Snipers and Marksmen

[S.SGT David Bevan]

Lots of things I'd like to know. First of all I was wondering what the difference between a marksman and a sniper is? I think I know but not sure. ? How did people become snipers/marksmen? Also how many were there? What ranks could snipers be? Preferably I'd like the answers to be to do with the British army as I'm guessing it would be different in each army.

[Daniel Brennan]

I'm not entirely sure about this, but I'll try and help.
A marksman is on squad level. He usually would have a sniper rifle and he uses it when a fight comes about.
A Sniper is usually a separate unit (possibly along with his marksman) that is used as a support unit from afar, or as an assasin.
That might not be entirely correct.
I think I remember a question like this in one of the first Sniper Certs - think it was Crimms. Check that.

[Stabsgefreiter F. Blutstein]

A marksman is the most accurate shooter in a squad of men. A sniper is a lone man (or accompanied by a spotter) that sits in wait and kills his prey when they come past.

People became sniper by excelling in accuracy over their fellow soldiers. The same was done for the marksman.

You can be most any rank but a Gunner Sergeant is a good one to be.

My answer was based on the Russian view but it's very similar for English. Only for the British it isn't trial and error. It's intense training in safety.

[S.SGT David Bevan]

Is there a Marksman in every squad then? And do they get sniper rifles?

[PuNk! ™]

Put it this way David;

Marskman are select 'soldiers' of a squad/unit that have the highest accuracy during shooting exercises or competitions. You ever seen a rifleman's medal? For example. They have 'bars' laddering downwards for every accurate completion they make for certain weapons.

So for example;
Click this!

You can see that fella' has achieved expert level with the carbine. He would have been considered a marksman within the squad or troop he was assigned too. So preferably, he would have been given the carbine (considering he's proven he's an expert shot with that weapon) or a sniper rifle; Springfrield for instance.

---

Snipers on the other hand, are lonesome units.
They do-not work well in a troop or squad (well they do, but they work way more effeciently alone) and are considered support from afar.

If a sniper was to be apart of a troop, he would be given the task to engage in recon' with his expertise in the sniper field, to spot enemies from afar and be given the task to act as providing support from afar. So he'd naturally take position on the highest piece of ground within a town (bell-towers, town-halls, any tall building for overall sight) and if not offensively, this unit would relay information from his 'height' advantage to the rest of the troops below on the ground.

Naturally however, the sniper is a lonesome unit.
They'll be given tasks to pack a punch from afar, so whether it was assasination attempts or purely disbanding a column/squad by direct and unknown fire they're unable to see from afar, the sniper units would obviously have played their role secretly and under wraps. The less company they had, the easier it would have been for them to remain concealed and beknown to their enemies.

~Danny

[charlesbriggs]

Note that not all marksmen may use a sniper rifle. Many will used some variant of the M-16 or M-14 with various scopes, barrels, stocks, etc. Just because you are a marksman doesn't mean you will get a bolt action rifle to use, and I don't believe they do, I'm certain it's for snipers mainly.

I know I have a civilian M-14 modified with a Burris Fullfield II scope and it works wonders for me.

[PuNk! ™]

May 15, 2009 0:20:33 GMT @charlesbriggs said:

Note that not all marksmen may use a sniper rifle. Many will used some variant of the M-16 or M-14 with various scopes, barrels, stocks, etc. Just because you are a marksman doesn't mean you will get a bolt action rifle to use, and I don't believe they do, I'm certain it's for snipers mainly.

I know I have a civilian M-14 modified with a Burris Fullfield II scope and it works wonders for me.

I'm talking in regards to the World-War-Two period, because we have two certifications a member can earn here (Marksman & Sniper) so I was explaining their variants in regards to the WWII era, rather than modern warfare.

But yeah, not all marksman - obviously - have bolt action rifles.
~Danny

[charlesbriggs]

May 15, 2009 11:21:19 GMT PuNk! ™ said:

May 15, 2009 0:20:33 GMT @charlesbriggs said:

Note that not all marksmen may use a sniper rifle. Many will used some variant of the M-16 or M-14 with various scopes, barrels, stocks, etc. Just because you are a marksman doesn't mean you will get a bolt action rifle to use, and I don't believe they do, I'm certain it's for snipers mainly.

I know I have a civilian M-14 modified with a Burris Fullfield II scope and it works wonders for me.

I'm talking in regards to the World-War-Two period, because we have two certifications a member can earn here (Marksman & Sniper) so I was explaining their variants in regards to the WWII era, rather than modern warfare.

But yeah, not all marksman - obviously - have bolt action rifles.
~Danny

Ah.

Well even in WWII standards, at least from an American stand point, a typical marksman could commonly be found amongst the M1 Riflemen. Most notably Sgt. Powers of E Co. 506th PIR (as seen and read about in Band of Brothers). He was an exceptional shot with the Garand.

Also, the 1903 Springfield was a rather heavy rifle, and in the time of mid-late WWII, had become obsolete with the introduction of the Garand and Carbine rifles. While dedicated sniper teams in fact used the Springfield, but were very rare amongst WWII American infantry. However, a decent marksman could hit a target many yards away with a modified Garand. Most commonly a telescopic sight that could be rigged on a mounting block. See here.

So as stated, a common WWII marksman would not use a sniper rifle, and hardly a bolt action rifle, especially with the advancements of the M1 and it's ability for modification, it's ruggedness and despite the fact it was slightly heavier, played a more versatile role.