One of my subscribers recently left a  comment talking about Japanese snipers  

on Guam and other Pacific islands. And  I’ve received multiple questions about  

the history of Japanese snipers and how they  were utilised during the Second World War.  

And those are very fair questions because  Japanese snipers have a very surprising history.  

Both their strategy and conduct during  the war, but their origin story as well. 

As for their origin story, the Japanese imperial  army was perhaps one of the most recent armies to  

adopt snipers as a tactic. Even more recent than  the Chinese. Well, especially more recent than the  

Chinese. During the Second Sino-Japanese war the  Japanese faced German-trained Chinese Kuomintang  

troops. Military ties between China and Germany  were strong before the Axis alliance uprooted it.  

For example, in 1933 Hans von Seeckt, former  chief of the German Army Command, spent two years  

advising generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in military  matters to combat the communists. In fact, Chaing  

Kai-shek’s son served in the German Wehrmacht  and commanded a Panzer unit before the outbreak  

of the war. These close connections translated  to, among many other things, a more intricate  

understanding of the profession of snipers.  In turn, the Japanese troops faced relatively  

well-trained Chinese troops using modern military  tactics. Already facing trouble early on,  

by the time the Japanese waged war against the  Americans, they had adopted several best practices  

from their war against the Chinese. Although they  added some curious own ingredients to the mix. 

Most Japanese snipers were commissioned and  non-commissioned officers. This became a  

widespread realisation due to it being easy  to identify them by their rank insignia.  

As the war progressed, Japanese officers began  concealing their insignia and on the frontlines,  

Japanese troops were instructed not to salute  their officers. Reason for this was that it was  

easy for hostile snipers to identify and pick  off Japanese officers. Often, snipers trained  

together with the infantry and every rifle  platoon had at least one sniper on hand. 

Yet there are some severe contradictory statements  by military historians about the usefulness and  

effectiveness of Japanese snipers. For one, John  N. Rentz mentions that he uses the term “sniper”,  

when referring to Japanese, simply as individual  soldiers firing without a unit fire plan.  

So a sniper was not specifically trained as  a sniper. And he could be located anywhere,  

from a tree to hole in the ground,  bushes, or in buildings. As such,  

any man that fires at another combatant, be it  a soldier or unit, immediately becomes a sniper. 

That’s a very broad definition, but perhaps  for a good reason. Because according to Rentz,  

many Japanese ‘snipers’ were actually  outpost guards or members of small patrols.  

We’ll get to the tactics these snipers adopted  in a minute. But first, the most distinctive and  

iconic equipment of snipers obviously is their  rifle. There were multiple rifles the Japanese  

army, and in turn, its snipers used. Osprey’s  Military Snipers Since 1914 says about this:

“The Japanese were equipped with a  number of different types of rifles,  

the earliest, a 6.5mm Type 38 dating  back to 1905. Under the guidance of  

Colonel Namio Tatsumi, later the 6.5mm Type  97 and 7.7mm Type 99 rifles were developed,  

being equipped with 2.5 or 4x power telescopic  sights. One advantage of the smaller 6.5mm  

cartridge was that there was almost no  smoke from the discharge, and the sound  

of the rifle - a distinctive high-pitched  ‘crack’ - made it very difficult to locate.

Although the Japanese had adequate supplies  of sniping rifles, much of their shooting  

was done at comparatively close range using a  wide variety of weapons and open sights. Well  

equipped and suicidally determined, the Japanese  frequently fought the Allies to a standstill,  

earning the grudging admiration  of those who faced them.”

Tactics

There were common tactics Japanese snipers  used. They were outfitted with camouflage  

helmets adorned with palm fronds and foliage,  nets and clothing and were expected to blend  

in with their surroundings. In addition, the  ‘sniper kit’, so to say, consisted of binoculars,  

map cases and other distinctive equipment. For  the most part, they utilised the same tactics as  

snipers of other armies during that same period,  including targeting high-ranking enemy combatants  

and making sure to wreak havoc in their ranks. As for real tactics, there was one notable  

difference. Due to its effectiveness, and  the number of casualties it inflicted,  

it became notorious among the G.Is in Asia.  The Japanese prolifically sat high in trees,  

waiting to take out their targets. This was such  a widespread tactic that snipers sometimes even  

had a specifically fitted chair to make hiding  among the branches and leaves more comfortable.  

Most marksmen were outfitted with primitive  pole climbers in order to get into position  

more easily. An even more primitive method,  described by author Adrian Gilbert in Sniper,  

says that snipers sometimes were tied into  position. This was done to prevent the sniper from  

falling out if he was hit by enemy fire, leaving  the counter-sniper guessing if he scored a hit. 

There certainly were issues with hiding in  tree-tops. For one, historian John Miller  

claims that “anyone who has ever climbed a tree in  the jungle can testify to the difficulties a man  

with a rifle would encounter - lack of visibility,  tree limbs in the way and the innumerable little  

red ants whose bite is like the prick of needles.”  Still, there are plenty of sources that support  

the notion Japanese snipers actually prolifically  used this tactic, which made sense since the  

conditions Japanese soldiers were exposed to by  their commanders were notoriously awful. Climbing  

a tree would not make the list of worst things to  happen there. Japanese soldiers were tenacious and  

dedicated, willing to take significant risks, and  were often seasoned veterans of jungle warfare.  

Most of them considered giving their life for  the emperor one of the noblest sacrifices. 

As mentioned, thanks to their rifle and its lack  of smoke, muzzle flash and hard to locate sound,  

Japanese snipers could pick off several targets  and go undetected. But there’s a very obvious  

problem with hiding in trees as a sniper. And  it’s exactly the reason why instructors of their  

Soviet, German, British and U.S. counterparts  dissuaded them from utilising trees. In the  

unfortunate, but often inevitable event that you  were detected… well, palm trees, or any trees for  

that matter, literally became a death trap. And  that’s exactly what made the Japanese snipers  

so dangerous: it seemed they didn’t really  care about the fact if they were discovered  

they would die. They simply wanted to take as  many as possible enemy combatants with them .

In action

Among the U.S. troops news rapidly spread  Japanese hid in trees. In fact, it slowed down  

the Guadalcanal campaign because infantry soldiers  were convinced snipers hid in near every palm tree  

and entire divisions were held back by one  sniper taking them under fire. And the danger  

of looming snipers influenced most campaigns,  from the coral atolls to New Guinea’s forests. 

The divisional historian of the US  41st Infantry Division described how  

the division was plagued by snipers hiding in  treetops around nearly their entire perimeter.  

The sniper’s range often was between 200 and  400 yards, so between around 180 and 365 metres.  

And of course, thanks to their relatively small  powder charge, there was no telltale smoke  

revealing the sniper. Indiscriminate firing  into treetops was the often-preferred method  

to try and make a breakthrough. But as the war  progressed, more structured strategy was required. 

The task to eliminate Japanese snipers was a  difficult one, and the Americans developed a  

thorough strategy. Towards the end of the war  it was truly taking a toll on the Japanese.  

The Allies found that teams using a sniper,  light machine-gun and spotter did the trick.  

If an area was suspected of sniper activity,  the machine gunner sprayed the tops of trees,  

which if it didn’t hit the sniper certainly  would cause him to move. At the point of moving  

the Allied sniper most often would pick him off. Other sources indicate the Allies also employed  

two-man countersniper teams manning forward  defences, while another team climbed from tree  

to tree using climb poles. This way, they  meticulously combed out areas with trees,  

picking off Japanese snipers one by one. If an  area was suspected to have a considerable presence  

of snipers, 37mm anti-tank guns made sure to  blast the entire area. The fact Japanese snipers  

were incredibly immobile in tree-tops led to their  ranks rapidly thinning out as the war progressed.

In August 1942 the US’s first major ground  offensive, the Guadalcanal Campaign, began. In the  

famous Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis,  he describes close calls with Japanese snipers

“More Jap 6.5mm rifles opened up ahead; a storm of  fire broke and filled the jungle. I dived for the  

nearest tree, which unfortunately stood somewhat  alone and was not surrounded by deep foliage.  

While the firing continued and I could hear  the occasional impact of a bullet hitting a  

nearby tree or snapping off a twig, I  debated whether it would be wiser to  

stay in my exposed spot or to run for a better  hole and risk being hit by a sniper en route.

The sniper who had fired at me was still  on my track. He had evidently spotted my  

field-glasses and taken me for a regular  officer. I searched the nearby trees,  

but could see nothing moving, no smoke, no  signs of any sniper. Then another 6.5mm cracked  

again and I heard the bullet pass. I jumped for  better cover, behind two trees. Here I began to  

wish I had a rifle. I had made an ignominious  retreat. My dignity had been offended.”

The Japanese army mainly used their snipers  to control enemy movement and pick them off  

at unexpected times. Thomas E. Price, in his  Brief History of the 6th Infantry Division,  

recounts the landings at Milne Bay,  New Guinea, that proves just this.

“The division set up camp near the  Australian forces in a place that was  

a palm tree plantation owned by the Palmolive  Palm Oil Company. The men were told they would  

be fined if they cut down the trees. The first  Japanese shot was wearing an American uniform.  

He was assumed to have been a scout or spy.  A 6th Division Medic shot him. There were  

problems with Japanese snipers in the  trees. As the trees’ tops and crowns  

were cropped and pruned with machine guns,  there was no more talk of fines for trees.”

When in September 1944 the Battle of Peleliu  commenced, a small island in the Pacific,  

the American commanders expected a  quick and easy victory. In reality,  

over 10.000 Japanese soldiers resigned to their  fate, defending the island until their deaths.  

The battle lasted into November. With its many  caves, hills, and scarred ridges and ravines,  

the island was an ideal setup for a Japanese  sniper. I’ve created an entire video about  

the Battle of Peleliu, which should be on an  end-card shortly if you’re interested in that. 

Thank you for watching this video. If there’s  a topic or event you’d like to know more about,  

let me know your thoughts in a comment. I would  also like to thank all my Patrons and channel  

members for their generous support. If you enjoy  House of History and want to support my work  

consider checking me on Patreon or becoming a  channel member. For just 1$ a month you will  

gain access to the exclusive Patreon series.  Don’t forget to subscribe. See you next time!