Counter-Sniper Tactics

There are many tactics to counter a sniper. Sometimes the enemy will place a doll dressed up as “the enemy” and place it so it looks like it’s trying to take cover. A sniper might see this as an easy kill and shoot it. While the sniper takes the shot the enemy can look at the angle from which the bullet came from and a shot from an anti-tank rifle will be fired or the area will be bombarded by mortars towards the sniper’s direction and eliminate him/her.

Another tactic used is booby traps. Booby traps such as claymore mines, trip-wired hand grenades or smoke bombs can be placed in suspected sniper positions. Even though a smoke bomb might not eliminate the sniper it can reveal his position.

An old but not so efficient tactic that was once used was placing rags in bushes. This was to create a distraction in the eyes of a sniper. This tactic would hardly fool a highly trained marksman. It would just provide him with the wind direction near the target.

Another tactic used to counter a sniper is known as “Close and Destroy” a.k.a Rush. If the firing sniper is close enough and the enemy has detected the sniper’s position then a squad will be sent to rush the sniper’s position. This will result in the elimination of the sniper and fewer casualties as opposed to being slowly picked off by the sniper. What better way to counter a sniper than with another sniper.

With similar training, knowledge of the surroundings, and equipment, the friendly sniper can offer advice to the squad, enhanced searching capability, and a means to combat the enemy sniper directly. In a sniper vs. sniper situation who wins? There can only be one winner so how do you know who wins if they are equally trained? They might be equally trained but they do not have the same body control. The sniper that can control his body more will be victorious in the end.

Missions of The Ghost Warriors

Snipers are sent on many different missions. They do not just shoot people. A sniper might be sent on a mission to take out enemies with machine guns because of the heavy fire preventing anybody to get close. They are also sent to take out radio operators, enemy snipers, and equipment. Snipers can be sent on a mission to direct air strikes or to direct artillery or mortar fire. By destroying radio operators they are cutting of the enemy’s contact with one another. If a sniper can prevent the enemy from communicating with one another then the sniper can prevent from being hit with an air strike or mortar fire because there is no way people in the air can fire without a location. A sniper’s mission might just be reconnaissance and collect intelligence from the enemy and not take a single shot. If a sniper is caught they might be killed at the spot no questions asked.

Snipers are allowed to hide anything that will mark him or give a tell that he/she is a sniper. Another technique used by highly skilled marksman to prevent detection is sound masking. Sniper rifles make a loud noise when being fired like the drop of the artillery shells to the ground or the sound of the bullet being fired from the rifle.

SNIPER FACT: In the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army put a bounty on the head of any U.S. sniper captured alive.

            Snipers are one of the most dangerous people in war. Why? Snipers can shoot from a spot so far that it might not be visible to the human eye. The longest range recorded for a sniper kill currently stands at 2,475 meters (1.5 miles) and was achieved by CoH Craig Harrison. They are referred to as Ghost Warriors because just like a real ghost, it’s there but you can’t see it. Throughout history people have developed tactics to counter a sniper.

The Stalk pt.2

Relocating is not the only way a shooter uses to prevent exposure from the enemy. A sniper must learn to camouflage. To camouflage is to blend in with the environment making it harder to be spotted or hit. Snipers use ghillie suits to help them camouflage. A ghillie suit is a set of clothes specially modified to look like a pile of underbrush that fits the environment from where the shooter will be when taking the shot.  The ghillies suit was created by a Scottish warden to catch poachers. The ghillie suit is used when on stalking missions. A sniper also uses face paint to camouflage. The color and pattern of the face paint also depends on the environment from where the shooter will be hiding.

Hide sites are used for cover and concealment where a sniper can conduct surveillance and fire from. It will cover them from the enemy and give the shooter good visibility. A position might look like an ideal location for a hide site but might be the way to the enemy. When a sniper is on a stalking mission he is to use a ghillie suit. It can take hours for a sniper to move a couple of inches to get closer to the enemy. If a sniper feels like he might have been spotted he is to stay immovable to avoid detection even if it takes hours. "The longest wait was three days…we were in a big bush, 300 yards above a village. Eventually, they came out and we dropped two out of three of them" (Sgt. Ed Kuglar). Since a sniper is expected to remain immovable for such a long period they cannot up get for any reason. It has been known of that people have walked over snipers without noticing that they are there.

What is so important about the stalk? If you can stalk then your mission will most likely be successful. Snipers aren't only sent on killing missions. There are many different missions for snipers.

The Stalk Pt.1

The shooter is expected to stay immoveable for hours waiting for the signal. He is

expected to scope out the enemy, be patient and calm, await the signal from the spotter, not be nervous and hold his breath. When taking the shot he has to use the ballpoint of his finger. By using the ballpoint of his finger this will prevent the gun from tilting sideways at the time of the shot. They can also use a bipod or a sandbag to support the stock for better accuracy. The shooter will at some time stalk the enemy for hours not taking his eye off him for a single second. The sniper can’t leave his spot for any reason except to relocate or abort the mission. If the sniper has to use the bathroom he must do so at the spot. The sniper might even learn something from the enemy from scoping the enemy for so long. How? Simple, he might notice a wedding ring and know that the enemy is married

When the spotter has taken all measures into account and is sure of a hit on the enemy then he will signal the shot to the shooter. By the time the shooter has taken the shot he might be dehydrated, tired his adrenaline rushing and vision is blurry. If the shooter is expected to take out multiple enemies he must relocate after every shot to prevent from getting spotted. The more shots fired the more chances the enemy has to spot them. Relocating isn't the only way to prevent from getting spotted.           

There are several tactics and accessories to perform the stalk. On the next post “The Stalk pt.2” I will go into details of the ghillie suit for camouflage and concealment and hide sites. In the mean time here is a video of stalking in action.

http://military.discovery.com/videos/top-sniper-behind-the-scenes-the-stalk.html

I Got Your Back

A sniper can only be at his best when accompanied by a spotter. Snipers don’t work alone but in pairs. Every sniper has a spotter, someone who will calculate when the sniper can take the shot or if a sniper has to retreat, relocate and try again or simply abort the mission when a shot can’t be taken. The Russians were the first to utilize snipers in two-man teams. If a sniper is working with a spotter, it will always be up to the spotter to signal the shot. If the spotter does not signal the shot then the shot must not be taken or there cover will be blown. So what exactly does a spotter calculate? There are many factors that a spotter has to take into account in order to signal the shot.

 A spotter must measure…

1.      climate

2.      altitude and range of where the shot is being taken and where the target is

3.       wind direction

4.       speed direction

5.      angle shooting

6.       movement of the target

7.        the rotation of the earth for really far shots.

The wind can be moving in one direction but ½ a mile further it can be moving the opposite direction. A spotter is expected to be equipped with a notepad, laptop, and measuring devices for calculations. They must also carry an assault rifle to protect the sniper in case of an ambush or an enemy sneaking behind them.

Graduation

“One kill saves ten comrades.” When and if you graduate as an expert of the rifle this motto will always be with you where ever you go. A final activity given to the snipers can confirm if you graduate or not from school. The activity is to assimilate a real mission. Instructors and walkers are placed in watchtowers while the snipers are in an open field. The instructors and walkers will have a piece of paper attached around their waist with something written on it or they will hold up their fingers. The snipers must get a certain distance close to the instructor of about 150 meters to read the piece of paper or count how many fingers the walker or instructor is holding up without being spotted. If a sniper gets spotted they fail. Too many fails and the student was dropped from the program. This is actually easier in the real world because you will never get that close to your target. Now that you have graduated from sniping school and acquired the skills needed to survive in real life your next step is the mission. 

Now that you have become an expert at handling the rifle and mastered 1.)OBSERVATION 2.)MARKSMANSHIP AND 3.)STALK the army will send you to many different missions. These missions could range from simply just observing the enemy to killing the enemy.

            Here is a sniper game you can try out I found online.

                                        http://www.snipergames.net/games/stingersniper.html

1st Day of School

    I bet your first day of school would never be boring if you attended a school for snipers. Snipers go to school to be are highly trained to move without detection, search areas, estimate ranges, locate and identify sounds, use cover, concealment  and camouflage, and  endure long periods of waiting. They must use maps, sketches, aerial photos, compass, recognize enemy personnel quickly, and notice the difference from the enemy and a civilian.

There are many different activities for a sniper to train in moving without detection, searching areas, and locate and identifying sounds and many final activities that will tell if a sniper is ready or not. One activity used by many sniping schools is to place many small objects in the open air. As a sniper one must use the scope to scope out these objects but one is only given a certain amount of time to do so. After time is called the sniper is to get a piece of paper and list down what he saw. If the sniper saw a paperclip the sniper must write down a gray twisted oval shape piece of aluminum  because that is what the sniper saw and not a paper clip. To improve their skills they repeat this activity every day but are given less time to scope out the objects or they might scope out the objects in the morning and asked to write down what they saw at end of the day.

 Another game used to train snipers is placing small objects in an open grassy field. The sniper must use his scope to find these objects and when they do they must stare at it for several minutes. A sniper is told to always stay calm and have a lot of patience. Calmness and patience are two major keys in surviving on the field. If you have calmness and patience then concealment and camouflaging will not be as hard for you.