Fry The Brain: The Art of Urban Sniping and its Role in Modern Guerrilla Warfare

This is probably one of the most detailed breakdowns of historical sniping that I've ever read. It is a history book first, but as it goes through the different historical examples, you can start to pick up on the most successful tactics employed by guerrilla snipers from each respective period. In this regard, the book is also a sort of sniper & counter-sniper manual.Throughout, there are occasional spelling & grammar errors and every now and then, the letters on individual words get spaced out a bit too much, but these are few and far between, and obviously have not affected my 5 star rating.Could do with some final edits to fix these but overall a fascinating and informative read. Highly recommend for history buffs and military history/tactics geeks, of which I am one!

Bought as a gift

Well worth a read. A great case study on urban sniping, its history, present use and future possibilities.

Great book i loved it if your into snipers and its role in guerrilla warfare then you will like this book

Very well researched. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in Urban guerilla warfare. Great read and covers a loot of areas.

The author takes a comprehensive look at the art of urban guerrilla sniping since World War II and addresses such guerrilla wars as the German Werwolf resistance movement, the Chechen war against Russia, the PLO's war against Israel, the IRA's war in Ireland, and the recent war in Iraq. The author also takes a detailed look at the urban sniping methodology employed in Stalingrad, in Sarajevo, by Kennedy's assassins, mass murderer Charles Whitman in the Texas Tower, and the DC snipers who offered death from the back of a Chevy sedan.This is not your average sniper book - this work tackles the subject from the view of the urban guerrilla sniper. Subjects addressed include the legality of urban guerrilla sniping, possible sniper tools to be used, suppressed sniping, and all the dirty tricks guerrilla snipers have used since WW II. Balancing out the book are several chapters on counter-sniping tactics, although the author offers the entire book as a counter-sniper manual.This is a refreshingly detailed work on a unique subject that will help readers understand modern urban guerrilla warfare. There are hundreds of illustrations, many of which are rare. Overall, a solid work. Five stars all the way.

Covers all bases, not just urban sniping as the cover page implies. It really does well to explain what guerilla warfare is and how it is waged. An excellent book for anyone trying to understand the historical failures and successes of such wars as Afghanistan, Iraq, the Troubles, and many more.

Fry the Brain n'est pas un manuel à proprement parler mais une série d'analyses très intéressante sur des situations réelles et historiques sur l'emploi du tir de précision en combat urbain, généralement dans un cadre asymétrique. Quelques exemples de tireurs "civils" assez connus commettant des meurtres de masse sont également évoqués.Chaque chapitre est une leçon d'histoire à lui seul, et fournit quantité d'informations quant aux matériels, aux techniques et aux tactiques, mais aussi au contexte des événements évoqués. Ce n'est pas un manuel technique, mais cet ouvrage analyse les choses et permet de tirer des leçons et enseignements des sujets qu'il aborde.Même s'il n'aborde pas les conflits récents, et est assez largement dépassé lorsqu'il aborde les techniques et matériels anti-sniping, cet ouvrage est une véritable référence en ce qui concerne le tir de précision. Certaines informations (la plupart secondaires) qu'il apporte ont été débattues, voire contredites, mais ce sont des débats généralement marginaux qui n'entachent absolument pas le contenu de ce livre.Ce livre apportera un vrai plus à quiconque s'intéresse à ce type de combat et à son histoire, et n'a pas forcément le temps ni l'envie de lire des récits plus spécifiques comme le livre de Chris Kyle et autres tireurs d'élite.

Interessante Ausführungen zum urban sniping

I had trouble deciding on a rating for "Fry the Brain." There are many flaws in the book--but there is far more that would be valuable to law enforcers, to soldiers in full-scale battle, and to the in-between of counter-insurgency.On page 20 John West defines snipers as shooting exposed individuals from concealed firing points. The primary sniper effect is terror--and sniping during the colonial wars of the 19th Century had already significantly reduced command and control. Military uniforms convey status--modern combat uniforms obscure the differences between private and colonel because looking important attracts sniper fire. Saluting in the combat zone is called "sniper check" in the American military.I didn't buy Chapter 9, "The Dealey Plaza Snipers" for a large number of reasons that would make my review longer than John West's book. In summary, the only thing missing was replacing the entire crowd with a pack of professional witnesses so that there'd be no leaks--but Chapter 9 is a good mind exercise.Remote control sniping is described in "Fry the Brain," but for better examples, look up these videos: The Jackal Vantage Point By the way, I'll argue that John West didn't exhaust the concept of urban sniping. President Obama uses a remote sniper--the Predator drone armed with Hellfire missiles. In the Falkland Islands, British soldiers used MILAN anti-tank missiles to knock out Argentine machine gun posts--the wire-guided MILAN was accurate and packed a wallop. During the Seventies the Red Army Faction in Germany used a remotely-armed mine as a sort of a sniper weapon--giving the RAF the selective targeting of a sniper but the devastation of a platter charge.John George had some solid suggestions in  Shots Fired in Anger: A Rifleman's View of Battle of Guadalcanal  including using the Browning Automatic Rifle as a sniper rifle--a sniper doesn't have to fire just one shot. Most snipers are trained to fire one shot and then move to avoid being located. Firing more than three shots from a single position usually results in accurate, coordinated return fire from infantry teams on today's battlefields.Silencers have a lot of limitations that were not addressed by John West. No matter--there are multiple references on the issue. Don't forget that silencers only change the sound of firing. Silencers are not silent--but the muted and modified noise might not be recognized as a gunshot. I volunteer at a local rifle range and legally silenced weapons and everything from flintlock muskets to machine guns appear on the firing line.  With Britain in Mortal Danger-Second Edition: Britain's Most Secret Army of WWII  mentioned the issue of one silencer-equipped caliber twenty-two rifle per Auxiliary Unit patrol. The Welrod silenced pistol is nobody's idea of a sniper's weapon, but Britain was perhaps the premier user of silenced weapons during World War Two. Those crude silencers used wipes that kept noise levels down--and made the weapon less accurate.I thought that the Sniper Forensics chapter was weak--because when both sides play dirty, "evidence" becomes an elastic concept. Britain permanently abridged the rights of Englishmen in response to the IRA terror campaign because a handful of Irish terrorists credibly threatened the legitimacy of the British government. Snipers were only part of the equation.Most people will obsess over the hardware. The more astute will examine tactics with a microscope. Strategy and goals mean more to success or failure than hardware or even tactics. What is the goal of the "movement?" It may be a government operating under the radar to eliminate political rivals--or a criminal element that cannot be touched by existing laws. The IRA campaign in Chapter 11 is worth reading--because it can happen here in America. Chapter 15 tells part of the story of the DC snipers John Muhammad and Lee Malvo.Some countermeasures may prove counter-productive. I'm a security professional, and many times body armor is prohibited because of public image issues--the powers that be have determined that Robocop alienates people. In peacekeeping missions, US troops wear helmets and heavy body armor, but the more successful peacekeepers stick to soft caps--usually berets. When soldiers and cops suit up in full armor and patrol in armored (air-conditioned) vehicles and only go out in platoon strength or more--the snipers have won.One final note: the modern urban guerrilla relies upon mass media manipulation. The primary effect of sniping is psychological. Snipers kill few people--but can paralyze a nation in terror. The JackalVantage PointShots Fired in Anger: A Rifleman's View of Battle of GuadalcanalWith Britain in Mortal Danger-Second Edition: Britain's Most Secret Army of WWII

This book was very informative for a number of reasons. The author misses the mark (pun intended) in a couple spots in the section where weapons are discussed but beyond that, its an all around informative and thought provoking book.