Josef "Sepp" Allerberger was the second most successful sniper of the German Wehrmacht and one of the few private soldiers to be honoured with the award of the Knight's Cross. In this memoir, Allerberger provides an introduction to the commitment in fieldcraft, discipline and routine required of the sniper.

2008-06-02 Great book..........But

The first time I read this book I coudlnt put it down (Apart from two incidents described that made me feel sick and forced me to close it). I have just finished reading it for the second time and although I still find it a great read I couldnt help feel parts of it were poorly written. Perhaps this is beacuse this isn't the full version translated from the german original or its just down to the skill of the author. In parts it reads like extremely grim fiction (almost cliche) rather than a first hand account of the front line and gives the feeling that the author has taken a few liberties here and there. After reading it again I have found myself asking questions about the validty of some parts. weather this is due to something being lost in the translation or the author giving it his own point of view I guess we will never know. My utmost appologies would be given if evidence came to light showing these things happend. Or even if the person who this book is based on (sepp Allerberger isnt his real name) or even other soldiers in his unit came forward and said "no this is how it was these are the things I have seen". But untill then I guess I will still find myself doubting. Remember this is a (supposed) account of one man in a war. If you are expecting him to go into technical detail about being a sniper such as camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation then this probably isnt for you. Its an account of the things experianced and the attrocities seen rather than a "this is how I went about being a sniper in ww2" account.In all its a great (yet harrowing) read. If you want somthing to be engrossed in then give it a go (But if you read into it too deeply you may find yourself asking the same questions).