Military Model Scene

Title: Sniping Rifles in the War against Japan 1941-45
Author: John Walter
Publisher: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-5832-0

Number 88 in the Weapon series from Osprey, an 80-page soft-cover book in the usual style with artwork from Johnny Shumate and Alan Gilliland.
The opening section looks at the detail of the development of sniping rifles by the Japanese, the Type 97 and Type 99, including details of 8 different manufacturers of sights for them, then Commonwealth units (especially Australian) using variants on both the SMLE and the Mk 4 Lee Enfield while the US forces had the M1903A4 Springfield, Winchester Model 70, M1C Garand, the M1941 Johnson and the M1 & M2 Carbines, all with their associated telescopic sights. As well as modern photos of surviving examples these also feature some fine cross-section artwork. Then it moves on to look at how each side made use of their snipers, considering things like the environmental conditions they had to face, the ranges encountered in the dense jungles, the training provided by each side for their snipers, camouflage and specialist ammunition and more. The last two sections which round off the book look at the Impact that snipers had on the fighting in the Pacific, and draws some conclusions on their operations and the advantages of bolt-fed rifles for sniping.
The job of the sniper was not an easy one. A sniper became a key target for their enemy and a lot of work went into developing the specialist rifles and the sights to go with them. In harsh conditions their users also needed to look after them well. Always a valuable piece for collectors, sniping rifles have plenty of links to sporting rifles for their accuracy and I found this one made for interesting reading.
Thanks to Osprey for the review copy.

Robin