Hesketh-Prichard: Sniping in France (London 920) p.26 8

w a s e x e c u t e d b y a n u m b e r o f h ig h ly p r o f ic ie n t s n i p e r s . S e c o n d ly , t h e o ffen siv e , a r e g u la r v e n tu r e u s e d to b re a k th e s ta g n a tio n o f t r e n c h w a rfa re , a ls o m a d e u s e o f th e s h a r p s h o o te r . H is a ctiv itie s w e re c o n tin u o u s ly p u t to w o rk , fro m b e fo re z e r o -h o u r to c o n s o lid a tio n o f th e n e w ly -w o n lin e . L a stly , th e m obile w a rfa re t h a t c h a r a c te r iz e d th e s u m m e r o f 1 9 1 8 a ls o m a d e ro o m fo r th e s n ip e r, e n s u r i n g t h a t th e fa lte rin g e n e m y w a s p u t d o w n b y a w ell a im e d rifle. T h e s n ip e r ’s a r t w a s v e ry a c tiv e in o p e n w a rfa re a n d h is c o n tr ib u tio n w a s a s m u c h a p a r t o f v ic to ry a s th e m e n w ho s u r r e n d e r e d th e ir liv e s fo r it. I T h e a r t o f s n ip in g d e m a n d e d a c e r t a i n a m o u n t o f s k ill fro m th e s o ld ie r. W h e n a lo n e , p a r tic u la r ly in n o m a n ’s l a n d , th e s u c c e s s f u l s n ip e r n e e d e d to k n o w th e n e c e s s a r y p r o c e d u r e s o f c a m o u f la g e , m o v e m e n t, a n d s h o o t in g . F in a lly , e s t a b l i s h i n g s n ip in g p o s t s in n o m a n ’s l a n d , a lb e it in f r e q u e n t, w a s a n o t h e r fe a tu re o f o p e n w a rfa re s n ip in g t h a t e n a b le d s n ip e r s to g a in a s c e n d a n c y o v e r th e e n em y . S n ip in g in t h e o p e n w a s s o m e th in g e x c lu s iv e ly fo r t h e in d iv id u a l s n ip e r w h o p r e f e r r e d to w o rk a lo n e . It is tr u e t h a t m a n y a s n i p e r w o rk e d w ith a fellow o b s e r v e r in o p e n te r r ito r y , b u t o n ly u n d e r th e c o n c e a lm e n t o f s u r r o u n d in g tre e s , s lo p e s o r ro ck . V e n tu rin g in to n o m a n ’s la n d a s a p a rty o f tw o in v ite d e n e m y g u n fire a n d . m o re th a n likely, d e a t h . T h u s , th e lo n e s n ip e r w h o s o u g h t c o m p le te d o m in a n c e o f th e n e u tr a l te r r ito r y , f o u n d h is n ic h e in t h e c r a t e r s o f n o m a n ’s la n d . 2 T h is p r a c tic e , h o w e v e r, w a s o f te n r a r e

b e c a u s e o f th e d a n g e r in v o lv ed a n d th e i n t e n s e s h o r t r a n g e o f rifle fire. F u r th e r m o r e , “a p a r t fro m th e n e r v e - s a p p in g q u a litie s , s n ip in g b e tw e e n th e lin e s w a s ra re ly t h a t effective." 3

H o w ev e r, b e fo re a s c e n d in g in to th is d a n g e r z o n e , a s n i p e r n e e d e d to follow a s e t o f p r o c e d u r e s to e n s u r e h is s a fe ty . C a m o u f la g e w a s th e first

2 Bill Rawling; Survivina Trench Warfare. (Toronto, 1992). p.50. 3 Adrian Gilbert; Sniper. (N ew York, 1994). p.71.

8 5

c ritic a l e x e rc is e a s c o n c e a lm e n t m a d e th e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n a s u c c e s s f u l s n ip e r a n d a d e a d o n e . A n im a ls in th e w ild o fte n p o s s e s s s o m e fo rm o f n a t u r a l c o lo u r to d is g u is e th e m fro m th e ir s ta lk e rs . L ikew ise, c a m o u f la g e in tr e n c h w a rfa re fo llo w ed th e s a m e p rin c ip le s . W ith t h e u s e o f p a i n t e d s u its a n d h o o d s, s n i p e r s u s e d c a m o u fla g e to c o v er th e o u tlin e o f th e h u m a n b o d y a n d m a k e th e m b le n d w ith th e s u r r o u n d in g te r r a in . 4 As p h o to s fro m th e p re v io u s c h a p t e r h a v e s h o w n , k h a k i u n ifo rm s in g r e e n b r u s h d o n o t b le n d w ell, n o t to m e n tio n th e fla t-to p c a p t h a t alw ay s re fle c te d th e s u n lig h t. Two of th e m o s t c o m m o n o u tf i t s w e re th e “S y m ie n S n ip e r s S u it" a n d t h e “B o iler S n ip e r 's S u it" . T h e S y m ie n . m a d e o f p a in te d s c r im , w a s a lo o s e fittin g g r e a tc o a t w ith a t t a c h e d h o o d a n d a c c o m p a n y in g p a n t s . M ade o f lin e n , th e B o ile r re s e m b le d a p a ir o f b u lk y o v e ra lls a n d c a r r ie d w ith it a re m o v a b le h o o d . H oods w e re o fte n fitte d w ith m e s h s c r e e n s fo r view ing. W h e re a h o o d w a s n o t p o s s ib le , th e fa c e a n d h a n d s w e re u s u a lly d a r k e n e d a n d th e h e a d c o v e re d w ith t h e a p p r o p r ia te c o lo u re d c lo th (eg. h a n d k e r c h ie f o r b a la c la v a ), s T h e e a rs , h o w e v er, re m a in e d e x p o s e d s o a s to n o t in te rfe re w ith h e a r in g a n d w e re d a rk e n e d in th e s a m e m a n n e r a s th e h a n d s a n d fa c e . W h ere c o m p le te s n ip e r s u its w e re u n a v a ila b le , m a r k s m e n m a d e u s e o f “s n ip e r v e ils" in b o th d a r k a n d lig h t c o lo u r s . A lim ite d n u m b e r o f th e s e v e ils w a s a llo c a te d to b a tta lio n s a n d c o u ld b e m a d e m o re effective by a tta c h in g so m e s u r r o u n d in g v e g e ta tio n o r lik e m a te r ia l to th e h e a d a n d b o d y w ear. 6 L ikew ise, i n w in te r, w h ite c a p c o v e rs w e re u tiliz e d fo r m o v e m e n t in th e s n o w . D a rk c lo th in g w a s e m p h a s iz e d fo r u s e a t n ig h t a n d . in o n e in s ta n c e , a s n ip e r a p p r o a c h e d th e e n e m y ’s w ire w ith th e u s e o f a la d y ’s n ig h t d re ss! ? H ow ever, c a m o u fla g e d id h a v e its lim its. C h a n g in g w e a th e r p a t te r n s o r light c o n d itio n s c o u ld in s ta n tly

4 NAC, MG30 E2/V.1, N.A.D. Armstrong Papers, “Chapter XIV - Camouflage", p.3.

5 NAC, RG9 III C 3 /3 8 6 7 /1 07/2, “N otes on Sniping Collected by the 3rd Cavalry Division”, p.3.

6 NAC, RG9 III C 3/414 3 /8 /1 , “Lecture G iven at N.C.O .’s School of Instruction, 2nd Army”, p.2. For sn ip er v eils s e e NAC, R G 9 III C 3 /4 1 8 5 /4 1 /3 , “6th Inf. Bde. to 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th C.M.R. Bn.s, 0 3 /0 4 /1 9 1 8 ”.

7 ibid., p.2.

86

a l t e r th e e ffe c t o f a s n ip e r ’s c o n c e a lm e n t. 8 T h u s , it w a s im p e r a tiv e fo r a s n ip e r to b e a w a re o f h is s u r r o u n d in g s a n d b e p r e p a r e d to c h a n g e h is p la n s in t h e e v e n t o f w a v e r in g c o n c e a l m e n t . N e v e r t h e le s s , p r o p e r u s e o f b a c k g r o u n d a n d c a m o u fla g e e n a b le d a s n ip e r to v e n tu re i n t o t h e p it s a n d c r a te r s o f n o m a n 's la n d w ith o u t d e te c tio n . T h e p h o to s o n t h e follow ing p a g e in d ic a te th e n e c e s s ity o f d is g u ise in o p e n w a rfa re sn ip in g .

O f e q u a l im p o r ta n c e to t h e s h r o u d e d s n i p e r w a s p r o p e r m o v e m e n t. S lo w n e s s a n d c a u tio n w ere th e tw o k e y s to s u c c e s s f u l m o v e m e n t. T ra in e d to c r a w l n o f a s t e r t h a n a y a r d p e r m in u te a n d w ith o n ly t h e m o s t g r a d u a l m o v e m e n ts o f th e b o d y , th e tr a i n e d s n ip e r fo llo w ed a c h o s e n p a t h t h a t h e m a r k e d v is u a lly w ith p a r tic u la r f e a tu r e s a n d la n d m a r k s . ® T h e p r o c e s s o f m o v in g to a p o s itio n in n o m a n ’s la n d f u r th e r r e q u ire d m in im a l n o is e a n d .