Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper

"Out of Nowhere - A History of the Military Sniper" by Martin Pegler, was a pleasure to read. With the feel of an academic work with sources and references cited, the book begins with the emergence of the rifleman as a longer range shooter then carries through to current times and the snipers at work in support of the was in the middle east. The structure of the book is: chronological order, then arranged nation by nation, then sniper representation by each branch of service. Each group is defined by type of mission, type of training or lack of the same, definition and history of hardware and ammunition, all reinforced with historical documents of the time or interviews. The photography is period, black and white for the most part, and quite good in representation. Scopes and night sights and selected ammunition are as well documented as much as the rifles themselves. Also covered are the side arms and field equipment carried by snipers. When I think of the extremes civilian rifleman have gone to assure accurate firearms and sub MOA firearm performance for paper punching competition, it is truly amazing how effective snipers have been at long distances with firearms of comparatively modest refinement. Beyond weapons, there is the detailing of general strategies employed by all participants and how these strategies evolved rapidly with first battlefield experience. The language is concise and focused. There is little expressed in the context of politics or morality, as the book is about snipers and the associated settings and equipment, not about the justification of each nation's cause. The treatment of the people who filled the role of sniper was a little antiseptic, although I really don't think I expected much different. For the most part, war is waged by young people and young people tend to be naive, even in an environment that might eventually lead to cynicism. Sniping is an assignment, and an assignment is a duty to carry out. My distinct impression, after reading this book, is that snipers are people who excel in marksmanship and probably have a very intuitive grasp of patters of human behavior. I doubt the author could have investigated the historical accomplishments of snipers over the years without coming away with a deep appreciation of the their contribution during times of war.

Pegler also wrote Sniper: A History of the US Marksman, which I've reviewed. This book is similar in format and just as excellent. I recommend them both.

Being involved in shooting, I have always been fascinated by these persons we call Sniper. Out of Nowhere is a very large book, full of photos of famous and other not so famous snipers and their personal histories. This is a great book if you want to know all about Sniper and Riflemen history.This is not a "how to", but a great book about what is Sniping and it evolution through time.I strongly recommend it.

This book is amazing! I have other books by Pegler and have never been disappointed by his product. The topic of Military Snipers is a touchy one that has been maligned in the mainstream press for many years. Even the term "Sniper" is thought of with negative thoughts be it terrorist or criminal. Pegler discusses this a bit along with a complete history of the Sniper, their craft, and equipment. It makes for extremely interesting reading. Many historical facts are brought to light by the author and after reading this book one can better understand the need for this dark warrior, even more so in the 21st century. Han

This comprehensive history of the military sniper traces the development of the sniper from 1500, the American Civil War and European wars, WWI and WWII (in both the European and Pacific Wars), limited wars from 1945-85, the Vietnam Conflict, and the present. It is filled with anecdotes of snipers, B & W and color photos, and a brief description of the weapons used. What fascinated me the most were chapter 6 (Russian snipers from 1936 - 1945), chapter 7 (German Snipers in the Eastern front from 1941-45), chapter 8 (the American sniper in the War against Japan in WWII), and chapter 9 (the American sniper in the European front in WWII). In each of these chapters, the author describes the training, the rifles / ammunition used, and the combat performance of the snipers. What fascinated me was the development of the American sniper in WWII, since these American forces had to start completely from scratch in developing the skill of sniping. The author Martin Pegler does a great job of blending technical information with anecdotes and descriptions of the combat performance / training of the snipers. This is an excellent introduction of the history of the military sniper for any military historian or enthusiast.