Military Sniper Since 1914, The

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 battlefields 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 to 1945 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 title recounts the development of weapons, sights, tactics, and clothing in all the major armies, from Flanders to the Gulf. 64pp.