American Military Cemetery, Normandy, France (Present Day)
On Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944 -- 0630 Hours
At the Farm House
In the Countryside
In A Village
In the Town
 
 

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Comments on Snipers & Rifles

• Caparzo gets taken out by a German sniper from a large tower. However, the first thing the Germans or allied forces did when they entered a town was to blow any kind of towers up because they'd be perfect sniper or Machine Gun locations. There's no way in hell the Germans would have left this one standing, because it could have been just as easily used by an allied sniper instead of the German one.
  Also, when Jackson wants to take the shot, you can see him turn his unertl (sp?) scope. This was however not possible yet, these scopes didn't have adjustable windage sights (if my memory serves me correctly), and if they did have them, they wouldn't be located where he's twisting it. K Verzijl
• I noticed after just recently watching the movie that after the Half track scene in the field Capt. Miller pulls the mag out of his Thompson and stashes it in his jacket and pulls a fresh mag out of mag pouch. Now right before the last battle in the town after he looks at Jackson to see what is heading their way he pulls out a new mag and reloads, yet we have seen no action since he last reloaded next to the half track. I've read the book too and there is no report of action in between the half track scene and the final battle. James
• I believe the point here should be that all the TOP snipers were not just military trained, but had been shooting headshots since their youth... hunting. Vassily, (the Russian), and Hathcock were both subsistence hunters. The NRA encourages this type of training, but try to get "Hollywood" to admit this, except maybe for John Millius. STUDEBK
• # 1 - If you crank the bolt on a 1903 Springfield with your left hand over the scope and don't move your right hand from the stock , the bolt will probabley hit your right hand as it comes back.
  #2 - You will know mechanical Zero on the scope but, true zero will not be the same if you would remove the scope then replace it.
  #3 - The 1903 Springfield will hold five shots, but with a scope you can't load with five shot stripper clips.
  #4 - The Scout Sniper school on the West coast in 1943 was at Camp Elliott in San Diego, Calif. It was called "Green's Farm" I Graduated in Feb. 1944. 
  The Scout/Sniper School at Camp Pendleton in San Diego has our class picture, I am top row right hand corner. W. Cullen
• When the sniper (Jackson) was in the tower during the last combat fight, the tank couldn't have shot the tower. The tower was at least 20 stories high .(If you don't beleive me, look at the part when Tom Hanks tells Jackson to go in the bell tower.) temcgallagher
• Is just me, or did I see the sniper Jackson do a windage adjustment (in the village) by turning the focus tube on his Unertl? Let me know if I am wrong. Matt
• What puzzled me the most was the fact that the US Sniper was shooting as a "lefty", which is awkward for any bolt action rifle. And I seem to recall that all left handed shooters were taught to shoot right handed during WWII. It just seems very strange and incorrect for him to be shooting a bolt action sniper weapon left-handed. C Hadley
  • [Reply to C Hadley: A director does not put a clumsy element like a left handed sniper in a movie without purpose. I believe that the reason the sniper Jackson was left handed was because killing is evil, of the sinister and of the devil and his counterpoint was to quote the bible as he fired his rifle to destroy evil... A literary subtlety that may have escaped the scope zeroers and 5 shot clipsters. Kevin]
  • [Reply to C Hadley: You are correct when you said that the left handed snipers were trained to be right handed firers in basic training, but in Private Jackson's case he felt more comfortable firing with his left hand. Plus, under the intense pressure and fear you develop in combat, you at times forget what you were taught and have it own way. Although it is quite strange firing a bolt-action rifle, I have a bolt operated weapon and it takes to much time to reach all the way over the gun, release the bolt, eject the spent case, replace the bolt, aim and fire. It looked quite easy for Jackson though, but I just couldn't wait for his shirt sleeve to get caught on the scope. It continually moved over it and Jackson brought the rifle up so quickly to fire. But it never did. N. Waller]
  • [Reply to C Hadley: I shoot left handed and have no problem with a right-handed action. I just work the bolt with my right hand. This may be incorrect by training standards, but it works. K. Nault]
    
• I've heard that the unlikely scene showing the American shooting a German sniper through his scope, is not based on any event in combat between Americans and Germans during World War II, but in fact, comes from an event that is supposed to have happened during the Vietnam War. I've also heard that back then, the U.S. Army didn't have any real, proper training for snipers. J Khalili
• [Reply to J. Khalili: The event was based on an event that occurred during the battle of Stalingrad I believe. Maybe Moscow. The two men involved were the best Russian and best German snipers of the war at that time. Although it is a rumor, there is evidence to suggest that the Russian shot the German through his scope. From what I've seen, this s is the stage set used in the movie "Enemy at the Gates." Many points in this movie were made as generalizations to give an aspect of what happened throughout the entire war. Had they done it from Sept, '38 to May, '45 it would have been a much much much longer movie. W.M.]
• [Reply to W.M.: The story that was used for "Enemy at the Gates" was a fictional Russian propaganda story from WW II. The sniper duel did not happen in Stalingrad. The only known "scopeshot" (afaik) was done in Viet Nam by a Marine Sniper (I think). Lars]
• [Reply to Lars: Check the history books about Stalingrad. The Germans DID send a sniper out to duel with the Soviet. He was sent as a counter to Soviet propoganda. The movie "Enemy at the Gates" was mostly fictional, but retained elements of historical accuracy. Lars]
  • [Reply: The Stalingrad sniper duel is a propaganda story put out in the Russian newspapers to celebrate the real life sniper Vassily Zaitsev, one of their best snipers. No such person as the German sniper as portrayed in the film or books could possibly have existed, nor any group of such men. Anyone familiar with German sniper organization and history would know. The sniper duel as shown in the film would have been physically, (as in physics, the properties of light, optics, ballistics, etc.), impossible. It's all nice theater but not at all true. Anonymous]
  • [Reply to Lars: That, in fact, did happen but it was in Vietnam - his name was Carlos Hathcock. His history is as follows: Carlos Hathcock was among the well-known snipers. In 1966 Hathcocks bullets began reeking havoc. Over three days in the remote Elephant Valley, Hathcock alone destroyed an entire North Vietnamese Company. Once he crawled through a snake infested field at delivered one shot and killed a Vietnamese General in his own base camp. The American correspondents exposed him, as the enemy never could. Soon bounties were set on his and other snipers heads. A North Vietnamese sniper was sent to kill Hathcock. Rising to the threat Hathcock and his spotter were soon in the bush. For two days they tracked this sniper by bow they were calling him The Cobra. When a shot pierced his spotter's canteen, Hathcock realized that The Cobra was in range. Hathcock patiently waited for The Cobra to make a mistake. Late that afternoon Hathcocks restraint was rewarded. He saw the glint of The Cobras scope took aim , shot through The Cobras scope into his eye and out his head. On September 16, 1969, the Amtrak he was riding struck a mine that threw him clear. He got up and got back on the Amtrak and started pulling Marines out saving their lives. He received third degree burns over most of his body. Due to a military oversight it took nearly 30 years for him to receive the Silver Star for his bravery. Although Hathcocks gun was silenced the Vietnamese still feared the sniper. In the 1970's Hathcock and Land spearheaded the movement to add scout sniper as a full Military Occupation, which led to the first permanent sniper schools at Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune. I thank you for your time. Udo]

• I have a M1903A4 Springfield Sniper rifle like the one carried by Jackson in the movie. The M1903A4 was issued with an M73B1 scope made by Weaver, or as a substitute standard the M73 made by Lyman. The long rifle scope used  against the German sniper is an 8 power Unertl target scope that was used by the Marines on the M1903A1  sniper rifle  known as the "special purchase" sniper rifle, it was not used in the European Theater of Operations. The scope that was carried by Jackson ( the short scope) was correct , it was an M73 made by Lyman, The long scope was all Hollywood. Bob W
• In WW2 the US didn't have any sniper schools. Therefore, the US had no sniper as good as Jackson was. The best snipers in WW2 where the Germans and the Russians. Goober1742
• [Reply to Goober1742: WRONG. There were sniper schools both stateside and in England. The M1903A4 (the rifle Jackson carries) was the choice weapon for snipers at that point. L. Bishop]
• [Reply to Goober1742: The American military didn't have many trained snipers but they had plenty of 1903's so what they did was give that weapon to the best shot in the unit. Jeremy Waters]
• [Reply to Goober1742: During this era and even afterward there were many, many people who hunted and killed a great deal of game to augment their diet. You might even say that in some cases these peoples ability to eat every day was proportional to their skill to hunt and shoot game.  They used guns everyday even before they enlisted and many of the same tactics used to hunt game are used basically in sniping I would think.  So, I would think even if Jackson was not trained properly as a sniper as there wasn't l lot of training for back in those days for Americans so I have read I would think that with his backwoods upbringing in which I get the impression he came from his accent and his practice with a gun that is probably much much better than the one that he should have had back home plus the rudimentary training that comes with experience, there is no reason that he couldn't  be an excellent sniper. I must admit though I don't think that he (with the scopes that they had back then or the bullets) could shoot though a scope and into another persons eye. But you must understand that it was only for dramatic purposes and they probably got that idea from the Carlos Hathcock tale that is told in the book One Shot, One Kill. Blake Broadway]
• Carlos N. Hathcock Sr. is the Marine Corps sniper who shot a Viet-Cong counter-sniper through the scope tube..If you haven't read the book you should!! It's awesome!!!  Silent Warrior
• Remember the part at the end of the movie when the American sniper is in the bell tower? I counted he shot off 8 rounds. Right. There is a little problem. Well, his sniper rifle is a Springfield .03. Springfields only hold 5 rounds, but he shot off 8 rounds. Even though a little technical mishap, this is very important to rifle shooters and Springfield owners. Mike MpMKoRn
  • [Reply to Mike MpMKoRn: When Jackson was shooting from the bell tower, complaining about him firing 8 shots in succession, you should look real closely, after the fifth shot, he reloads REALLY fast. You barely see it, but once you know what to look for, you will.]
• First a little background research. Jackson has a long tube in the right side of his pack. This is to hold his long range scope, and being the only sniper in the group he was the only one to have one. His rifle holds an internal clip forcing him to open the action to reload. But when they blow up the half-track in the field the men coming out of the tank are shot by Jackson at a rapid pace. He never reloads and is distinguished by the sight tube! Marksmenmd
• [Reply to Marksmenmd: It was not Jackson who pegs all the Germans coming out of the half-track. It was M1 Garnad rifle, so you be the judge. Jackson carried a Springfield 03 rifle. Note that you do not see a sniper scope on the weapon. It was either Mellish or Upham, (doubt it), because the only other person that had an M1 was Caparzo, and he was killed in the first town. Miller had a Thomas machine gun, Horvath had an M1 Carbine, and Reiben had a B.A.R. Brett]
• Bye-bye Panzer. All Jackson (the sniper) had to do was shoot a round through the barrel of the tank's cannon and hit the round! He did it with the German sniper. Marksmenmd
• [Reply to Marksmenmd: OK, let's think logically now. What is the likelihood of hitting a shell inside a tank tube, when you are at the top of a bell tower, so precise that you would have to hit directly on the nose to cause an explosion? That would be one in one million, or you are a really lucky bas**rd. Brett]
• The US sniper in the bell tower signals 2 tigers and 2 PANZERS - not 2 tigers and 1 panther as someone else pointed out. EAE630
• As to the sniper scope, a properly set up scope can be mounted on the same rifle that it has been zeroed on and produce accurate results without being re-zeroed.  During this sequence the soldier adjusted his scope for range and he should have been able to get a first round hit on his target. The counter-sniper shot through the scope is based on an actual recorded, although unintentional similar hit. Richard T. Ellis
• After the German sniper takes out Caparzo, the American sniper doesn't even bother to re-zero in his scope, before he kills the Nazi. The rifle had to be rezeroed, especially with a target 450 yards away. He just reattaches the scope, and it magically hits right on target. Cyrus Clennon
• [Reply to Cyrus Clennon: Since the development of the claw mount, and the turret mount in WWI, snipers could remove the scopes from their weapons, and place them back on later, and still maintain Zero. In fact, snipers were issued hard cases to carry their scopes in to protect them from damage when not in use, and quite often they would only have the scope on the rifle when they expected action. jschleicher]
• [Reply to Cyrus Clennon: The Sniper Scope is incorrect! In the scene with the German sniper, the German's scope reticule is a plain thin complete crosshair. I've been collecting German weapons and scopes for years and this stuck out like a sore thumb to me. All the WW2 era German scopes I have seen have either a reticule with horizontal crosshair coming in from both sides with a space in between and a vertical hair coming up from the bottom and ending in-between the horizontal ones or a reticule with just the half length vertical hair. I don't know many people would notice this. (And please, if I'm wrong and there is a German WW2 Sniper Scope like that please reply on this site!) Kevin S. Reddinger]
• A serious error I noticed was in the middle of the totally phony final battle scene. The sniper in the tower starts firing at running German troops, and he fires about 8 times without reloading! Somebody forgot to tell Spielberg's military adviser that the  03' Springfield rifle can only take 5 shots. Did anyone notice that? Cyrus Clennon
• At the end of the movie, when Jackson is in the tower with the Parker, he shot more than 5 shots, Springfields, "Snipers", shot only 5 shots per charge. And he shot more than 5 and didn't reload. panzer284
• Re: Sniper scene, After years of firing small caliber rifles fitted with telescopic sights, I was always told to re-zero a scope after removing it from a rifle. Our American friend takes his from its stowage, clips it straight on and fires one round, scoring a kill through the enemy snipers scope... balderdash. Greg Way

When the German sniper in the church tower sees the American sniper fire at him, we hear the gunshot the same time we see the muzzle flash, but as we're seeing this from the German's point of view, who is 450 yards (or meters?) away from him, it should take at least a second for the sound to arrive, in fact it would arrive after the bullet would. Anonymous

• [Reply: There is a slight delay between the American marksman's muzzle flash and the sound of the shot that finds the German sniper's scope & eye.  Maybe not enough of a lag, but that's pretty technical. Mike H.]