World War II Snipers: The Men, Their Guns, Their Stories

By Gary Yee

"Gary Yee takes what is already a well-researched deep dive into the specifics of sniper training, employment and equipment to a new level." - American Rifleman Magazine

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.

Sometimes admired and other times reviled by their own comrades because of the retaliation they drew, they were always too few in number. Their battlefield role, their victories and their defeats are retold here from neglected or forgotten sources.

The scope of World War II Snipers is extensive with three chapters each on the major theaters of the war including Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Pacific. This is supported by a lengthy chapter on the sniper rifles used by the snipers and their equipment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casemate
• Release date: May 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781636240992

Gary Yee

Gary Yee has worked as a law enforcement firearms instructor, range master and as an armourer. A guest curator for the San Francisco War Memorial Veterans’ Building firearms collection, he recently curated and conserved La Veta’s Francisco’s Fort firearms collection. He has published internationally and is a life member of The Company of Military Historians, the National Rifle Association and the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association.