World War II Snipers

This illustrated military history reveals the untold story of WWII snipers, from training and firearms to combat and field operations.

Though snipers played a significant role in the battlefields of World War II, they are often overlooked by historians. In this volume, military historian and firearms expert Gary Yee offers a comprehensive and fully illustrated narrative of snipers across the major theaters of conflict: Europe, the Eastern Front, and the Pacific. Drawing on memoirs, archives, wartime photographs, and eyewitness accounts, World War II Snipers presents a compelling and authoritative study.


Each of the warring countries had its own unique methodology for selecting and training snipers. They recruited hunters, outdoorsmen, competitive shooters, and military veterans to take on this highly skilled role. They were deployed to ensure battlefield dominance and instill a paralyzing fear among the enemy. Yee tells the stories of these soldiers who were both admired and at times reviled by their own comrades. He also includes a lengthy chapter on the sniper rifles and other equipment issued to snipers.