| | | German Snipers |  German snipers were some of the most feared units
during the second world war. After the invasion at
Normandy, the German forces were forced to mount a
retreat form the approaching allied forces. As the
German forces retreated, German snipers covered their
retreat. It is reported that half of the American
forces killed, met their demise at the hands of a well
trained German sniper.
Another innovation that is credited with the German
snipers are the emergence of so called "Suicide Boys."
In previous engagements, snipers were known to make as
many shots as they could safely, then withdraw to a
safe location. Increasingly, snipers were not leaving
their posts to withdraw to safety, instead they were
holding their positions until the Allied infantrymen
were right on top of them. This resulted, more often
than not, with the death of the German sniper.
The persistent German snipers had a huge impact on the
morale of allied soldiers. Clearing out the well
hidden german snipers from there hidden spots was
laborious. Allied troops stopped saluting their
commanding officers, as not to let snipers know who
the leaders were. Allied troops also began to crouch
when they walked. The German snipers were to be feared
at all times.
A famous german sniper during the second world war
was Josef Allerberger. This Austrian born sniper is
credited with two-hundred-and-fifty-seven enemy kills.
He was known for using the Wehrmacht camouflage
technique, in which an umbrella frame is covered in
leaves, and the sniper lays behind it. There were also
counter sniping measures being taken by Allied forces.
The extensive anti-german sniping done by Vasily
Zaytsev during the battle of Stalingrad has been
celebrated in several fictionalized accounts by films,
but the fact remains that he was actually credited
with killing over two-hundred-twenty-five german
officers and soldiers. |
|
|
