About the Author

Lt. Col. Tom C. McKenney, USMC retired, is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was an infantry officer and parachutist in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in Korea and Vietnam. A student of military history, he has contributed articles to such magazines as Guideposts, American Legion, Military, and Leathernecks. His books and activism for veterans' issues have had him appearing on hundreds of radio and television programs including Fox News, the Today Show, and CBS Morning News. An Ohio native and avid student of history, Tonkin enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1955, joining the 10th Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He also served in the security unit of a top secret installation during the Cold War. Following military service John began a business career in personnel and labour relations executive management that spanned four decades. Now retired, in addition to his woodworking hobby, he and his wife enjoy their four children and nine grandchildren. John is a Life Member of the Marine Corps League and a current member of the Marine Corps Association. Adrian Gilbert has written extensively on military history in the twentieth century. Among his books are POW: Allied Prisoners of War, 1939-1945, The Imperial War Museum Book of the Desert War, featuring first-hand accounts from British forces in North Africa, 1940-2, and an oral history of the French Foreign Legion: Voices of the Legion. He has a special interest in sniping and sharpshooting and is the author of two best-selling books on the subject: Sniper: One-on-One and Stalk and Kill: The Sniper Experience. Dan Mills joined the British Army aged sixteen. He enlisted in his local infantry regiment, The Queen's Regiment, which later became The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. During his twenty-four years in the infantry he saw active service in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as travelling extensively around the world. He was awarded Britain's oldest award, a Mention in Dispatches, for gallantry in March 2005 for his actions in Iraq. His first book was the bestseller Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege (2007). Dan Mills left the Army in 2010. Roger Moorhouse is a historian and author, specializing in Nazi Germany and the Second World War in Europe. A fluent German speaker, he is the author of Killing Hitler and the critically acclaimed Berlin at War, and co-author, with Norman Davies, of Microcosm. His interest in the story of Simo Häyhä was spurred by his research for his next book - The Devils' Alliance - on the subject of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. A regular contributor and reviewer for the national and specialist history press, he has also provided introductions to a number of recent Frontline publications, including the memoirs of Erich Kempka, Heinz Linge, Christa Schroeder and Heinrich Hoffmann. He lives in Buckinghamshire and does all his own ironing. Tim Newark is the author of several well-received military history books, including The Mafia at War and Highlander. Formerly the editor of Military Illustrated, he has also worked as scriptwriter and historical consultant on TV documentaries for BBC World -wide and the History Channel, including the 13-part series Hitler's Bodyguard. He reviews military history books for the Financial Times. Visit www.timnewark.com. Martin Pegler was curator of firearms at the Royal Armouries for twenty years and during his career was able to shoot almost every historic and current sniping rifle. He is the author of a dozen books about firearms, but specializes in the development sniper and technology of sniping. He owns a comprehensive collection of working sniping rifles dating from the nineteenth century and has provided many of them to film and TV companies, for whom he has also acted as historical advisor. He appears regularly as a militaria specialist on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. He lives in France with his wife. Author of more than fifty books, including best-sellers like One Shot - One Kill, First SEAL and Raider, Charles W. Sasser has been called 'one of the most respected military writers in the field'. A combat veteran who served with the U.S. Navy (journalist) and with the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), he is retired from the military after twenty-nine years' active and reserve service. He also served fourteen years as a police officer (in Miami, Florida, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was a homicide detective). His books have been translated into Chinese, Russian, Serbian, French, Spanish and other languages. Mark Spicer is a twenty-five-year veteran of the British Army, having served with special units, and as a sniper and sniper platoon commander. During his military service he wrote the British Army's field manual for snipers and has since authored three world-renowned books on sniping. Since retiring from the Army he has been involved in training military and law enforcement units from America, Scandinavia and the Middle East and has acted as an expert witness in criminal trials. Leroy Thompson has trained police and military tactical units, including snipers, for more than thirty years. He also writes articles for numerous magazines on tactical weapons, which includes testing new sniping rifles and optics as they are introduced. He is the author of forty-eight books and over 2,000 magazine articles on military special operations, hostage rescue, tactical operations, and weapons.