World War II Snipers
The Men, Their Guns, Their Stories
by
Gary Yee
This book is about a part of World War II that is not mentioned nearly enough. To be honest, Hollywood has more examples of snipers than most history books about the conflict. The author Gary Yee and Casemate Publishers have set out to set the record straight. Now onto the book.
This is a blurb from Casemate Publishers about the book:
"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."
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| Mauser ‘BYF’ K98k with Zf41 scope. Dave Roberts collection. Image courtesy Rock Island Auction Company via Casemate. |
To start out with, this is a very large book. It measures roughly 8 1/4" x 10 1/4". Its length is 352 pages. To top it off, it is jam packed with either black & white or color photos. There is at least one photo or inset on every page. This book goes into everything, and I mean everything, about sniping and snipers in World War II. It takes us from the Weapons, to training, to the history, and also has the snipers' personal stories. This is a list of the contents:
Part I: Selection & Training
Chapter 1: Prewar and Early War Years
Chapter 2: Selection
Chapter 3: Training
Part II: Wartime Sniping
Chapter 4: Western Europe, North Africa, and Italy
Chapter 5: Liberation of Northwestern Europe
Chapter 6: To the Rhine and the Elbe
Chapter 7: Drang Nach Osten
Chapter 8: The Stalingrad Kessel
Chapter 9: Nach Berlin!
Chapter 10: Far East
Chapter 11: Southwest Pacific Theater
Chapter 12; The South Pacific Theater and Asia
Part III: The Weapons
Chapter 13: Guns and Equipment
Conclusion
Notes to the text
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
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| Snow camouflage suit-clad 6th Airborne Division sniper in the Ardennes, January 14, 1945. British Official Image via Casemate. |
This book is one of the most detailed reference books I have ever read. The material it has in it about the guns themselves is worth a book itself. I have used a scoped rifle many times in my life. However, because of this book I have learned so much about scopes that I seem to be a simple tyro in my knowledge regarding them. The information inside the book is almost a training manual for sniping, at least with World War II weapons. The only unfortunate thing about the book is how historically snipers were treated by all major combatants. It seems that even soldiers in the same armies hated snipers so much that it even boiled over onto their own snipers. The author informs us that no country really ever let a sniper surrender. Universally if a sniper was found there was no quarter given. Even possessing a scoped rifle was cause for swift execution. The fear of snipers was also universal in all of the world's armies. Having to worry about getting shot while responding to the call of nature and eating etc. put all of the soldiers on edge.
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| German armed with M91/30 with PEM scope mounted on siderail mount. Image courtesy Georg Oberaigner via Casemate. |
Thank you so much Casemate Publishers for letting me review this excellent book. I also want to thank the author, Gary Yee, for writing it. It is certainly a labor of love on his part. If you have any interest in sniping or World War II, you need to have this book in your library.
Robert
Book: World War II Snipers: The Men Their Guns, Their Stories
Author: Gary Yee
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
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