A comprehensive illustrated history of snipers, their training and
their battlefield role in all theaters in World War II.
Thousands of volumes have been published about World War II but
relatively little attention has been given to the sniper. Drawing from
memoirs, government documents and interviews, World War II Snipers
incorporates eyewitness accounts to weave a comprehensive narrative of
snipers in World War II.
While certain common traits were shared among belligerents, each had its
unique methodology for selecting and training snipers and, as casualties
were high, their replacements. Drawn from hunters, competitive shooters,
natural marksmen, outdoorsmen, city dwellers, farmers and veteran
soldiers, they fought to assert local battlefield dominance and instill
among their enemy a paralyzing fear.
Sometimes admired and other times reviled by their own comrades because
of the retaliation they drew, they were always too few in number. Their
battlefield role, their victories and their defeats are retold here from
neglected or forgotten sources.
The scope of World War II Snipers is extensive with three chapters
each on the major theaters of the war including Western Europe, Eastern
Europe and the Pacific. This is supported by a lengthy chapter on the
sniper rifles used by the snipers and their equipment.