Through the Crosshairs: A History of Snipers - Softcover

Dougan, Andy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786717734 ISBN 13: 9780786717736

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2006

Synopsis

In Through the Crosshairs, Andy Dougan traces the history of the sniper from the first instance of strategic shooting during the English Civil War, to the sharp-shooters in the jungles of Vietnam, and shows how the sniper, while once a pariah in the eyes of his fellow troops, has evolved into the ideal soldier for modern warfare. Dougan identifies the great marksmen of each era and explains the circumstances in which their reputations were established. From the gunman who chose not to fire on a retreating George Washington during the Revolutionary War, to the "white stocking" snipers of Chechnya, Through the Crosshairs provides a fascinating look at the marksmen and women who have taken up the gun to expert and deadly effect.

About this title

About the Author:

ANDY DOUGAN is a journalist and the author of the bestselling Dynamo: Defending the Honor of Kiev as well as several other books. He lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

From Publishers Weekly:

This breezy account of snipers and sniping since prehistory is built on specific cases: British naval icon Horatio Nelson being felled by a sniper's bullet at the pivotal Battle of Trafalgar in 1805; legendary World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle dying at the hands of a Japanese sniper in 1945. Relying exclusively on published sources, Dougan (Dynamo: Defending the Honor of Kievas), a Glasgow-based journalist, traces the evolution of weapons and tactics from "the sling and the bow" to the modern terrorist armed with "a weapon that can punch a hole in light armor at a distance of more than a mile." Dougan enlivens his narrative by employing frequent anecdotes about the pioneers and illustrious practitioners of this deadly art. On several occasions, the author uses apocryphal stories as examples even while admitting that they are likely spurious. And various errors, however minor, are too numerous to overlook. The American Revolution began at Lexington, Mass., not Kentucky; Germany invaded Belgium on August 4, 1914, not August 18; and Ernie Pyle died near Okinawa weeks before the war ended in Europe, not after. Such carelessness can only diminish the book's credibility. Agent, Lucy Vanderbilt at HarperCollins UK. (June)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0786717734
• ISBN 13: 9780786717736
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432