How Not to be a Sniper

Add Comment | Related Links | TrackBack
Related Content

How Not to be a Sniper

It is hard to explain how to be a sniper in a few hundred words. You'd have to go to military academy for that. But it is fairly easy to provide a case example of a sniper fallacy... especially when its your friend that has committed it.

Last Friday, our crew played an airsoft night game at SC Village. Before the sun went down, we played on South Vietnam. This field had an assortment of bunkers, buildings, hills, and bushes.

I love bushes. They are great for silent observation and are natural sniper nests.

In one round, my buddy and I settled in the middle of a large bush cluster. I moved quietly away from his position to observe. Somehow, he felt that he needed to be right next to me. While he moved, he made a lot of noise. There was a tango just outside the bush. We didn't know where he is and he didn't know we were in the bush. But he heard my buddy moving, so he sprayed the bush, "killing" my buddy. Luckily, he did not hit me.

I waited in silence for the tango to make a move. I can hear vegetation rustling, meaning he was close by. But I needed to know where was his exact location before I move.

The game had two respawn. So my combat buddy made it back to the bush quickly. In haste, he splashed down into the bush like it was a swimming pool. Even worse, he splashed down next to me! The enemy fired immediately into his splash down location, "killing" us both. Our mission was to protect the left flank. With both of us eliminated, the enemy waltzed into our rear flank, killing everyone from behind.

Most of the mistakes are obvious. But lets talk about them and analyze the proper method.

1. As a sniper in this scenario, your job is to quietly fortify a position to prevent enemy advance. Moving around abruptly while enemies are around is detrimental.

2. Once you are dead, you know there are enemies in your death location. You don't run straight back in without securing the parameter. If your teammate is still in position, you should radio in to gain situational awareness. If your teammate is not responding, then he is either "dead" or have to maintain silence. It means there are enemies nearby in either cases.

3. The next folly, which isn't mentioned earlier is that my combat buddy forgot to bring his radio. Communication is extremely important in combat, even if it is only a friendly competition.

4. Even if you are going to take the risk of revealing yourself, don't drag your teammate into that risk. Your teammate is there to help you. Your teammate can't help you if you give away your teammate's position.

Nevertheless, I did learn something about sniper crawl, while the enemy was camped outside the bush. Real snipers really really do crawl only a few inches an hour. Because while I was in the bush, just moving slightly made rustling sounds. Even the tango that was outside the bush made a lot of crunching noises.

Jake
Thu, 02 Oct 2014 03:42:24 +0400

Add Comment | Related Links | TrackBack
Related Content

Did your message disappear? Read the Forums FAQ.

Add Comment

Spam Control | * indicates required field

TrackBack

TrackBack only accepted from WebSite-X Suite web sites. Do not submit TrackBacks from other sites.

Send Ping | TrackBack URL | Spam Control

No TrackBacks yet. TrackBack can be used to link this thread to your weblog, or link your weblog to this thread. In addition, TrackBack can be used as a form of remote commenting. Rather than posting the comment directly on this thread, you can posts it on your own weblog. Then have your weblog sends a TrackBack ping to the TrackBack URL, so that your post would show up here.

Your Name: *
E-mail:
	Remember Me!
Comment: *
	File attachment is optional. Please do not attach a file to your submission unless it is relevent.
Attach File: (20 MB Max)
Spam Protection: *	Answer of 2 + 4?
	Click button only once, please!