Author Peter Senich made his reputation as a sniping authority with this book. From its early beginning in the trenches of WWI, Senich describes the equipment, camouflage, weapons and tactics of the German Army. He makes a detailed examination of the rifles and the multitude of scopes, mounting systems for both wars and to a limited extend, supressor systems and infrared sighting units. Senich does not neglect to provide the combat experience of snipers who fought the Red Army and their observations are invaluable today. However, no comparable account is given for German soldiers who fought the allies on the Western Front.
In an all too brief chapter, Senich also delves into the Soviet sniping experience and his text includes a translation of the role of the sniper in the infantry platoon/company. Unfortunately, he does not address the effectiveness of the Red Army sniper nor the propaganda so thoroughly dismissed by Shore (See, "With British Snipers to the Reich).
While the author acknowledges individuals who assisted him, a historian may be disappointed since the book lacks meaningful references. For a sniping enthusiast, this book is an invaluable resource. A collector of Mauser rifles will find the information and photos in this book very useful in identifying the many variations of German sniper rifles.
