Allied reinforcements arrived in Port Moresby and began moving up the track to confront the Japanese. Although the Australians initially retook Kokoda, they had to deal with a series of severe Japanese counter-attacks, which threatened to overwhelm them. As the situation became desperate, Private Bruce Kingsbury of the 2/14th Battalion launched a heroic lone attack intoethe Japanese lines, firing a Bren gun from the hip. He managed to kill several of the enemy but he was eventually shot by a Japanese sniper. His actions had the effect of turning the battle at a critical moment and saved battalion headquarters from being overwhelmed by the enemy. Kingsbury was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The Australians were also aware of the danger of Japanese snipers and where they were able to bring Stuart tanks into the battle, they fitted them with an upward-firing machine gun that would rake the tree tops.
An Australian sniper of Third Landing Group on New Caledonia in 1942. He has a Lithgow SMLE No.1 Mk III rifle with a 1918 pattern telescopic sight. Wearing a scrim face veil helps to break up the contours of his face.
M1 GARAND RIFLE
Country of Origin United States
Caliber .30in (7.62mm)
Overall length 1103mm (43.5in)
Barrel length 610mm (24in)
Weight 4.37kg (9.5lb)
The M1 Garand was the first self-loading rifle to ever be adopted as a standard military firearm. First introduced to U.S. forces during World War I, the M1 remained in frontline service into the 1950s. More than six million weapons had been produced by the end of production in 1959.
U.S. counter-sniper tactics
U.S. forces also developed painstaking tactics to counter snipers in New Guinea and elsewhere. Hargis Westerfield, divisional historian of the 163rd Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army’s 41st Division, describes some of the counter-sniper tactics that were developed:
Our basic tactics consisted of three main steps–and a fourth which AT 163 [anti-tank troop] added with at least three 37s [37mm (1.45in) cannon]. First we began to deal with Jap Perimeters Q-R which lurked in holes 20–30 yards [18–27m] before us. We set up two-man counter-sniper teams in slit trenches on the forward edge of the Musket perimeter. While one man quietly scanned the opaque jungle with field glasses … the other man cuddled his well cleaned rifle and waited. When the Jap shots rang out, the observer carefully spotted the green area where the shots came from. He pointed out the direction of the fire, let the rifleman observe through his glasses. The rifleman fired–until the Jap was silent–or Jap fire retaliated close enough to make him lie prone. Thus he secured our forward area.
Second, we sent counter-sniping teams into the trees on the flank and rear of Musket perimeter. To lessen the drudgery and danger of climbing among the dead branches in jungle sweat we set up homemade ladders. Usually we made them of telephone wire with stout wooden rungs. Once the two-man tree teams were aloft, we got to work. We shot at all trees which seemed to harbour Nippo rifles. When Japs fired, we followed our standing order. All teams returned fire. If unsure of the target, we engaged probable Jap trees in the general direction of the popping fire. With our M1s and 1903 rifles, we shot 200–400 yards [182–366m] …
Third, we still needed another measure, because manning forward slit trenches with two-man counter-sniping teams was not enough. As soon as we posted sniper teams in trees, we could take the offensive. We could use these teams to guide attack patrols on the ground. We sent out small foot patrols of two–three men. Under direction from tree observers, our patrols shot down snipers or slashed other targets on the flanks of Jap Perimeters Q and R. And the ground troops set booby traps–grenades tied to two separate trees and connected by a trip-cord attached to the loosened firing pins. These booby traps caused Jap casualties, and once definitely affected our capture of a Jap Bren gun. Evidently the Japs had dropped the Bren gun when they fled from a grenade blast.
When we counter-sniped in these three steps, we carefully secured ourselves from accidentally shooting our 163 men. We briefed all our men on our methods. We located our own sniper trees so that nobody thought we were firing on him. Most important of all, we made it clear that nobody could fire on Jap snipers–except regularly designated counter-snipers.
Fourth, with the arrival of AT 163’s 37mm cannon (at least three) we took another step against these hidden Jap killers. … Methodically, AT’s carefully aimed 37s were topping the jungle trees around Musket perimeter. For without tree cover, no snipers could operate. In BAR-man Fallstick’s opinion, the number of trees made the task hopeless, but he admitted that he saw a tremendous number of mangled trees on the horizon. Thus did 163 Inf’s 1/Bn counter-snipe the Nip snipers who took sight pictures on us from above Musket perimeter.
VETERAN MARKSMEN
On June 15, 1944 two U.S. Marine Divisions went ashore on the island of Saipan in the Marianas against thirty thousand Japanese defenders. Once again, Japanese resistance was several times fiercer than even the worst estimates and an Army division had to be called in to reinforce the Marines. Once again, the advancing U.S. forces found themselves held up by cleverly situated Japanese machine-gun nests.
Adrian Gilbert includes a Marine’s account of such an experience in his book Stalk and Kill–The Sniper Experience. The Marine in question was surprised to see two unorthodox figures coming to the rescue as they kept their heads down under the hail of Japanese lead. However he may have been comforted by their folksy appearance, he may not have been so confident that these veterans could do the job in the face of Japanese fanaticism. He was wrong.
We were pinned down on the beach at Saipan by a machine-gun bunker. The pill-box commanded a sweeping view of the area and there was just no way he could get at it. Plenty of our boys had died trying.
Finally one of our ninety-day wonders got on the horn and requested a sniper. A few minutes later, I saw two old gunnery sergeants sashaying towards us, wearing shooting jackets and campaign hats! As soon as I saw these Smokey Bears bobbing over to us, I figured this could be some show. And it was.
These two old sergeants skinnied up to the lieutenant and just asked him to point out the bunkers. Then they unfolded two shooting mats, took off their Smokey Bears and settled down to business. One manned a spotter scope while the other fired a 1903 Springfield with a telescopic sight rig.
That bunker must have been 1,100 or 1,200 yards [1005–1097m] away, but in just a few minutes, with three or four sporting rounds, this old gunny on the Springfield slipped a round right into the bunker’s firing slit. One dead machine-gunner. But their commander just stuck another man on that gun. Our sniper shot him, too.
After the fourth man bit a slug, I think they got the idea. We moved up on their flank and destroyed the bunker while our snipers kept the machine-gun silent. Then the two gunnys dusted themselves off, rolled up their mats and settled their Smokey Bears on their heads. And just moseyed away.
A U.S. Marine aims a Springfield Model 1903 in the Pacific jungle. The Springfield rifle proved to be both reliable and rugged in the difficult combat environment of the jungle.
CANINE COMPANIONS
In the Makin operation of November 1943, H. Hallas relates in his book, The Devil’s Anvil, how the 5th Marines employed an innovative new anti-sniper weapon–dogs.
The dog platoons included Doberman Pinschers and on one occasion a dog called Boy saved a whole company of Marines from the prospect of walking into an ambush when he detected a Japanese unit armed with two machine guns and several other weapons.
The Dobermans did not just alert the Marines to the presence of the enemy, they also actively engaged them. Hallas wrote: “Similarly, on 20 September, the 4th War Dog Platoon reported that one of its dogs ‘alerted a Jap sniper at about fifty yards [45m] distance and killed him.’ The following day a dog by the name of Pardner was reported to have ‘chased a Jap sniper approximately 150 yards [137m] before the sniper was killed.’” On the whole, however, conditions on the island were not right for the dogs. Apart from cutting their p
aws on the coral, the dogs also began to suffer from shellshock and became unmanageable. The dog platoons served successfully in the island campaigns, including Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The dog handlers were awarded five Silver Stars and seven Bronze Stars for heroism in action and more than 40 Purple Hearts for wounds received in battle. Although several dog handlers were killed in action, a dog platoon was never caught out in an ambush.
U.S. Marine “Raiders” and their dogs head off to the frontline in Bougainville. Dogs such as these could be an effective tool in finding snipers and in some cases killing them. Dogs could be adversely affected by the noise of war, however, and become too dangerous to handle.
The Americans also sometimes used British Boys 13.9mm (0.55in) anti-tank rifles to rip through tree trunks behind which snipers were concealed. Firing a weapon of this caliber proved to be something of a challenge, even though its effects were often conclusive. Russell Braddon, who served in the Australian artillery recalled one incident:
Since the sniper fired from behind the top of the tree trunk, he could be shot through it–a Boys rifle was therefore essential for the job. With the barrel resting on my shoulder and the butt against his arm, Harry took a long aim, apparently quite undeterred by the bursts of fire from all sides … in fact as we stood there our feet spread wide apart to take some of the shock I was very deterred indeed. Then Harry fired and I was crushed to the ground … and the sniper toppled gracelessly out from behind his tree … I left Harry, still swearing volubly and rubbing his shoulder.
Otherwise, the Australians improvised with a Bren gun, discovering that it was sometimes a weakness of Japanese snipers to be drawn into firing at exposed objects, such as a piece of cloth or a helmet, at which someone would return fire with a Bren gun.
THE KOREAN WAR
The world may have thought it had had enough of major conflicts following the end of World War II but in June 1950 the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with the backing of the Soviet Union. The new world order was that the United States and the Soviet Union were the two superpowers and, since direct conflict between them was likely to be too costly for both sides, they backed proxies who represented their conflicting ideologies.
President Truman had designated the 38th Parallel as the line that separated the interests of the Soviet Union and the United States in Korea and persuaded the United Nations to take responsibility for the country in 1948. In this case it was not just the United States that came to the aid of South Korea but the United Nations. In a diplomatic coup, the United States was thus able to pursue its aims with the backing of the international community.
The opposing forces consisted of South Korea’s Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and the North Korea People’s Army (KPA). Communists in South Korea drew in the resources of ROKA, which was also watching the border area. By 1950, the Soviet Union was ready to approve an invasion of the south by the KPA, which was relatively well trained and also supported by Chinese soldiers. On June 25, 1950 the KPA rolled over the 38th Parallel and the Imjin River, heading towards Seoul. On June 28, the KPA entered Seoul and the ROKA, on the back foot but not in disorder, knew that its only chance was assistance from the United States and its allies. Existing U.S. forces in the country were reinforced by U.S. Army and Marine units and a British Commonwealth brigade. The United Nations forces were under the command of General MacArthur.
After an amphibious landing at Inch’on, MacArthur’s forces pushed through and liberated Seoul. Allied forces continued to push the KPA north beyond the 38th Parallel but the advance of U.S.-backed democratic forces proved to be too much for the communist powers, the Soviet Union and China.
The Chinese People’s Volunteer Force came over the border and attacked Allied forces. The tide of advance was turned. Soviet pilots in MiGs provided air cover and by January 1951 Seoul had once again fallen to the communists. By May 1951, the ROKA had pushed the Chinese and KPA back over the 38th Parallel with significant U.S. and other Allied assistance. The huge Chinese expeditionary force, however, eventually pushed back in 1952, carrying out a series of infiltration attacks.
Infiltration and attrition
In this war of attrition, with both sides first advancing and then retreating and with Chinese attacks in particular involving infiltration and attrition, there were plenty of opportunities for snipers to do their work. The Chinese sniper Zhang Taofang was accredited with over two hundred hits, firing a Mosin-Nagant 7.62mm (0.3in) rifle. This score was said to have been achieved without the use of a telescopic sight.
Otherwise, the UN-sponsored forces that arrived in Korea had little by way of sniper training and equipment to begin with. As so often before, the lessons had to be relearned through bitter experience. As snipers such as Zhang Taofang began to pick off Allied troops one by one, various commanders began to search around for their own snipers and, finding them lacking, asked for marksmen to be trained. It was as if both World War I and World War II had never happened. As the Germans and British had done in World War I, sniping rifles with telescopic sights were requisitioned wherever they were available and these included Springfield 1903-A4 rifles. Other rifles included the Garand M1-C and the Winchester M70 target rifle.
WILLIAM S. BROPHY
Among the precious sniping talent that arrived in Korea was Ordnance Captain William Brophy. Brophy had led a company in battle in the Philippines during World War II for which he had been awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, among other awards. In civilian life he worked as a gunsmith. Brophy was to prove a very useful man to have around because, when he arrived in Korea, he discovered that the soldiers had no idea how to maintain their specialized Garand M1-D sniping rifles. There was also an inadequate supply of spare parts or even the correct ammunition.
Although the Winchester 70 was a fine rifle, due to the long ranges found in the area of the 38th Parallel and elsewhere, the rifle was not reliably accurate above ranges of 914m (1000 yards). Brophy had a solution for this: the use of a 12.7mm (0.5in) machine gun, which could comfortably achieve ranges of around 1372m (1500 yards). The machine gun was also a stable platform from which to fire and could be finely adjusted. The problem with the 12.7mm (0.5in) machine gun, however, was that it was not easy to conceal or carry about. Since Brophy was a gunsmith by trade, he knew how to play about with weapons.
One solution he came up with was a Soviet PTRD 14.5mm (0.57in) anti-tank rifle fitted with a 12.7mm (0.5in) machine-gun barrel. American troops were lucky to have someone who both knew about firearms as well as what it was like to fight on the frontline. Servicemen needed weapons that worked when the chips were down, when it was freezing, when the trench was full of mud and water or when there was a sandstorm.
Despite his recommendations, neither the U.S. Army or Marine Corps agreed to take on a specialized sniper rifle and instead continued with modified infantry rifles. Brophy was ahead of his time. The proof that he knew what he was talking about lies in the fact that most modern armies are now issued with specialized sniping rifles. Also, his idea of using a 12.7mm (0.5in) machine gun for sniping was occasionally replicated in Vietnam when conditions allowed.
“CHET” HAMILTON
Chester F. “Chet” Hamilton joined the U.S. Army at the age of seventeen and served in the 1st Infantry Division. Chet had exceptional shooting skills and, apart from his active military service, he would also go on to win medals in many shooting competitions. By the time he was twenty, he found himself in another war at a time when the scarcity of snipers on the U.S. side was a cause for concern.
Having already established himself as something of a marksman, Chet found himself unexpectedly popular. He was soon assigned the position of company sniper. Posted up to the frontline, all Chet could see was a maze of barbed wire and trenches with no distinguishing features or aiming points. If he had served in the Pacific, this might have reminded him of Japanese positions–the featureless f
acade disguising a maze of tunnels where the enemy were present in large numbers. Search as he might for targets of opportunity, he found the Chinese forces were too well disciplined to stick their heads above the parapet. Things changed, however, when the Americans put in a frontal attack supported by artillery. As the GIs clambered up the hill towards them, the Chinese had no choice but to shoot down at them. Suddenly Chet was presented with a shooting gallery of Chinese soldiers, all of them fully occupied with the targets in front of them. Chet set about his work and, after a period of about two hours that the U.S. attack lasted, he knocked down about forty Chinese defenders. In the heat of battle, the Chinese must have assumed they were being hit by the attacking forces. Little did they know that a prize-winning U.S. marksman had them one by one looming large in his telescopic sights.
On another occasion, Chet, now a platoon sergeant, took his men out on a probing patrol. They were uncomfortably close to the enemy and in constant fear of being cut off. As they waited for reinforcements, some Chinese soldiers who had become isolated from their own lines due to artillery shelling tried to make a break back to safety. They would probably have made it if it were not for the fact that a U.S. marksman was in the vicinity. Despite the fact that Chet was not on this occasion carrying his sniper rifle as he was not on official sniper duty, he picked off the Chinese whenever they tried to make the dash.
Two scout snipers of 1st Division, U.S. Marines, aim a Springfield 1903 rifle (foreground) and an M1 sniper rifle. Although the Marine in the foreground wears white camouflage overalls, he has not broken up the shape of the rifle with camouflage.
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