Sniper in Action

by Charles Stronge

  In a scene reminiscent of a World War I infantry assault, around 150 troops from the unit charged across the open field separating them from Thon Que Chu, with the remainder of the battalion providing covering fire. North Vietnamese bullets and mortar fragments quickly took their toll on the advancing men, who had no cover other than a small cemetery in the middle of the field. Colonel Sweet fed more platoons into the attack, and helicopter scout ships reappeared to strafe the enemy positions. The attacking troops reached the tree line shortly after noon and drove the enemy deeper into Thon Que Chu. Nine soldiers had been killed, most from sniper rounds to the head, and another forty-eight had been wounded in the assault.

  [The 1968 Tet Offensive Battles of Quang Tri City and Hue, U.S. Army Center of Military History]

  This was not the end. On February 9, 2nd Battalion 12th Cavalry moved out towards Thon La Chu accompanied by a South Vietnamese platoon. They came across a squad of enemy snipers who were well camouflaged. Two Americans and twelve South Vietnamese were killed before a team could outflank the enemy and kill at least three of the snipers. Once they had reached Hue, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces were once again assailed by sniper bullets, some of them emanating from the Imperial Palace.

  CARLOS HATHCOCK (1942–99)

  U.S. Marine Sergeant Carlos Hathcock is one of the highest-scoring marksmen in the U.S. Army, with a service record of ninety-three confirmed kills. Hathcock normally operated with a spotter and he maintained a set of equipment and supplies so that they were ready to go at a moment’s notice.

  Hathcock preferred the Winchester Model 70 with telescopic sight but he also carried an 11mm (0.45in) pistol for close-quarters defense and the team also had an M14, since a rifle designed for long-range shooting was not ideal for dealing with surprises at close quarters in the jungle. They also took binoculars, a spotting telescope, a radio and a range of essential rations.

  On one occasion Hathcock and his companion took up a position near the Cade River in the vicinity of Dong Den, Vietnam. They built a hide, which they carefully camouflaged at the edge of the forest and looked out over a series of rice paddy fields. They observed their usual discipline of total silence. It goes without saying that they showed no lights, did not smoke and took care not to wear scented anti-perspirants or aftershave.

  The team may have expected a solitary target to appear somewhere along the ridge paths that separated the paddy fields but soon they heard a noise that indicated something very different was on the way. It was the tramp of a whole company of NVA, consisting of about eighty men. Hathcock and his partner may have had mixed feelings at this point. They were out on their own with no support. Snipers like to be able to select their targets and remain anonymous. It would be difficult to take on such a large body of men in such otherwise quiet surroundings without somebody identifying the direction of the shot.

  Surprisingly, the company of men chose to take the central path across the fields, which was parallel to Hathcock’s tree line and at about 700m (766 yards) range. They were like ducks waddling across a shooting gallery and there was no available cover, apart from the water and marsh of the paddy fields. Experienced soldiers do not walk across an open space in broad daylight in a war zone.

  Hathcock had to make a decision. Normally he would be too prudent to take on such a large body of men, even with his partner to support him with the M14 but, staring through his binoculars, he could see that these troops were green. The likelihood was that when fired upon they would simply panic rather than organize a counter-attack, as more experienced troops would do.

  Green target

  Following the sniper’s principle of selecting targets that would cause maximum confusion, Hathcock selected the officer at the front while his partner selected the one at the rear. The two rifles fired consecutively and the two officers dropped onto the path. Now there was mayhem. The remains of the company threw themselves over the side of the path into the paddy field, minus one who was not quick enough. The NVA company now had several problems. They were stuck out in the open and their only firm path to safety would expose them to certain death. Anyone who has ever seen a wet paddy field will know that it is difficult to move in the sucking mud.

  It was broad daylight so it would be a long, wet wait before they had any chance of movement under cover of darkness. Any attempt to spot the mysterious enemy sniper by peering over the path was also certain death. A couple of them tried and it was the last thing they did. After that the remaining officer decided to make a dash for it and Hathcock accounted for him as well.

  The NVA who survived had no choice but to remain lying in the mud and water as the temperature rose steadily with the sun. Hathcock and his partner changed their location and awaited developments. The hours passed and eventually one of the NVA decided that the mystery enemy must have moved on by now and raised his head above the parapet. As nothing happened, he gathered his courage and hauled himself up on to the path. The inevitable did happen and he flopped back into the paddy field, a dead man.

  U.S. Marine Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, one of the most prolific snipers of the Vietnam era, shows off his Winchester Model 70 sniper rifle fitted with a silencer and a night-vision telescopic sight.

  Unfortunately for the NVA, darkness did not bring an end to their agony. Hathcock had sent a radio message back to base asking for a series of flares above the fields. One after the other, the flares illuminated the night like day until day itself came round again. In sheer desperation, eight NVA attempted to make an attack towards the tree line, blazing away with their AK47s. The only problem was they chose the wrong piece of jungle to attack. The other problem was that they had to run through 700m (766 yards) of sticky mud and water. Hathcock and his partner picked them all off, bar one who managed to make it back to the relative safety of the bank.

  No escape

  Hathcock and his partner changed position again and settled in for another night of illuminations. On the third day five more NVA attempted another charge, again in the wrong direction, and all of them died in the process. On day four, the NVA tried a more successful tactic. One group tried to escape while others watched for the muzzle flashes. This time they spotted the sniper hide and bullets started to crash through the foliage around Hathcock and his partner, who changed their location. Again, the NVA tried to make a break and all of them were shot. This was followed by another attack, with the same result. At this point Hathcock and his partner had had enough and they decided to pull out, leaving the artillery to finish the job. It had been a grisly display of the power of the sniper.

  Game shooter

  Carlos Hathcock’s extraordinary career had its origins in his boyhood, long before he joined the Marine Corps. The young Hathcock helped out his hard-up grandmother, with whom he lived after his parents separated, by shooting game in the woods near his home. It was here that he honed his marksmanship skills to the point where he began to win shooting competitions. Most notably, he won the Wimbledon Cup for long-range shooting at Camp Perry in 1965.

  Carlos Hathcock and a colleague pose next to a sign reading “Viet-Nam Hunting Club” with M14 sniper rifles, both of which are fitted with telescopic sights and silencers.

  Hathcock hunted using a rifle brought home from World War II by his father, and in his imagination he did not only stalk animals. He also hunted and killed imaginary Nazi soldiers during his hunting expeditions, but when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps it was not as a sniper. At that time sniping was a largely forgotten art despite the lessons of World War II and the Korean War, and it was not until after Hathcock began his deployment to Vietnam in 1966 that a platoon of snipers was raised by the USMC. In the meantime he served as a military policeman.

  Hathcock’s impressive record as a marksman made him a natural choice for the new sniper unit. Once out in the field he embarked upon a remarkable career, both in terms of the shots he made and the effect he had upon the enemy. At some point he acquired the habit of wearing a white feather in his hat
band, and it was by this trademark that he became known to, and feared by, the enemy.

  “The White Feather”

  A bounty of $30,000 was posted for the death of “The White Feather” by the Vietnamese, and a special unit of counter-snipers was raised to hunt him. A number of other USMC snipers began wearing white feathers to try to take some of the pressure off Hathcock, appreciating the morale effect that his death would have had on both sides.

  It was while conducting counter-sniper (or possibly counter-counter-sniper) operations that Hathcock achieved one the most famous feats of sniping in history. He was at the time operating from a firebase on Hill 55. An enemy sniper was in the area and had killed several U.S. Marines. He may have been in the area specifically to hunt Hathcock, but in any case he was a threat that needed to be removed.

  Hathcock and his spotter, John Roland Burke, were hunting this sniper when Hathcock noticed a glint of light through the jungle. Snipers occasionally give away their position this way, by sunlight reflecting off the front lens of their scope. Hathcock was so sure he had a target that he chose to fire at the glint, almost certainly saving his own life by doing so.

  Stealthily working their way around to where the presumed enemy had been seen, Hathcock found a body armed with a sniper rifle. The sniper had been shot directly down his telescopic sight and into his eye, killing him instantly. The only possible way for this to happen was if his rifle was pointed directly at Carlos Hathcock at the moment the bullet arrived. Had Hathcock been a little slower or less sure of his target, the White Feather bounty might well have been collected.

  M14 SNIPER WEAPON SYSTEM

  Country of Origin United States

  Caliber 7.62mm (0.3in)

  Overall length 1120mm (44.1in)

  Barrel length 559mm (22in)

  Weight 5.11kg (11.25lbs)

  The M14 semi-automatic rifle was selected for its accuracy, reliability and reasonably fast action. The rifle was converted by Rock Island Arsenal, to include the Redfield/Leatherwood 3-9x Adjustable Ranging Telescope and National Match-grade ammunition, giving it an effective range of 690m (750 yards). The rifle remained in service as the sniper weapon of choice for the U.S. Army between 1975 and 1988, when it was replaced by the M24 Sniper Weapon System.

  Fieldcraft

  Hathcock’s incredible ability to locate and hit a target stemmed from his intense awareness of his surroundings. His focus and concentration were complete. This instinctive understanding of wind, air temperature and the lay of the land contributed to accuracy over great distances as well as the ability to determine where an enemy might appear. He was also skilled at predicting the results of a shot; where hostiles might look for the source of the attack, what they might do in response and where individuals might take cover. This enabled him to decide whether a shot was too risky to take, and to gain the absolute maximum result out of any given mission.

  Assassin

  There is of course more to sniping than simply shooting. Getting into position and hiding or escaping from the enemy afterward is every bit as important as accuracy with a rifle. Hathcock was a master of the art of stealth, which enabled him to assassinate a North Vietnamese general in 1967. This audacious mission required Hathcock to crawl over 1500 meters (1640 yards) through enemy territory. It is not so much the distance that commands respect, but the time this act of evasion required–four days and three nights.

  During his epic crawl Hathcock was camouflaged so well that an enemy soldier failed to spot the sniper despite almost stepping on him. After inching into position, Hathcock waited for his opportunity and fired a single shot, killing the general. He then had to crawl stealthily away while enemy troops searched for him.

  It is not possible to precisely determine the results of killing a senior officer on enemy plans or morale, but it is likely that this single shot caused significant disruption to the enemy as well as a boost to friendly morale. Certainly, at least some U.S. soldiers thought that Hathcock had made a big difference. Jack Mergott wrote a poem, entitled “White Feather,” in which he speaks of “a battle never fought” where young men would have died–including himself–and finishes with the lines “… but when the sniper drew his bead… the life he saved was mine.”

  Hathcock relished the hunt, but not the killing of men. That was just something that had to be done, and like all snipers he was able to do his job clinically, without letting emotion interfere. He was also willing to be compassionate, but only up to a point. While attempting to interrupt enemy supply operations, he found himself aiming at a young boy who was transporting weapons and ammunition on a bicycle. Hathcock decided to shoot the bicycle frame, disabling the vehicle and making it impossible to deliver the weapons. However, the young courier returned fire, so Hathcock shot and killed him.

  Wounded in action

  Carlos Hathcock was rotated home in 1967, but returned to Vietnam in 1969 to lead a sniper unit. It was during this second tour that he was badly injured, though not by direct fire. Hathcock was riding an Amtrack (Amphibious Tractor) light armored vehicle as part of a convoy when his vehicle was disabled and set on fire by a mine. Hathcock personally saved seven Marines from the flames before escaping himself.

  Hathcock was severely burned and was forced to leave frontline service, but he continued to train Marine snipers in the United States until ill health forced him to retire. Even then he visited the sniper training school whenever he could. From 1984 until his death in 1999 he helped train law enforcement snipers.

  Hathcock’s career had a profound effect on the technology of sniping as well as its perceived importance. His success, and that of others, convinced the United States’ military that sniping was a necessary part of modern warfare. Sniper training, neglected for many years, was based upon the experience and skills of men like Hathcock. He had showed what could be done, and then went on to teach others how.

  Corporal F.S. Sanders (right) and Lance-Corporal J.W. Howell aim at and spot enemy positions during Operation “Swift” in September 1967. Sanders uses his helmet to support his M40A1 rifle.

  Heavy caliber weapons

  Hathcock’s sniping career also paved the way for the modern generation of extremely heavy anti-materiel rifles such as the M107 (Barrett M82A1) long-range sniper rifle. The progenitor of this weapon was an adapted M2 .50 caliber (12.7mm) heavy machine-gun, which several snipers used in Vietnam. Carlos Hathcock contrived a bracket to fit a telescopic sight to his weapon, which was converted to semi-automatic for this application. With this weapon, Hathcock made the longest confirmed sniper kill of the twentieth century, shooting 2286 meters (2500 yards). It was with a specialist sniping rifle designed to fire the same .50 caliber machine gun cartridge that the first snipers to surpass this incredible shot made their own record-breaking kills in the twenty-first century. Although Hathcock was not the highest-scoring sniper of the Vietnam War, and his long-range shooting record has since been broken, his influence on sniper technology and doctrine is still felt today.

  ADELBERT F. WALDRON (1933–95)

  Although Carlos Hathcock is perhaps the best-known U.S. sniper from the Vietnam War, there were others serving in the U.S. forces who notched up comparable numbers of kills and, in the case of Waldron, even more than Hathcock.

  FIELDCRAFT

  Fieldcraft comprises the range of skills that are required to operate mostly in open country without being seen or otherwise identified. It incorporates camouflage, movement, stealth and similar skills.

  The reason why many hunters of wild game have gone on to become successful snipers is due to their instinctive grasp of fieldcraft through long experience. The Scottish ghillies who formed part of the Lovat Scouts would have had plenty of experience of stalking deer in the highlands, requiring stealth, patience and the knowledge of weather conditions. A stag is even more observant than an enemy sentry, with better eyesight and more finely attuned senses of hearing and smell. For this reason, the early sniping pioneers used gamekeepers and hun
ters either as snipers or as trainers. In both the U.S. Army and Marines sniper courses, as well as the British Royal Marines, a high level of fieldcraft is required before a candidate can pass a course. There are certain accepted principles of fieldcraft, most of which are common sense and all of which are more or less instinctively understood by experienced hunters and those who are familiar with the countryside. The instinct of hunting and concealment is also ingrained in the human psyche, which explains why young children get such a thrill out of games of hide and seek.

  Soldiers apply face camouflage before going on operations. The key to effective camouflage is to break up shapes.

  Good fieldcraft involves making best use of the ground and local vegetation. This soldier is aiming an M24 sniper rifle fitted with both a night-vision sight and folded bipod.

  For the sniper, certain principles have either to be learned or practiced. These include blending with your surroundings so as to break up the recognizably human shape. This is where the ghillie suit, invented by Scottish gamekeepers, comes in so useful. The sniper also needs to be thoroughly aware of the movement of the sun. The Russian sniper Vassili Zaitsev waited for the sun to move into the right position before taking on the German super-sniper. The sun shining on glass may identify a sniper scope. Snipers also have to be aware of how the sun might throw their own shadow and to take advantage of the shadow of other large objects such as trees or buildings.