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After a brief introduction that sets out which weapons were used by snipers in this conflict and how many were produced, we move on to a detailed look at the guns themselves. We start with the Japanese, looking at the 6.5mm Type 97 and 7.7mm Type 99 sniper rifles, which gave the Japanese a clear advantage at the start of the war. This also includes a look at the main types of optical sights used by the Japanese.
On the British and Commonwealth side we look at the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, the standard British rifle of the First World War, the P14 Mk I sniping rifle of 1918 (and related models) and the closely related No.4 Mk I of 1940 and the late war No.1 Mk III* (HT) (a sniper version of the Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4 of 1939. The Americans had the wider range of sniper rifles in service, so we look at the M1903A4 Springfield, which remained in production until 1944, the Winchester Model 70, and the M1C Garand, another late entry, the privately produced Johnson rifle, built for the Dutch East Indies and the M1 and M2 Carbines. One shared aspect of both the British and American experience was that most First World War sniper rifles were scrapped soon after the war, forcing them to start from almost scratch in 1939-41.
We then move on to the use of the sniper in combat. Once again the Japanese started with the advantage, with each infantry platoon having one sniper, with a clear role and high prestige in his unit. Perhaps unsurprisingly the British response was rather chaotic to start with, with any available weapons beginning used, with whatever sights were available. The American Army found itself in a similar situation, although the Marines had keep a larger number of accurate rifles for use in shooting contests, so was in a better position. It is also noted that a shortage of official sniper rifles often meant that Allied snipers fought with standard guns.
The section on training and deployment again starts with a look at the Japanese experience, where despite a lack of a centrally agreed sniper doctrine saw the Japanese sniper having a big impact, especially in the early battles. The Japanese sniper became a standard feature of most Allied accounts of the fighting, with the classic example being a man high up in a tree. On the Allied side we see how the Australians trained their snipers, and their very different use, initially largely against Japanese snipers. The US started by recruiting men from rural areas with a rifle hunting tradition, but then developed good training courses.
For the Americans we get a separate section, looking at the sniper experience with each of the main rifles, so we get more information about how the snipers viewed each of these guns.
There is a good section on the various issues that might impact accuracy, from wind speed and humidity to the quality of optical sights. Here we can see why good training was so significant, with so many factors to take into account.
We finish with a shorter chapter looking at the impact of the snipers. As with most elements of the fighting, the Japanese began with a clear advantage, which they lost over the course of the war. One reason for this appears to be the same tactics that they were famous for – tying yourself high in a tree over the combat zone tends not to lead to a long career, and there are no known Japanese sniper ‘aces’ with a similar record to the best Allied snipers. We also look at the counter-sniper tactics used, which varied from using friendly snipers to calling in air power or raking the treetops with machine gun fire!
This book covers a wide range of topics in its comparatively short length, with good material on the key sniper rifles and a useful comparison of how the different sides training and used their snipers.
Chapters
Introduction
Development – The Sniper’s Weapons
Use – Snipers in Combat
Impact – Snipers on the battlefield
Conclusion
Author: John Walter
Edition: Paperback
Pages:
Publisher: Osprey
Year: