The term sniper was first attested in 1824 in the sense of the word 'sharpshooter'. The verb to snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India with the idea of "to shoot from a hidden place", in allusion to snipe hunting, where a game bird known for being extremely difficult to hunt and then shoot is hunted. Those who were skilled at the hunting of this bird were thus dubbed "snipers".

The German doctrine of largely independent snipers and emphasis on concealment developed during the Second World War have been most influential on modern sniper tactics, currently used throughout Western militaries.

This book presents the complete story of Germany's sniping arms development through both World Wars. It features more than 600 photos of Mauser 98s, Selbstladegewehr 41s and 43s, optical sights by Goerz, Zeiss, etc., plus German snipers in action.

This is an exceptional resource for serious military historians everywhere.