Sniping in the Great War

by Martin Pegler

Military snipers are highly trained marksmen who target individual enemy soldiers. They are regarded as vital specialists in modern warfare, and their role evolved throughout the Great War. As Martin Pegler shows in this wide-ranging, authoritative study, the technique of sniping adapted rapidly to the conditions of static warfare that prevailed through much of the conflict.

His account follows the development of sniping from the early battles of 1914, through the trench fighting and the attributional offensives of the middle years, to the renewed open warfare of 1918. He concentrates on the continuous British and German sniping war on the Western Front, but he also looks at how snipers operated in other theaters, at Gallipoli and Salonika and on the Eastern Front. Sniper training, field craft and counter-sniping measures are described in detail.

There is a full reference section giving the specification of the sniping rifles of the period and assessing their effectiveness in combat. Also featured are vivid memoirs and eyewitness accounts that offer a fascinating insight into the lethal skill of Great War snipers and their deadly trade.

Genres: History, World War I, War, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2008

About the author

Martin Pegler has a BA Hons in Medieval and Modern History and an MA in Museum Studies, both from University College, London, and was for many years the Senior Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. He now lives in the Somme, France, where he and his wife run a small bed and breakfast, which is situated on top of the old German front line! Martin has established The Somme Historical Centre (www.martinpegler.com), where visitors can see the technology used in the 1914-18 trench warfare. Martin enjoys shooting historic firearms, and has participated in many shooting competitions. He is currently an author and firearms consultant and he also lectures at local Great War museums. In his spare time Martin runs motorcycle tours of the battlefield. He is the author of a number of books including The Military Sniper since 1914 (Osprey, 2001), Firearms in the American West 1700-1900 (The Crowood Press, 2002), and the highly acclaimed Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper (Osprey, 2004), and he has also contributed to a number of magazines. In the 1980s he had the privilege of interviewing many World War I veterans about their wartime experiences, and the recordings are now part of the sound archives of the Imperial War Museum, London

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely thoroughly researched, clearly a labor of love. I would have preferred more focus on the skills and psychology of the snipers whose stories are told and not so much microscopic detail about their rifles, sights, and other equipment, but still found this an interesting read - I'd recommend this to anyone with a strong interest in either military history or marksmanship.

[Ronda Wian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding !

I enjoyed this book after reading A rifle man went to war. By Herbert McBride. I have been reading this subject all summer and the trials of the great war. And the men who fought.

[Dominic Amann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study for those interested in the development of small arms and rifle tactics in warfare. It details the emergence of sniping as a battle tactic, with attention to equipment and tactics.