The Casemate Short History Series presents readable and entertaining
introductions to military history topics.
Throughout history, the best marksmen in any military force have been
employed as marksmen or sharpshooters, and equipped with the best
available weapons. The German states made the first serious use of
sharpshooters on the battlefield during the Seven Years' War in the 18th
century. Some of these talented riflemen were then employed as
mercenaries in America, where the tactical use of the rifle in wooded
terrain was valued.
By the Revolutionary Wars, American riflemen were formidable, able to
blend into the landscape and take out targets at long range. Their
potential was noted by the British who began to train rifle units;
during the Napoleonic Wars, the Green Jackets were the elite of the
British army. The mid-19th century saw the development of optical
sights, meaning that the units of sharpshooters raised in the Civil War
were even more lethal.
The accuracy of German sniper fire in the trenches in World War I
provoked the British Army to create sniper schools, manuals, and
counter-sniping tactics. However, lessons were not learned and the
outbreak of World War II saw almost all major powers unprepared for
sniping or counter-sniping, meaning that talented marksmen like Simö
Häyhä were able to accrue massive scores. In this accessible
introduction packed with firsthand accounts, sniping expert Gary Yee
explores the history of the marksman, his weapons and tactics from the
flintlock era through to the present day.
