Snipers Sniping & Countering them

[Granite_State]

Holy crap!!! Awesome post. I had never seen or heard of that document before, and seeing as how I am grinding through a compilation of Kipling's war stories and poetry, which has a lot on Afghanistan in it, this makes for a great companion.

Sir, Amazon also has the exact same book, under a different title, in a nice little hardcover:

http://www.amazon.com/LESSONS-IMPERI...0929199&sr=8-1

[davidbfpo]

I did post on the 'What Are You Reading' in March 2009 (Post No.371) that the Skeen book had been republished. Alas did not post much more.

Please note the 2010 US Army edition has a different introduction.

[Bill Moore]

On a lighter note, a great quote from the book:

Officers should, of course, always carry a pistol when moving about, and by the way, if it is a revolver, never have more than five rounds in it, so that the striker may rest opposite an empty chamber. If it does not, as God made little apples, some day when you are slipping your belt off, the pistol and holster will slide off too, and if the hammer hits the ground first, one of your pals may “go west” in the rottenest possible way. In any case, you will get the devil and all of a fright and a first-class telling off. This is not far fetched. I have had a mule shot within a yard of me and a bullet between my legs another time, so be wise.

I knew I there had to be some reason I never bought a revolver.

[Pete]

The postscript to the above sniper story above is that when Dad and his battery commander drove back to their battery they decided to stop at a Gasthaus for a beer. The door of the Gasthaus was unlocked so they went inside and each had a beer. The place was deserted but beer was on tap and clean glasses were still in the rack.

When I told that story to a Guadalcanal and Okinawa veteran of the 72nd Seabees he looked at me with total incomprehension -- the idea of driving up to a bar for a drink after an engagement had not been any part of his experience of the the South Pacific and Pacific Theaters!

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to Fuchs who updated another thread which led to a 2009 thread called 'C-sniper help', which appears to be the old counter-sniper thread:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=6773

There are a number of links, some secure and referrals to places to ask.

[Pete]

During the Ruhr Pocket Campaign in April 1945 a marksman shot at my Dad and a bullet whistled past his head. It was probably somewhere between Siegburg and Dusseldorf. Dad had driven the commander of his 105mm battery forward so fire support coordination measures could be worked out with the Infantry. The boundary between the sectors of two Infantry battalions and their fire support had to be better defined so they would not be shooting into each others' sectors.

While the battery commander talked to the supported Infantry officers Dad sat on a stone wall in the small village. A teenage boy walked up to him and began speaking to Dad in English. Dad complimented him on his English and the boy said it had been taught to him in school for the occupation of Britain.

Right after that had been said, BLAM, a Mauser bullet whistled past Dad's ear. Dad hit the dirt behind the wall and the German kid ran way. The U.S Infantrymen in the village, 97th ID, shot out all of the windows and doors in the town.

In hindsight I think it was a Hitler Jugend sucker-punch -- two teenage boys got together and made a plan. One said he'd start a conversation with a G.I. so the other one could have the opportunity to shoot him.

In April and May 1945 there was a real fear by G.I.s and Tommies of being killed in these last-ditch gestures by teenagers. When things like that happen in war it's the opposite of COIN -- you have to treat everyone in the occupied country with suspicion and be ready to blow them away without a moment's hesitation.

[jcustis]

Sir, Amazon also has the exact same book, under a different title, in a nice little hardcover:

http://www.amazon.com/LESSONS-IMPERI...0929199&sr=8-1

Eh, $30 is a little out there for something that is going to get added to my queue of a dozen other books...but just maybe.

What's your impression of it GS?

[Granite_State]

Eh, $30 is a little out there for something that is going to get added to my queue of a dozen other books...but just maybe.

What's your impression of it GS?

Great little book, as some of the quotes above illustrate, one of the classics of NW Frontier writing. But I'm a sucker for 19th and early 20th century British Army stuff. Looking through my copy just now though, I noticed it doesn't have the photos that were in the original Passing It On and in the Leavenworth PDF. Those are definitely a plus. I'd recommend either shelling out similar cash to print your own well-bound version of the latter, or trying to find a used copy of the original online ($94.95 from Australia is the only one a quick Google search turned up).