It was only in World War I that the combination of high quality service nifles and new telescopic sights brought the true 'sniper' to the battlefield as a distinct specialist, By 1918 the scout-sniper's value as an observer and gatherer of intelligence was as important as his lethal skills, but these were disregarded in the interwar years. In 1939-45 most anmies had to train and equip snipers from scratch, but they were to play a major role in all theatres of wan on the Russian Front, famously, it was a role in which women excelled. Fireams specialist Martin Pegler's detailed but accessible text recounts the development of weapons, sights, tactics and clothing in all major armies, illustrated by some 50 photographs: and Ramiro Bujeiro's 12 striking colour plates put the sniper vivdly in the context of the battlefield, from Flanders to the Gulf.

Illustrated by: Ramiro Bujeiro