Posted on 02/27/2015 8:33:27 AM PST by w1n1
The sniper is an incredibly efficient fighter, compared to the typical infantryman. Consider that in World War II, American infantry units fired 25,000 rounds to kill just one enemy soldier. By the Korean War, that figure jumped to 50,000 rounds, and the select-fire M14 and M16 infantry rifles of the Vietnam War only seem to have produced more misses, requiring the expenditure of 200,000 rounds to kill one enemy combatant.
It is ironic that a country built on a tradition of rifle marksmanship took nearly 200 years to formally embrace the sniper, the man that represents the military apex of that long tradition. In each major war, through Vietnam, our armed forces began with no snipers and had to create training programs, usually in the theater of operations, to train them on the spot. Training varied from none to good, but the typical formula.... the rest of the history of sniper here.
” and the select-fire M14 and M16 infantry rifles of the Vietnam War only seem to have produced more misses, requiring the expenditure of 200,000 rounds to kill one enemy combatant. “
Then number keeps getting bigger! OTOH, a lot of those rounds were NOT M14 or M16 rounds.
I read somewhere (wish I could remember where) about a combat study that was done soon after WW II. It turns out that many of those misses were due to moral reasons. Something like 25% of the infantrymen surveyed had reservations about shooting another human being, even an enemy human being.
So instead of shooting specifically at a person, they just shot at a location where the enemy was known to be.
That of course does not explain all or even most of those misses, but it is an interesting take on the situation.
The Current FReepathon Pays For The Current Quarter's Expenses?
One long burst from a flamethrower could incinerate and suffocate 15-20 Japanese though. Just saying these are stupid statistics. Suppressing fire is a common tactic.
I have read that before too. I also read that after the war and that survey, the military started using human shaped silhouette targets instead of round ones in training and qualification to get people used to shooting at people shapes.
I think the concept of Dedicated Marksman, is a great idea. Not really snipers, but marksmen who are futher back during firefights and pick off enemy personal during the short moments when they are exposed.
WWI saw truces where soldiers got out of their trenches and met their enemies for photos & exchange of gifts. Higher ups threatened soldiers with execution for such photo ops to get them back to shooting at each other.
They were called “sharpshooters” during the Civil War. That's a pretty good term.
http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/means/sharpshooter.htm
“Jack Hinson: One Man War” book. They killed 2 of his sons in the War of Northern Aggression. He killed 39 confirmed up to ~100 of them in return.
Thanks; will look for it. I've recently been on a reading binge of books about the War, especially the battles in Virginia during 1864.
Unfortunately for the Confederates, Hinson was a "loner" seeking revenge. His sniping was never integrated into a Confederate battle plan, nor was his information on Federal riverboat movements available to Confederate Intelligence.
By contrast, Chris Kyle was integrated into the battle plan, where he provided overwatch for troops going door to door.
They’re called designated snipers for some tasks in some combat units: two in each platoon with the highest scores on ranges. Then, they participate in some suitable exercises as snipers while also doing all of the other scheduled tasks of other soldiers in their platoons. They don’t have the special equipment and extra training of snipers from schools for that purpose, but such exercises could be helpful for some circumstances.
I have that excellent work and also McBride’s book The Emma Gees.
Those thousands per numbers keep growing and growing.
I guess Simo Hayha was the equivalent of tens of millions of rounds.
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