Help from photos on German snipers WWII

[Ozzy]

Dear friends, I should make development of models of figures of German snipers WWII, for known Russian firm " ZVEZDA ".
Two pairs, summer - winter. It would be desirable for them to make well and it is class to please all fans of a military history. Interests a special camouflage, arms, equipment and the equipment for the place - sniper.
If you can help.... It is thankful in advance!

[king_nothing100]

Are you after just pictures of said snipers using various kit etc.? Cause I can tell you a few weapons, I haven't got any pictures though.

[Shiruzu]

It is essential to know, from which time "your" sniper should be.

At first, there weren't many sniperrifles in the german army, because sniping was said to be "cowardish".
So many early german snipers used the Mosin Nagant as rifle, but by the customers this could be interpreted, that the designer was an idiot who did not knew german weapons.

You better take a K98 with turret-mount:
http://www.mausershooters.org/display/images/yugoscope3.jpg


The camo looks like this:
http://www.mausershooters.org/display/images/zf41.jpg
The scope, shown there is the "ZF41", which was absolute nonsense and rarely used, because of its size and bad "zoom"

--------
You also could use a "Gewehr 43"(at the top of the picture) or the "Sturmgewehr 44"(the one in the middle)
http://www.battlefront.com/resources/museums/mus_iwm/_iwm_images/weapons/iwm_wep02.jpg

Both were used as sniper-rifles(yes, the Stg44 too, it was based on k98), but many snipers prefered the normal K98, because of its precision.

--------
Wintercamo looks a bit like this:
http://www.michiganmilitia.com/fieldreports/jan2001/0120group3.jpg
(Haven't found a better image, bit it was white with black parts too)

--------
As typical equipment i would say the "Pistole 08" as Sidearm or sometimes the "MP40", in the battle. Also a binocular and a "Feldflasche" (field bottle) and a ration of bread (depends on how much details you need).

[Shiruzu]

whoops, double-post...


Here are some more pics:
http://www.torweihe.de/bilder4/41_ssscharfschtz.jpg(sniper-training)

http://www.torweihe.de/Bilder6/winterrshew.jpg

http://www.torweihe.de/Bilder6/rshew43.jpg


/edit:

BTW, can you ask the company, if i can get a free figure for this? :D

[bas]

Your best option is to see if you can get your hands on:

Backbone of the Wehrmacht Volume II
Sniper Variations of the German K98k Rifle
By Richard D Law

The German Sniper 1914 - 1945
By Peter R. Senich

The K98k Rifle
by G. de Vries & B.J. Martens

All those books have excellent reference photos, unfortaintly there are not many colour ones.

When choosing what uniform to model, be careful about the standard camoflauge uniform issued to the Waffen SS (like the one pictured above) which was NOT used buy Army snipers.

Also the STG-44 was never issued to snipers, they did produce a version with scope rails for testing, and there is a famous picture of one being tested with a scope (and a Active IR scope as well) but this was not for sniper use.

[Bombtrack]

Was the Gewehr 43 bolt-action or semi-auto?

[bas]

Was the Gewehr 43 bolt-action or semi-auto?

Semi-auto

[Nite]

--------
Wintercamo looks a bit like this:
http://www.michiganmilitia.com/fieldreports/jan2001/0120group3.jpg
(Haven't found a better image, bit it was white with black parts too)

The Camo in this Pics looks like modern day german wintercamo (in use by the Bundeswehr).
The Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS used white-only camo clothing.

[pretorian669]

http://www.1944militaria.com/falloakpkset.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/44dotpkset.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/sprgoakpkset.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/blurredset.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/twparkaset.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/spinltaset.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/44dotinf1b.jpg

[He219]

Nice pic's, Shiruzu & pretorian669!
:D

http://www.axishistory.com/fileadmin/user_upload/c/camouflaged-sniper.jpg
A well camouflaged German sniper in France 1944, he has a face veil under his hood

http://www.axishistory.com/fileadmin/user_upload/p/prickskyttar.jpg
A Latvian member of the Waffen-SS with a Gewehr 43

http://www.gewehr43.com/g43sniper.jpg
Taken at the sniper training school at Doberitz, Elsgrund. Oktober, 1943

[pretorian669]

http://www.1944militaria.com/palmforest2.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/splinter_a_setfrnt.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/tw_smock_ft.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/tw_smock_bk.jpg
http://halflife.multiplayer.it/dodlife/foto%20storia%20del%20karabiner%2098k/SS_sniper.jpg
http://17sspanzer.homestead.com/files/sniper.jpg
http://www.feldgrau.com/pk-66355.jpg
http://site27663.dellhost.com/Wehrmacht/Images/Uniforms/uniform%20k43%20sniper%203B.jpg

[pretorian669]

http://www.nwha.org/news_2Q2003/resources/russ26.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/betype2mintsp.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/betype2mintfall.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/be_spring_t2.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/be_fall_t2.jpg
http://www.1944militaria.com/waffen_ss_camouflage.htm
http://www.1944militaria.com/heer_luftwaffe_camo.htm

[Obergefreiter]

http://site27663.dellhost.com/Wehrmacht/Images/Uniforms/uniform%20k43%20sniper%203B.jpg

LMAO, I took that picture. :D I know where you got that one from!

[Shiruzu]

Also the STG-44 was never issued to snipers, they did produce a version with scope rails for testing, and there is a famous picture of one being tested with a scope (and a Active IR scope as well) but this was not for sniper use.

In the book "Im Auge des Jägers" by Albrecht Wacker, the author discribes a scene, where the main character -Sepp Allerberger, one of germanys best snipers- walks by a group of young soldiers coming out of sniper school directly to the front. All of them had the Stg44 with scope.
I've allready heard, that not all statements in this book are absolutly true, but i wouldn't doubt it, although this combination surely was rare.

[Shiruzu]

One additional fact is coming to my mind: In some units, the snipers attached a small white stripe of cloth to the arm of their jacket, for every 10 kills.

[bas]

In the book "Im Auge des Jägers" by Albrecht Wacker, the author discribes a scene, where the main character -Sepp Allerberger, one of germanys best snipers- walks by a group of young soldiers coming out of sniper school directly to the front. All of them had the Stg44 with scope.
I've allready heard, that not all statements in this book are absolutly true, but i wouldn't doubt it, although this combination surely was rare.

From "The German Assault Rifle 1935-1945" by Peter R. Senich

Page 283:

"Although no responsible claim can be made for German use of assault rifles for sharpshooting purposes (that is, for precise long-range firing), the study of weapons in this category indicates that significant design efforts were directed toward mounting both optical sights and eventually infra-red devices to a succession of assault rifles..."

"The lack of official German reference to field use of the 1.5-power telescopic sights in conjunction with assault rifles and the acute rarity of surviving mount assemblies suggests that few in fact were ever issue items."

Page 286:

Caption on Plate 372
"Another view of the ZF 4 equiped MP 43/1 as tested in October 1943. While deemed 'unsusable as a sniper rifle because of great shot dispersion', it was the view of the Infantry School that the telescope mounting was largely responsible for the inaccurate shooting"

<shrugs> this is the most reliable information I have.

[king_nothing100]

The most common weapons used in conjunction with scopes for use with a 'sniper':
Mauser Model 98K
Gew.43/Kar.43

Weapons which were used with scope but in low numbers:
Sturmgewehr-44 with scope and IR scope

Weapons which could be used by 'snipers' but I have no documentation of that:
1945 K-98k
The Volksgewehr 98 (Volkskarabiner) 98
The Volksgewehr 1
The Volksgewehr 2

[TheBlackHand]

I built this (http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/) guy a few years ago.

http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/mud1.jpg

http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/realistics.jpg

I used Dragon's K98 w/turret mount & scope case. I went light on the equipment. I got the idea for the boots from a book on German medals that I saw at Barnes & Noble awhile ago. The caption on the photo said that the boots were found in a Normandy barn. No mention was made of the unique boot covers, but I noticed. I cut the forearms off of the smock to make the boot covers. I assume this was what the original owner of the original boots did too.

[Freibier]

I built this (http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/) guy a few years ago.

http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/mud1.jpg

http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/realistics.jpg

I used Dragon's K98 w/turret mount & scope case. I went light on the equipment. I got the idea for the boots from a book on German medals that I saw at Barnes & Noble awhile ago. The caption on the photo said that the boots were found in a Normandy barn. No mention was made of the unique boot covers, but I noticed. I cut the forearms off of the smock to make the boot covers. I assume this was what the original owner of the original boots did too.
Wow, that's awesome! http://www.cheesebuerger.de/smilies/verbluefft/27.gif http://www.cheesebuerger.de/smilies/verbluefft/39.gif

[Ozzy]

Thank friends!
... I had still more some questions....
... Interest variants of use of non-standard camouflage materials: grids, pieces of a material (ãèëè?), it would be desirable to make variants distinct from "Dragoon"
... Two years back, during realization "living history ", I were with SVT-40, the German veteran of east front has approached to me, ithe very much praised mine rifle:.. Gud gever! Ya!... :lol: , and still it has told that at them in unit of the sniper these rifles used... What you about it know?
... What it is known about the equipment of snipers, the false purposes, manekens, shelter?

[TheBlackHand]

Interview with three snipers of the 3.Geb.Div. (http://chrito.users1.50megs.com/veteranen/sniper.htm)


This is a summary of an interview with two of the most successfull snipers within the Wehrmacht. To obtain a wide coverage of experiences a third also very good sniper joined.

The fact that those three soldiers had a really good training and many experiences they are able to give exact and informative answers to the questions.

During the interview they will be named A, B and C. They were all in the 3.Gebirgsdivision during the war.

Short information about the interrogated.


A: Matthias H. from Tirol was from 1943 to end of war on the Eastern front, with 345 confirmed kills the most successfull sniper in the Wehrmacht.

B: Sepp A. from Salzburg was from December 1942 to the end of war on the eastern front, with 257 confirmed kills the second in the ranking.

C: Helmut W. from Styria was from September 1942 to the end of war on the eastern front, with 64 confirmed kills. (after he was wounded he was an instructor)


What equipment did you use?:

A: K 98 with 6x telescope, G 43 with 4x telescope

B: captured russian sniper rifle with telescope, K 98 with 6x

C: K 98 with 1 ½x and 4x telescope, G 43 with 4x telescope.


What scopes did you use?

A: a 4x scope was usefull up to 400m, a 6x was good up to 1000m

B: had 2 years a russian sniper rifle and can´t remember the exact type of the scope and worked well. On the K 98 I used a 6x.

C: The 1 ½x was not efficient and was replaced by the better working 6x.


What do you think about a high magnification?

A,B: 6x is enough, there was no need for a higher one and no experience with higher.

C: 4x is sufficient for the most missions.


Up to what distances you could hit the following targets easily?

Head: A,B,C: up to about 400m

Breast: A: up to 600m B,C: up to 400m

person standing: A: 700m to 800m B,C: about 600m.


Are these distances valid for you personaly, just the best or all snipers?

A,B: just for the best snipers

C: for me in person but also for most of the german snipers. Some cracks hit also at higher distances.

B: says additionally: a real 100% hit is just possible up to 600m.


What was the most far away target you shot at and what was it?

A: It was a standing soldier in about 1100m distance. At this distance it was unlikely to hit but we wanted to show the enemy that he was not save at this distance. Also we wanted to proof our skill to the officers.

B: 400m to 700m

C: 600m, if there was a target further away I waited until it got in range because it was easier to hit and the confirmation was better to get. The G 43 had a poor balistic and so I fired just up to 500m with it.


How many second shots were necessary out of ten?

A: nearly no second shot ever needed.

B: 1 or 2. a second shot was very dangerous in situations with enemy snipers

C: . 1 or 2 at highest.


If you could choose. What rifle would you prefer?

a) multiloading rifle like K 98:

A: K98 because of the high long term precision.

B: K98

C: K98

b) self loading rifle like G43:

A: No G43 because just good up to 400m and no good precision.

B: No G43, too heavy.

C: Yes, because it was reliable and not more bad than the K98.


If you could choose today between a self loading rifle with the same precision than the K98 and the K98 what would you choose?

A: I would choose the K98 because a sniper that is brought into action as a sniper does not need a self loading rifle.

B: If it has the same weight....self loader.

C: self loader could fire faster when attacked.


How were you attached to your units?

All of them belonged to the snipergroup of the Btl.; C was the commander of it. It was up to 22 men strong of which six were permanent with the Btl., the rest was attached to the companies. observation results, use of ammo and kills were reported daily to the Btl.HQ.

In the beginning the missions were ordered by the Btl. during the war when good snipers got lesser they were sometimes ordered by the division HQ.

In every company there were some soldiers equiped with scopes but had no special training. They hit reliable up to 400m and did a very good job Those soldiers didi their normal duty within the companies and were not able to get that high „kill-rate“ than the real snipers.


Tactics and targets?

a) Attack:

A,B,C: always in teams of two men. One shoots the other observing. Most common missions: destroying enemy observers (hevy weapons), commanders. Sometimes targets like AT-positions, M.G.-positions and so on. The snipers followed the attacking forces and fighted the hardest enemy positions. (guncrews and so on).

A: saya aditionally: I had to sneak through the enemy HKL prior to our attack to fight enemy commanders and guncrews during our own artillery preparation fire.

b) attack by night:

A,B,C: We did not fight during night because snipers were too precious.

c) attack in winter:

A: I went behind the attacking forces with a winter-camo-suite to fight against M.G. and A.T. positions that hold the attack.

B,C: Good camo-suite and warm clothing needed otherwise no longer observation possible.

d) defense

A,B,C: mostly free „hunting“ in the company sector. The order was either to fight all targets or just „worth it“ targets. When the enemy attacked their commanders were easily to identify because they had different equipment, camo-uniforms and so on. So we shot them at high distances and so the enemy attack was stopped. (On one day A remembers that he shot the commanding officers of eight attacks).

As soon as enemy snipers appear fight them until destroyed. These fights against enemy snipers caused many losses within our ranks.

Snipers go on their position before sunrise and stay there wih short breaks until sunset.

Sometimes if the way to the own position was exposed to the enemy two or three days in this position without supply.

e) defense by night

A,B,C: No snipers were used during night. They were not issued to guarding duties or something. Sometimes they built up a position during the night to be ready by day.

f) did you have a kill by moonlight?

A: Yes if the moonlight was strong enough and I used the 6x scope it was possible. Not with the backsight.

B,C: No

g) delaying fight:

A,C: mostly 4 to 6 snipers that shot at every enemy soldier that appeared. At these rear guards the machine-guns were not often used because one or two shots from a sniper delayed the enemy for a long time and the own positions were not so easily seen.

B: No experience. In this situation everybody shoots at everything.


With what tactic did you have the most success?

A: The success of a sniper was not mesured by the men he killed but on the effect he caused to the enemy. For example if the enemy looses the commanding officers of the attack the attack must be stopped. The highest number of kills we had of course in defense positions when the enemy attacked several times a day.

B: in defense because the other kills were not confirmed.

C: biggest success at longer period static warfare due to good observation possibilities.


Percentage of kills for each distance:

up to 400m: A: 65% C: 80%

up to 600m: A: 30% C: 20%

up to 800m: rest


A: says aditionally: The 65% percent under 400m were not because of the shooting range but it was easier to see if it is a „worth-it“ target or not. So I often waited until I could indentify the target.

B: cannot remember the percentage but most of the targets were under 600m.

C: did most shots under 400m because this was a secure distance and it was easy to see if it was a hit or not.


How many shots did you fire from one position?

a) attack:

A,B,C: as many as necessary

b) defense from built position:

A,B,C: 1 to 3 at highest.

c) enemy assault:

A,B,C: every „worth-it“ target.

d) fight against enemy snipers:

A,B,C: 1 or 2

e) delaying fight

A,B,C: 1 or 2 were enough because the sniper was not alone.


B: says aditionally: on attack or enemy attack no kills were confirmed.


What else is important besides excellent shooting?

A: besides the normal skills of a sniper the cleverness always wins. The „small-tactic“ of a man wins in in battle. To get a high kill rate it is also important that the sniper is not used for other duties besides sniping.

B: calmness, superiority, courage.

C: patience and endurance, excellent ability of observation.


Out of what persons snipers were recruited?

A: just born „single-fighters“ like hunters, poachers and so on.

B: Can´t remember. I had 27 kills with my russian rifle before I was issued to the sniper training.

C: just combat experienced soldiers with excellent shooting skills and two year duty were issued to the sniper training.


What sniper-courses did you attend?

A,B,C: The sniper course on the Tüpl Seetaleralpe.

C: I was there as an instructor then.


Was the binocular usefull and what magnification did it have?

A: It was a 6x30 but that was not enough for higher distances. Got a 10x50 lateron and this was good.

B: The binocular is as necessary as the scope on the rifle.

C: Each sniper had a binocular and that was necessary. Up to 500m the 6x30 was enough.


Would you prefer a periscope to observe out of a trench?

A: it was a good addition. we had a russain one.

B: No

C: if captured it was used.


Were there scissor-telescopes in use?

A,C: Yes sometimes we used it with the artillery observer.

B: No


What kind of camouflage did you use?

A,B,C: Camo-suites, painted face and hands, rifle camo in winter with blenket and paint.

B: says aditionally: I used a umbrella for two years. I painted it like the sorrounding. In the beginning I painted my hands and the face very carefully, at the end not any more.


Did you use other things to deceive the enemy?

A: Yes, for example puppets and so on.

B: Yes, for example fake positions with rifles fired by a wire construction.

C: No


Did you use some kind of shield?

A,B,C: No.


What do you think about light cartridges?

A,B,C: should not be used in combat because the own position should not be shown.

They were used in training and to test the rifle. Also some were with every sniper to test the range.


Did you use so called observer cartridges, that means cartridges that explode when they hit the ground?

A,B,C: Yes, a small flame appears when it hits so you could see were you shot. We used them also to inflame wooden building to get the enemy out of it.

They were used up to a range of 600m.


How did you handle the sidewind?

A: feeling and experience, sometimes checked with light cartridges. The training on the Seetaleralpe was very good because there was very often wind.

B: feeling, if there was to heavy wind we did not shoot.

C: we didn´t shoot if there was wind.


Do you still remember the guidelines for firing on moving targets?

A,B,C: No, feeling, experience, fast targeting and fast shot.


Did you use AT-rifles?

A: Yes, knocked out some guncrews through their shield. It was possible to hit a target up to 300m because it was not so precise. Very heavy and not usefull for snipers. Did not use it against soft targets.

B,C: No.


How did you get a kill confirmed?

A,B,C: Either through a officer or two soldiers that observed the kill.

So the number of confirmed kills is much lower than the real number of kills.

This interview, along with everything else you might need to know about German sniping in both World Wars can be found in the Peter Senich (http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0873642236/ref=sib_rdr_fc/002-6565591-7290450?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S001) book. Pricey, but worth every penny. I suggest looking for it on Bookfinder.com. That's where I got mine for forty bucks.

[simple jumper]

[quote="TheBlackHand"]I built this (http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/) guy a few years ago.

http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/sssniper/mud1.jpg


I like the Hitlerjugend knife on the right hip at the back...very nice touch!

[bas]

The most common weapons used in conjunction with scopes for use with a 'sniper':
Mauser Model 98K
Gew.43/Kar.43

Weapons which were used with scope but in low numbers:
Sturmgewehr-44 with scope and IR scope

Weapons which could be used by 'snipers' but I have no documentation of that:
1945 K-98k
The Volksgewehr 98 (Volkskarabiner) 98
The Volksgewehr 1
The Volksgewehr 2

Can you provide your sources that the Stg-44 was used in combat with scope or IR scope?

[Obergefreiter]

There are multiple sources that show the STG-44 with the Vampire IR scope. A simple Google search will give you plenty of pictures and information.

[bas]

There are multiple sources that show the STG-44 with the Vampire IR scope. A simple Google search will give you plenty of pictures and information.

Sorry, call me old fashioned but I prefer book references. The only real pictures I have seen are of a British Army officer testing the Vampire scope.

I agree that the Germans were experimenting with IR scopes on STG-44's, all I am asking is; is there actual documented proof of them being used in combat? I am interested in learning more and happy to be corrected, but saying it was so without providing sources is nothing more than spreading mis-information.

[pretorian669]

http://www.taivaansusi.net/roolipelit/stg44vampyr.jpghttp://www.420th.com/ilya/images/john.jpeghttp://www.gewehr43.com/mp44zf4.jpg
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/niemiecka_bron_strzelecka_pliki/zf39.gif
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/niemiecka_bron_strzelecka_pliki/mau_lup_zf4_bt.gif

[pretorian669]

http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/panzer7/g43_a.gif
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/panzer7/g43_lew.gif
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/panzer7/g43_lun.gif
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/niemiecka_bron_strzelecka_pliki/gew43_zf4_bt.gif
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/niemiecka_bron_strzelecka_pliki/fg42_full_bt1.gif
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/niemiecka_bron_strzelecka_pliki/fg42_2_full_bt.gif

[pretorian669]

http://www.combat2000shop.com/combat2000/airgun/electronic_gun/intouch/shoei_mp44/image/vampir_small.jpghttp://www.combat2000shop.com/combat2000/airgun/electronic_gun/intouch/shoei_mp44/image/side_small.jpghttp://www.combat2000shop.com/combat2000/airgun/electronic_gun/intouch/shoei_mp44/image/side_2_small.jpg
http://m-bata-emi.hp.infoseek.co.jp/102400051.JPG
http://m-bata-emi.hp.infoseek.co.jp/102400011.JPG
http://www.war-toys.com/figures/MP44andVampire/mp44Vampir.jpg

[bas]

http://www.gewehr43.com/mp44zf4.jpg


This photo can be found on Page 286 of "The German Assault Rifle 1935-1945" by Peter R. Senich

with the caption:
"Another view of the ZF 4 equiped MP 43/1 as tested in October 1943. While deemed 'unsusable as a sniper rifle because of great shot dispersion', it was the view of the Infantry School that the telescope mounting was largely responsible for the inaccurate shooting"

A good picture but not proof that they were issued to Combat troops

[pretorian669]

http://www.fg42.net/fg42a.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes02.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes03.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes01.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes04.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes05.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes15.jpg
http://www.fg42.net/mparts/image_data/estes20.jpg

[pretorian669]

http://www.moneypit.net/~bhinton/German-WWII_Rifles/StG4_Sniper.jpg
http://www.moneypit.net/~bhinton/German-WWII_Rifles/FG42_w.Zf4ScopeB.jpg
http://www.moneypit.net/~bhinton/German-WWII_Rifles/FG42_Zf4Scope.jpg

The Gewehr-Zielfernrohr 4-fach (Gw ZF-4-fach) or 4 power telescopic rifle sight was the great white hope of the beleaguered German sniper. Faced with increasingly skilled Soviet snipers, as well as massive numbers of regular troops, the military leaders pressed for a sniper rifle and scope combination capable of mass production. After a thorough examination of the Soviet PU telescopic sight and the semi-automatic M1940 Tokarev rifle, it has been indicated that the German military wanted a copy as fast as possible. This new scope was to be mated with the newly produced G-43 semi-automatic rifle. The general idea was to produce every single G-43 with the capability of having a telescopic sight mounted on an integral rail milled into the receiver. I believe the end result was meant to field a designated marksman's rifle as opposed to a dedicated sniper rifle. In practice, skilled snipers employed the G-43 system. Production levels never reached the point where every good marksman could be equipped with one.

When carefully produced, the Gw ZF-4 was quite capable as a sniper sight. Unfortunately for the Germans and subsequently fortunate for the allies, the quality control on the ZF-4 was anything but consistent. It never saw the mass production requested in the original orders and workmanship tapered off under the constant bombing raids by the allies. Voigtlaender u. Sohn AG, Braunschweig (ddx), the company that designed the sight, seemed to have the most problems. Sights made by Opticotechna GmbH, Werk Prerau (dow) and J. G. Farbenindustrie, Camerawerk Muenchen (code: bzz) seem to have experienced less problems. Compounding the problems, the accuracy of the G-43 rifle never met expectations, which when combined with the ZF-4 made for little hope of first round hits at longer sniping ranges. It is interesting however, that even today the theory of having two distinct types of sharp shooting equipment available is still being experimented with. Several large armies have experimented with placing optics on accurized infantry rifles and placing them into the hands of above average but regular shooters. Even so, many forces prefer to retain truly skilled and trained snipers as a separate occupational specialty. The US Marines are even now fielding the Designated Marksman. Whether the original German attempt at fielding optics for the average grunt succeeded or not, the idea lives on strongly today.

In capable hands and when constructed properly, the Gw ZF-4 was sufficiently successful in its role. Measuring 6" long (not including the removable sun shade and rubber eye cup), it was made of stampings to save production time and material. It had flat sides that flared out to round cylinders at the objective and ocular ends. Elevation adjustment was via a turret mounted on the right side of the telescope body. It was a BDC-type turret marked in 50-meter increments from 100 to 800 meters. Each positive click approximated one half moa. This was somewhat better than the No. 32 Mk1 and the PU. Unfortunately, I understand that the BDC did not exactly track the ballistic curve of the issue 7.92x57mm round that it was calibrated for, being off a click or two at the farther ranges. Windage was adjusted via a turret mounted on the top of the telescope. This arrangement seems rather odd to those of us born in the United States but when compared to its contemporaries, it was not all that unusual.

Turret adjustment was simple. Each turret has three locking screws. To zero the rifle, one first removed the screws from one turret, either elevation or windage. A small circular cover is then removed from the turret top, exposing the center adjuster and thereby allowing the shooter to adjust the reticle as needed. The adjuster moves quite smoothly and is easy to align. Once the reticle is in the proper position, the circular plate is placed back in position and the locking screws are reinstalled. Again, this system makes the early No. 32 Mk1 look like a monkey on crack designed its turret. As in the PU, the ZF-4 does not have an optically centered reticle. You can observe it moving downward as you dial in longer ranges.

The turret clicks feel fairly precise, however any ham-fisted operator could easily overshoot his mark. The clicks are positive but the distance between each click is quite small. For instance, if you wanted to dial in 450 meters, it would be very easy to overshoot and click in 500 or even 550 meters. The windage turret is a bit of an odd ball in that there are no numerical markings on it. It has nine vertical hash marks consisting of a center mark with four marks on each side for left or right adjustment. There are two clicks between each mark. I am guessing that these represent half moa movements. The windage turret seems useless for adjusting fire in the field as you might with a modern sniper scope. I believe it was only used to zero the rifle and then covered with the provided sheet metal cap. One can adjust fire horizontally via the gaps in the reticle, but I just cannot see a troop dialing in this windage turret under stress and in windy conditions. I am sure it was done, but my feeling is that one set up for a condition and didn't mess with the turret from that point on. Further, it seems to me that all of these scopes are best utilized by holds as opposed to actual adjustments. But this, I must admit, is probably a result of my being spoiled by our modern sighting systems and their easily tracked windage turrets.

The reticle is the typical German Three-Post system. Ranges can be accurately estimated out to maybe 500 yards with this system, possibly beyond. The posts are very heavy and the aiming point, while triangular, is fat and slightly flat on top. This is quite unlike the sharp point in the PU scope and moderately sharp point on the No. 2. I believe that in this case, it is a function of the ranging system as you could use the width of the center post as a ranging tool as well as the point of aim. Typically point of impact was zeroed to be just above the actual physical point. The posts as stated are quite heavy and stand out well in low light. However, the low light ability of this scope is typical of its stable mates and nothing to scream about.

Optically this particular ZF-4 is fairly clear. The lenses appear to be coated which would not surprise me considering who made the scope. The glass has a slight tint to it and importantly, the scope is charged with nitrogen for anti-fogging in inclement weather. The body of the ZF-4 was always marked with a stamped triangle. This was filled with colored paint to indicate what climate the particular sight was capable of operating in. The particular scope, made by Opticotechnica (dow), was stamped with a blue triangle, indicating severe weather. Tested against the Zeiss Test Pattern, the scope resolved down to number 5 on the scale. I could almost resolve the 6.5 block. This seems fairly good and beats the PU handily. The image appeared crisp to the edge of the glass with only a hint of compression on one side right at the very edge. Interestingly, the image stayed crisp everywhere else. I did not notice any discernable distortion.

Had the Germans been able to produce this sight under ideal conditions and in the numbers originally required, I have no doubt that the damage would have been telling on the allies. While the G-43 was hardly an ideal weapon system, it was capable of hits to 400 yards and beyond. Thankfully for the allies, they were not able to put into effect the theory of the designated marksman. Having a telescoped rifle in each platoon certainly has its advantages, and with every G-43 capable of mounting a scope, the average grunt may well have been able to really reach out and touch someone. A later version of the ZF-4, the ZFK 43/1 closely matched the PU scope and was quite excellent considering how badly Germany was being pounded by the allied air campaign.

The history of Gw ZF-4 and its subsequent marks can hardly be considered a success story. Be that as it may, it was a good attempt at a universal sight. Had production issues been resolved, the sight was slated for mounting on the K98k, the G.43/K43 systems and the StG44 assault rifle. It was also used on the FG-42. As Germany's first attempt at a standardized sighting device it made a lot of sense. At the time, its parent nation was using countless commercial sighting devices and standardization was at best, a dream. In this light, the Gw ZF-4 must be viewed as a worthy attempt at ending a logistic and maintenance nightmare.
http://claus.espeholt.dk/zf4.html

[bas]

Thank friends!
... I had still more some questions....
... Interest variants of use of non-standard camouflage materials: grids, pieces of a material (ãèëè?), it would be desirable to make variants distinct from "Dragoon"

A sniper would have used local foliage tried to his helmet and uniform to better blend in and break his silhouette. Mosquito nets were also popular for disguising the shape of the helmet and rifles were often wrapped in rags for the same reason.



... Two years back, during realization "living history ", I were with SVT-40, the German veteran of east front has approached to me, ithe very much praised mine rifle:.. Gud gever! Ya!... :lol: , and still it has told that at them in unit of the sniper these rifles used... What you about it know?


The SVT-40 was intended to replace the Mosin-nagant as the standard rifle of the Red Army. The first production run of SVT-40's had scope rails milled into the receiver as standard, on fire testing especially accurate ones were sent back to the factory for futher refinement and fitted with a 3.5power PU scope to be issued as sniper rifles. However the SVT-40 was not suitable for the Red Army and it was taken out of service as a sniper rifle in 1942 (?) and the last production of the SVT-40 was in 1943.

The Germans favoured the SVT-40 because it was a semi-automatic rifle compared to their bolt action Kar98k's and ammunition was plentiful. For the average infantry man to find one with a scope was an added bonus as it gave you a distinct advantage. The gas system of the German G.43 is also a direct copy of the one in the SVT-40.

[Obergefreiter]

Oh look, the same %$^%&$%^% pictures you would have found on a &%%^&^* google search.

[pretorian669]

There are multiple sources that show the STG-44 with the Vampire IR scope. A simple Google search will give you plenty of pictures and information.

Sorry, call me old fashioned but I prefer book references. The only real pictures I have seen are of a British Army officer testing the Vampire scope.

I agree that the Germans were experimenting with IR scopes on STG-44's, all I am asking is; is there actual documented proof of them being used in combat? I am interested in learning more and happy to be corrected, but saying it was so without providing sources is nothing more than spreading mis-information.

The best printed source that I've discovered for Vampir reference is Ryton Publication's "Die Wehrmacht". I highly recommend this volume if you want to detail and accurize any of your German WW2 weapons.

http://www.johnnybgood.com/ssrg/images/rob_gallery/na_ref1.jpg

http://www.johnnybgood.com/ssrg/images/rob_gallery/na_ref2.jpg

http://www.johnnybgood.com/ssrg/images/rob_gallery/na_ref3.jpg


http://www.johnnybgood.com/ssrg/images/rob_gallery/na_ref4.jpg

[bas]

Oh look, the same %$^%&$%^% pictures you would have found on a &%%^&^* google search.

Oh look, the same pictures I've seen over and over again. But once again nothing proves that they were used in combat. Is it so hard to understand that this was experimental technology, and in all likelyhood never made it to the front line?

So far no one has offered any proof of scoped Stg-44's issued to combat troops Showing drawings, models, and a picture of a British officer testing the vampyer scope is not enough.

Also judging by the use of English in the text, the picture (drawing?) of the German soldier with vampyer scope can hardly be considered original.


...The history of Gw ZF-4 and its subsequent marks can hardly be considered a success story. Be that as it may, it was a good attempt at a universal sight. Had production issues been resolved, the sight was slated for mounting on the K98k, the G.43/K43 systems and the StG44 assault rifle.

All this is saying that the intention was to issue Stg-44's with the ZF-4 scope but technical problems got in the way i.e. it never happened.

Also consider that the only versions of the Stg-44 to have a scope mount were the Mkb-42 and MP-43/1 both of which were still development weapons. However the production series weapons; MP-43, MP-44 and Stg-44 nad no scope mounts.

[TheBlackHand]

http://www.interq.or.jp/tokyo/steiner/v15-02.JPG

Here's some pix & info on the camouflage veil worn by SS & HG guys: Steiner's (http://www.interq.or.jp/tokyo/steiner/s-15.html).

Run the page through Babelfish if you want to know what it says (or if you need a good laugh (http://www.engrish.com/)).

Also, here's a good read: Snipers in Normandy, 1944 (http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=2031).


German Snipers in Normandy 1944

by D. Löwenhamn


After the allied landing in Normandy months of bloody combat followed until eventually the German defences crumbled and were transformed into a chaotic retreat. During this fighting many arms of the Wehrmacht distinguished themselves, not the least the German snipers. The sniper's role was to target and shoot important personnel such as nco's, officers, artillery observers, signalists, orderlies, gun crews etc, they also functioned as observers, listening posts and information gatherers. Another important feature of the snipers was that they had a demoralising effect on the enemy. It is reported snipers accounted for fifty percent of an American Battalion's casualties. With their stubborn resistance they became one of the most feared and hated enemy on the battlefield. It went so far that a myth or legend was created. Soon a sniper fear filled the allied lines.

A nineteen year old soldier, John D. Hinton, M- Company, 3. Battalion of the 116. Infantry Regiment remembers how he met a sniper already at the landing. When they had managed to get off the beach and reach the bank they tried to set up a gun on the top of the bank. Each time a soldier tried to get himself behind the gun a sniper, 800 meters to their left, began to fire at them. A number of soldiers were shot in their arms, Hinton was shot in the leg and one soldier died.

2. Battalion 'Royal Ulster Rifles', part of the 9. Infantry Brigade of the 3. Infantry Division met snipers early. After the landing the Battalion was ordered to take the heights northeast of Periers sur le Dan. On the way to the heights they captured seventeen German soldiers, seven were reported to be snipers!

At 1700 the seventh of June the Royal Ulster Rifles was ordered to move up towards Cambes, a small village about ten kilometres inland. Due to the fact that the village was surrounded by dense woods and a stone wall, observation of enemy positions was impossible. The judgement was made that only light resistance was to be expected. D- Company under Captain Aldworth received orders to approach the village together with a tank company. When they almost had reached the edge of the woods they met heavy sniper and mortar fire. The company was split- up in two parts to attack through the forest from two directions but met deadly crossfire from enemy machineguns. Stretcher bearers from the medic section were shot when they tried to save wounded soldiers. The tanks stood powerless due to the high wall surrounding the village. Captain Aldworth was hit and died immediately, one of the platoon commanders became wounded. The Battalion commander aborted the attack. The Company commander and fourteen others were now dead, one officer and eleven other were wounded, four soldiers were missing. Cambes proved to be a heavily defended German position and when finally, after bombardment by everything from light mortars to heavy naval artillery, the village was taken it was filled with dead Germans. A wounded SS sniper was captured.

Early on the morning of the ninth July the Battalion's forward elements began to reach the outskirts of Caen. Lieutenant Burges secured St. Julien, northwest of Caen, and slowly but safely began his advance on the city itself. At first the enemy opposition was light and they had no problem with fighting back. Soon, however, the resistance stiffened, persistent snipers shot at the patrol. Lieutenant Burges was hit and wounded in the head by a well aimed bullet. Soon two nco's were killed. Burges' patrol had to pull back.

Some of the snipers that the allies met in Normandy had had excellent training in the Hitlerjugend, some of them had been trained in small calibre rifles. Before the war the Hitlerjugend had increased the military training for its members. Many boys were trained in sharpshooting. Those who distinguished themselves were later give sniper training. When they later went into combat they had been given good and valuable training. In Normandy the 12. SS Panzerdivision 'Hitlerjugend' fought. This was a unit composed of recruits from the Hitlerjugend and experienced officers from the 1. SS Panzerdivision 'Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'. At Caen the young boys would have their baptism of fire.

Caen was an excellent place for the German snipers. Together with artillery observers who directed artillery fire on exposed infantry the snipers totally dominated the grounds around Caen. The Brits and Canadians had to go through every square meter to make sure the terrain was secured from the stubborn snipers, a time consuming task. It was at Caen that snipers like Gefreiter Kurt Spengler distinguished themselves. Spengler was at the northeast of Caen, isolated in a big minefield. He shot down a notable number of British troops until he finally was killed by heavy artillery bombardment.

On the twenty-sixth of June SS Pionier Pelzmann of the 12. SS Panzerpionierbataillon's fourth company is positioned under a small tree, he is a forward observer. He has dug a hole and then placed a big piece of armour from a Pzkpfw. IV and grass on top of it. The only opening is a small observation slit facing the enemy. It's impossible to discover him. From the observation slit he has shot a large number of British soldiers when he finally runs out of ammunition. He steps out of his dugout, grabs his sniper rifle and smashes it to the tree. He throws the rifle away and shout "So, I don't have any ammo left, finished enough of you- you can shot me now!". A big red haired Englishman then steps forward, grab Pelzmann's arm, places his revolver against his head and fires. Pelzmann falls dead to the ground. Oberscharführer Ernst Behrens, who together with a handful of other prisoners have witnessed the incident, is told to gather all the dead soldiers and concentrate them at a certain spot. When he comes to Pelzmann he counts about thirty dead Englishmen in front of Pelzmann's dugout.

A British soldier named Percy Lewis, who during and after the war was a professional boxer, witnessed the cruelties of war. When he served in the 6. Battalion K.S.L.I. of the 181. Field Regiment he witnessed a German sniper being executed by a soldier whose brother was killed by a sniper the day before. The allied attitude towards snipers was hard on the western front, it was due to these kind of events the German snipers fought so fanatical.

In spite of earlier experiences with snipers it's first at Normandy that they grow to be more than a source of irritation. That's anyway how the American soldiers felt. To clean out an area from snipers was time consuming and sometimes it took a whole day before a bivouac area was secured. The allied soldiers were forced to learn fast how to handle snipers and avoid unnecessary risks. Soon the soldiers began to squat when moving. The soldiers ceased to salute officers and no one was called by rank anymore. Everything was done to decrease the risks of exposing oneself to sniper fire. An unpleasant, tense feeling crept onto the soldiers who were forced to always stay on alert. An American officer commented: "Individual soldiers have become sniper-wise before, but now we're sniper-conscious as whole units."

When men from the 653. Tank Destroyer Battalion moved inland they met dead bodies lying along the hedgerows. The sniper fear spread immediately. There were even rumours circulating that French women collaborators had been left behind and were now acting as snipers. "They were everywhere sniping at us. We moved around very carefully and never alone. We would even take someone with us when nature called."

The German snipers spread themselves out in the Normandic landscape. When the allied troops began to advance they left behind a large number of German snipers who later shot at less alert troops. The terrain was perfect. The hedgerows that marked off fields only permitted a free sight of a few hundred meters. A suitable distance, even for the inexperienced sniper. A sniper could hit a chosen body part at a distance of 300 to 400 meters. The thick vegetation that characterised the hedgerows, or bocage, meant that it was extremely difficult to discover the snipers positions. A soldier compared the fighting with Guadalcanal. The hedgerows dated back to the time of the Roman empire. They had been put in place to mark property and were used as fence for the grazing fields- often only one exit existed. To fight in the bocage was like fighting in a labyrinth. The thick, high hedgerows made the allied troops feel like they were trapped in a tunnel. The terrain enabled maximum hiding opportunities for the snipers while their targets had to dangerously expose themselves. Among the hedgerows the snipers prepared a few positions from where they expected the enemy to approach. At company level the snipers were usually used for harassing the enemy and defending machinegun emplacements. Often the German troops dug in under the hedgerows and thus mortar fire had little effect. Among the hedgerows they also often placed ****y traps, mines and trip wire explosives. From these positions they fired upon the allied troops until they had to retreat. The troops that were too far behind the enemy lines fought until they didn't have any food or ammunition left, then they surrendered- a riskful thing for a sniper.

In Normandy a new phenomenon appears on the battlefield. Earlier snipers usually had tried to withdraw at some point but suddenly some snipers began to behave differently. It became more and more ordinary that the allied troops met snipers who fired shot upon shot without any intent to leave their position. This tactic almost always ended with the sniper being killed but caused heavy casualties among the allies. Due to their young age these fanatical snipers were later given the nickname 'suicide boys' by the Anglo- American troops.

The American war correspondent Ernie Pyle reported from Normandy: "There are snipers everywhere. There are snipers in trees, in buildings, in piles of wreckage, in the grass. But mainly they are in the high, bushy hedgerows that form the fences of all the Norman fields and line every roadside and lane."

It was not only among the hedges and trees that the snipers hid. At crossroads important targets such as traffic police and officers, the crossroads were although quite often shelled therefore the snipers positioned themselves a bit away from these. Bridges were also ideal spots, here a sniper could easily create panic and havoc with only a few shots. Lone houses were an obvious place and therefore the snipers placed themselves a short distance from these. Sometimes the snipers hid among wreckage but this meant that they preferably had to change position often. Another ideal spot for the sniper team were the fields with crops, here it was difficult to find out the exact position of the sniper and the dense crop provided good concealment. Often the snipers tried to position themselves high. Water towers, windmills and church towers were perfect positions but also obvious and thus exposed to artillery fire. Despite the obviousness snipers often hid up in these places. The more experienced snipers usually positioned themselves in other, less evident, tall buildings. Sergeant Arthur Colligan served in the 2. American Armored Division, he remembers the church towers with horror: "They were used by German snipers to shoot at us."

A captured German sniper was interrogated and asked how he could tell officers, wearing normal uniforms, carrying rifle and not wearing any rank badges, apart from regular soldiers. He simply stated "We shoot the men who have moustaches", by experience they had learnt that moustaches were common among officers and higher nco's.

The German snipers always tried to hit important targets such as officers, nco's, observers, singalists, gun crews, orderlies, vehicle commanders etc. As opposed to the MG 42 the sniper didn't reveal his position as easily when he opened fire. A good sniper could pin down a whole infantry platoon. When he fired his first shot the whole platoon froze and he was then given time to change position. A typical mistake among green troops when fired upon by a sniper was to hug the ground and not return the fire. A platoon commander in the 9. Infantry division remembers: "One of the fatal mistakes made by infantry replacements is to hit the ground and freeze when fired upon. Once I ordered a squad to advance from one hedgerow to another. During the movement one man was shot by a sniper firing one round. The entire squad hit the ground and they were picked off, one by one, by the same sniper."

1944 became a turning point for German sharpshooting. The educational movie 'Die unsichtbare Waffe' was shown and new doctrines were created based on careful evaluations and earlier experiences. It was stressed that snipers must be used correctly and they have to act according to the new doctrines. As an example it was emphasized that snipers must work in pairs. Camouflage uniforms were standard and new sophisticated weapons and equipment was available in huge numbers although there was some trouble with meeting the demands of sniper rifles. Heinrich Himmler, himself very interested in sharpshooting, had early set up sniper programs for the Waffen SS. During the latter part of 1944 the numbers of snipers were also to increase within the grenadier- and volksgrenadier companies.


The snipers ten commandments 1944:

Fight fanatical
Shoot calm and contemplated, fast shots lead nowhere, concentrate on the hit
Your greatest opponent is the enemy sniper, outsmart him
Always only fire one shot from your position, if not you will be discovered
The trench tool prolongs your life
Practice in distance judging
Become a master in camouflage and terrain usage
Practice constantly, behind the front and in the homeland, your shooting skills
Never let go of your sniper rifle
Survival is ten times camouflage and one time firing


Snipers existed on different levels. The trained snipers usually existed at company and battalion level and above, they had received special training and received specific tasks. Most of the time these snipers acted in teams of two, on sniper and one observer, they could also act on their own and in bigger teams. There were also soldiers with sniper rifles at platoon level, the had no special training and usually operated within the company, supporting it.

A German company had for a long time been under accurate artillery fire. This was something that only an observer could be responsible for. A sniper team was sent out to no mans- land to locate the observer. For hours they were lying still and observing, always searching for a sign that could reveal the enemy's position. In the landscape there was a knocked out tank. Suddenly the sniper's discovered a piece of white paper in front of the tank that wasn't there before. They notified the company commander to put forward an anti- tank gun to force the enemy out from under the tank. The gun shot a well- aimed round and the sniper team was prepared. The shot hit the tank and two Englishmen came out. The distance was 200 meters. The sniper fired his first shot and hit one of the soldiers in the chest. The other soldier ran right in front of the snipers view, stopped and hesitated. The sniper fired and the English soldier fell dead to the ground, hit in the head.*

Military statistics have revealed that during the second world war it usually it took 25 000 shots to kill a soldier, the sniper needed an average of 1.3- the allies had every right to worry about the German snipers.

T/ Sergeant Frank Kwiatek was a forty-six year old platoon commander in a heavy-weapons platoon. During the first world war he spent nineteen months as a machine-gunner. He had spent twenty years in the same platoon and his soldiers called him 'Hardtack Murphy'. When he was in North Ireland he was given the news that his twenty-one year old brother Ted, a tank gunner, had been killed during the fighting in Sicily. Before his men Kwiatek swore to avenge his brother by killing twenty-five Germans. He was later given the news that another brother, Jerry, had been killed in Italy. Kwiatek swore to kill another twenty-five Germans. Frank Kwiatek had so far put twenty-two notches in his rifle. One for each German. He had killed twenty with his rifle and two with hand grenades. He has also killed a dozen of Germans with a tommy gun but he didn't count them because he wanted to be able to see his enemy in the eyes when he killed them: "I like to see him drop. When he drops, I can almost see my brothers smiling at me. I like shooting snipers especially; they're so sneaky."

The first sniper that Kwiatek shot was encountered when his unit was stopped outside Cerisy La Foret. The sniper had chosen to place himself at a crossroad- a good position. After the sniper had killed a number of men the company commander asked for a volunteer to eliminate the sniper. Kwiatek volunteers. He prowls through the woods until he was about twenty-five meters behind the sniper who was positioned behind a road marker. Sergeant Kwiatek lifts his rifle to shoot the sniper but then discovers another sniper about thirty meters to his right. He first shoots the sniper to the right and then the sniper behind the road marker. A few minutes later Frank Kwiateks company has begun to advance again. He walks behind to give rear protection. Suddenly he discovers a hedge move slightly, he becomes suspicious since it moves in the opposite direction of the wind. He sneaks up to the hedge until he sees a German. He then shouts "Hey!" The German turns around and Kwiatek fires a shot and the German falls to the ground. At first he thinks it was a common soldier but later learns that it was a fallschirmjägerhauptmann.

Once one of Kwiateks men stuck his head above a hedge to shoot but is shot by a sniper. "His brain splattered all over my face...I have never been so sick in my life, " Frank Kwiatek remembers. Private Floyd Rogers and Kwiatek decides to get the sniper. Kwiatek tells Rogers to hold up the dead soldier’s helmet on his signal. Kwiatek moves away about forty meters and then gives the signal. The sniper fires immediately. Sergeant Kwiatek gives the signal to Rogers to stick up the helmet again but at another position. Kwiatek now sees the snipers head and shoulders stick out from a tree. "Then I let him have it. All it took was one shot. Those bastards don't give you more than one shot."

Private James W. Justus remembers Sergeant Kwiatek as a good leader. "The only trouble is, he wants to finish off the war by himself. Every time I see him, he's looking at a tree. He's going to be a very sad man when the war is over and there are no more snipers to kill."

Vehicle commanders were a rewarding target for snipers, Sergeant Eugene W. Luciano often stood upright in his half- track to be able to better guide his driver. "I know I heard an occasional shot hit the half-track and also zip past me as we advanced." He also remembers how they used to use tracer ammunition at snipers who hid in barns and haystacks.

Eventually the allied units adapted new tactics that reduced their casualties to enemy sniper fire but snipers continued to pose a threat and be a source to fear among the allied soldiers on the western front throughout the war. They personified the fear the soldiers had. A new culmination of German sniper actions would happen when the allied forces started to enter German soil and during the Ardennes offensive. Then the German resistance would once again stiffen and more emphasis would be put on snipers.