Modern warfare is an impersonal business over which one has little direct control. But for the sniper it is a deadly one-on-one confrontation in which he may have to wait motionless for days before firing a single shot - a shot that can change the outcome of a single battle or even a war. In Sniper, military historian Adrian Gilbert presents a comprehensive study of combat sniping in all its facets. He examines its historical background - from sniping's origins in the American Revolution to its establishment as a tactical discipline during the World Wars as well as technical developments - from the development of the sniper rifle and the importance of ammunition to the impact of the electronic revolution that has enabled the sniper to see in the dark and locate a target with pinpoint accuracy. Extensive eyewitness accounts - from the WWII sniper battles between the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, to the long-range firefights of Vietnam, to the recent Gulf conflict - provide the reader with valuable insights into the reality of combat sniping. Sniper is the authoritative study of this most crucial of modern military arts.