Acclaimed military historian Adrian Gilbert leads readers into the world of the combat sniper-on the safe side of the crosshairs.

From the black-powder chaos of the American Revolution to the bitter carnage of Vietnam, he is a presence as familiar to war as death itself. He is the combat sniper-revered as the ultimate warrior by some and reviled as a monster by those who have known the terror of his invisible ambush.

As the "Wild Boys" who crawled the no-man's-land between the trenches in WWI, terrorizing the enemy and dodging fire from the shelter of shell craters.

As the officer-hunting German snipers is WWII's Normandy-so unnerving that hardened commanders began to disguise their rank.

As the men who boasted a shot/ill ration of 1.7 to 1 in Vietnam-a figure that was 50,000 to 1 among general soldiers.

From the evolution of the art, to firsthand accounts of legendary exploits, through the basics of sniper training, Sniper traces the development of these feared huntsmen, marking their historical battles and their pivotal role in modern forces.

Includes 8 pages of authentic action photographs!