield, M-1 Garand, Gewehr 41 and Mosin-Nagant rifles of World War I and World War II to the M82A1 Barrett of the twenty-first century.

A Soviet sniper of 21st Army on the Stalingrad front in the winter of 1943, wearing a snow camouflage tunic over layers of cold-weather clothing. He carries a Model 1891/30 Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle with a x4 magnification PE sight as well as binoculars for observation.

A member of Morgans Sharpshooters, founded by General Daniel Morgan, fires a Pennsylvania rifle during shooting practice. The brown-fringed buckskin coat and trousers provided an element of camouflage while also being practical and easy to move in.