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| Down Under |
| A Turkish-Australian sniper duel from the distant past |
| 2004-04-28 |
| For a true account of a sniper duel, check out the exploits of a Chinese Australian sniper, Billy Sing, during WWI, against Turkish troops during the Gallipolli campaign: The next attempt by the Turks to clear their left flank of the unrelenting Australian sniper was more formidable. Reports of these efforts came to light later, from accounts by Turkish prisoners, as well as translated extracts from diaries removed from the bodies of their dead. The Turks sent for their own champion near the centre of the front line. Already decorated by the sultan for his proficiency, the Turkish sniper -whom the Australians called "Abdul the Terrible" - probably relished the challenge. Abdul brought with him a determination which matched Billy Sing’s. The Turk’s hunt to locate his Anzac counterpart’s position took on the professional vigour of a forensic scientist. Each fresh description of yet another sniping victim would see Abdul quickly sent to the spot. Here he would thoughtfully examine the crime scene. There was an inexplicable ability by the Turks to separate the indiscriminate good fortune of some of the Anzac shooters from the true craftsmanship of the sniper Sing. Accordingly, the only reports passed on to Abdul were those confidently assessed as having been the work of the deadly and unseen Australian rifleman. Reconstructing each fatal shot, the Turk determined the bullet’s angle of trajectory from the entry and exit wounds. And he studied the exact position and stance of the latest victim at the moment of impact, as recounted by those who stood nearby. With each calculation, the Turkish sniper drew with his eye a line which ended at an area of the Australian trenches on Harris Ridge. Eventually a pattern began to emerge. His gaze consistently returned to fix on one specific location, a small rise on the heights at Chatham’s Post. At last he had found the lair of the too-efficient Australian killer. Mirroring Billy Sing’s pre-sniping preparations, the Turk selected a suitable sight. In the darkness of each night, he built his own position. When it was finished, Abdul - like his Australian adversary - took up his post each morning well before dawn. Many days were spent simply watching and waiting. Despite tempting targets which appeared from time to time, the Turkish sniper held his fire. He knew that his quarry would not be among these unwise Australians. An opportunist shot might give him away. Eventually, however, his persistence paid off. He returned to the Turkish trenches late one evening, certain that he had found his rival and that the new day would see him finally end Sing’s winning streak. The next morning, Billy and his spotter took up their position. As Sing settled himself in, the observer began his day’s first semi-alert yawning frontal sweep with the telescope. Almost immediately the man’s movement abruptly ceased and he whispered to his sniper that he already had a target. Sing took the telescope and, glancing towards a point indicated by his spotter, he stared ahead - in the face and rifle-muzzle of Abdul the Terrible. Carefully taking up his rifle, Sing made a final check that nothing would betray their position; then gently eased the loophole cover back and cautiously pushed the weapon forward. The Turk also saw Sing and began his own firing sequence. As he settled the rifle into his shoulder, Abdul drew in a breath and steadily sighted it on Sing. At that moment, a bullet struck the Turk between the eyes. |
| Posted by:Zhang Fei |
| #3 #1,right you are.I read a book on WW1,Euorpe,awhile back in wich the German High Command figured it would take 10 soldiers to sieze evry meter of ground during the swing through Belgaim.The bodies were stacked so high British soldiers had to knock over the piles in order to keep shooting. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-04-28 12:28:43 PM |
| #2 It is one of the ironies about WWI that for a time on the western front it was a snipers war. The common image of WWI is that the Maxim and Vickers guns were the great killers when the fact is that most of the battlefield casualities were caused by the artilley of both sides |
| Posted by: cheaderhead 2004-04-28 11:25:53 AM |
| #1 Interisting, WW1 period is fascinating. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4602 2004-04-28 10:55:58 AM |