The Military Sniper Since 1914

This illustrated history recounts the development of weapons, sights, tactics and clothing in all the major armies, from Flanders to the Gulf. It was only in World War I that the combination of high quality service rifles and new telescopic sights brought the true 'sniper' to the battlefield as a distinct specialist.By 1918 the scout-sniper's value as an observer and gatherer of intelligence was as important as his lethal skills, but these were disregarded in the interwar years. From 1939-45 most armies had to train and equip snipers from scratch, but they were to play a major role in all theatres of war. Famously, on the Russian Front it was a role in which women excelled.This illustrated history recounts the development of weapons, sights, tactics and clothing in all the major armies, from Flanders to the Gulf.