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SNIPER'S LYING DOWN POSTwith the point of the V representing the loophole, and whenever possible b bucket lotrine, ration pocket, ammunition pocket, ond seat should be built Into the wolli. A steel loophole plote is o necessity. This has o shutter so that the the aperture con be closed when not in use. As a rule in o fixed post 2 men ore necessory They toke turns in observation, as this con be very tiring overlong periods.CONSTRUCTING STANDING POSTConstruction ilrxed sniper's poys is shown in the above sketches. The forward If e of o hill is definitely the best position for them A standing po j(constructed if water is not too near the surface!,I enables the cxlipont to get his rifle to the required angle more quickly tha »*♦lt; were lying down. If possible the entrance should be ot sorry ^#*once away and must be thoroughly hidden or comouflogeu jine loophole also must be disguised so os to be •ndistinguish m at close range. In plan a sniper's post is V-shapedCAMOUFLAGING LOOPHOLESThere ore many ways of constructing loopholes. At A we show a steel loophole plate covered with sacking and with dummy sandbags. The dummy bogs line up with the real ones in o paropet. As ot 8 the choke end of o dummy bog is often used to disguise o loophole. In front of the steel loophole plote is ploced a box with a hinged cover controlled by o string from inside, os ot C. A number of long noils driven through the cover will support a square of turf to camouflage the opening when closed This turf must be kept fresh so that it matches its surroundings, and may be changed ot night.DECOYS CONFUSE ENEMYDecoys may be used to confuse the enemy and also to find out the position of their snipers. These decoys ore dummy figures dressed in uniform, ond must be mode with varying degrees of realism occordmg to the nearness of the enemy. A decoy with a solid head exposed to enemy fire will give its direction with occurocy bccause of the line of the bullet hole.THE AUSTRALASIAN TRAINING CHARTsi aART OS- S \ 11* l \ 1.CHOOSE COVER CAREFULLYThe ability to choose the best cover in oil kinds of country is of prime importance As shown above, the righthond tide of o tree or the righthond comer of o building or trench provide better prcrt action thon the left. When behind a roil way embankment the rifle should be under the lines, rather thon over. If thh It possible. Sometimes the flash of o rWle will disclose the sniper's position. In view of this tt b necessory to keep the muzzle well bock and notprotruding from cover or loophole A bush provides excellent protection for the sniper, ond will hide flash or smoke from his rifle. In street fighting It may be necessory to fire from windows, ond here again left hand cover is best. In other words, firing alongo street from the lefthond window is better than from the right, as less of the body will be exposed to the return fire of the enemy.THE possibility of action ogamst titts, gliders, or small bodies of troops means that every volunteer, e*.; * |,ally the better marksman, should hove some knovi pige of the art of sniping. The qualities desirable In a good sniper ore: I, Fitness* 2, good sight jitto-out glosses, ond good hearing; 3, patienlt; * ability to sketch ond moke reports; 5,shooting at fleeting targets; 6, judgment oof stccomoufJoge; 8, obiTity to use composst tei4tonce; 7, knowlistalking, scouting,(or binoculars), periscope and map; 9, colt; ond truthfulness. The lost requirement, tfu{ ness, lt;s absolutely essential, since the reports are of such importance to his As o rule the countrymon makes the best but this does not meon that 0 town dwellera the necessory qualities, cannot be equally sult; ful.The use of snipers In this wor will in oil bility be very different from the trench ont. post methods of 1914-1918. In cose of vosion the modem mechanised odvonce necessitate the use of ''roving snipers, or men trained to observe ond report as well shoot with occurocy. The condensed in* on these poges will be put to the best odapted to the new conditions.fEL SWltLDN 0 CUT AWAY TNI* SlotHere we show 0 sniper usmg a rifle with o telescopic sight. He is lying behind o vertical net screen in whtch comoufJoge material hot been threoded This material may be coloured rags or bracken according to the sniper's bock ground ond surroundings. In this sketch hit rifle it comoufloged with block and dirty white bands of odhesive tape Sometimes it may be pointed grey, green, or brown oil over. No port km should be left that will reflect light.USING THE SNIPER'S RANGE CAROEvery sniper in o fixed position, such os a prepor post, uses a range card. This is a sheet of thin cord for preference) marked with o series of semicircles OS obove. where the card is resting behind the loophole, semicircle represents a distance of 100yd. Rodtotfrtt or rays on the card point to prominent positions along enemy's front. These lines ore numbered from left to right. The use of an imoginary clock face in conjunction with each my proves useful for communication to a comrade or In reports to the commanding officer. For instance, 3-9 would indicate a position to the left of ray No. 3 ond '4.2i o point 45deg. behind ond to the left of ray No. 4,CR01/NC CUT AWAY ON THIS SIDETRENCH SNIPING METHODS ARE ADAPTABLE TO MODERN USESAt the moment trench fighting seems to be o thing of the post. Some knowledge of it is useful, however, since it may be odapted to other uses At A above we show sniping posts in a frontline trench Eoch post commands a narrow section ofthe front, but con use enfilode fire ogamst more than one weak spot in the enemy line. Sniping posts between frontline ond reserve trenches, os ot 8 If well mode, are more difficult for the enemyto spot thon those in the frontline. They should be opprooched if possible by a tunnel from the reserve or communication trenches to avoid the making of telltale tracks on the surface of the ground. It is possible to construct sniper's posts even in no man's fond, os ot C. These must be very well hidden indeed. So much so thot the enemy could pass right over without fear of their being discovered.
Newspaper Details
Melbourne Australasian
Melbourne, Victoria, AU
Sat, Jun 07, 1941
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CO, USA 30 Nov 2019
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