However, the name is actually derived from the Sharps rifle used by men during the American Civil War. Sharpshooters or Sharp Shooters? First World War sharpshooters derived their name from the Sharps rifleĪ common name for snipers during the First World War was “sharpshooters”, and many mistakenly believe this to be a reference to the sniper’s sharp eyesight or excellent aim. The British developed this technique first, as German marksmen grew infamous along the Western Front, but it was widely used by many nations during the war. Having drawn their fire, the head would then be lowered, and the bullet holes examined.įrom this, the position of the sharpshooter could be estimated, and then shelling would be directed towards that area to either kill the sniper or at least push them back.
One of these techniques actually involved creating a paper mache head that soldiers would then raise into the air, to be shot at by snipers on the other side of No Man’s Land.
Photo CreditĪs sharpshooters became a daily reality of life in the trenches, soldiers on both sides began developing methods to combat this new threat. Getting A Head A paper mache head could draw the enemy sniper’s fire, giving away their permission. The two men would swap their roles regularly, so whoever was sniping could avoid eye fatigue. This would involve scanning the area with a periscope to pick out potential targets, monitoring atmospheric conditions and keeping an eye out for any enemy movements nearby. During the First World War, it was standard practice on this side of the conflict to have one man controlling the rifle and the other “spotting”. On the other hand, the Allied marksmen almost always worked in pairs. Germany usually had their sharpshooters work as individual and largely independent units, emphasizing camouflage and concealment. Ones and Twos A spotter would use a periscope to scan for targetsĪnother key difference between the Allied and German snipers was the numbers in which they would be deployed. Although after this the British quickly began to emulate this new tactic, the German sharpshooters would always hold a certain notoriety. It wasn’t until Allied forces moving through German positions stumbled upon rifles equipped with scopes that they realized what was really going on. The Allies were not aware of this sniping innovation, so when the German sharpshooters began claiming lives across seemingly impossible distances, the French and British soldiers just assumed it was pure potluck.
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