User talk:Farawayman/Sandbox Bailey's Sharpshooters

My father was born and raised in Rhodesia and told of a man the family knew. I think the surname was Stober. My father recalled he was dark skinned and maybe this was the reason he lived in Rhodesia rather than South Africa. He had been picked by Sir Abe Bailey to be a sniper in France. The one account was that he had a running battle with a German Sniper behind German lines. He was alone and had some sniping success and had been relaxing a little in a wood when he providentially shifted his body when a bullet just missed his head. He immediately bolted into thick cover and while trying to discover his shooters whereabouts realized he was compromised and had to make it back over to the Allies lines.

It was wet and muddy and Stober hid in a mudpool with a straw to breathe through. He kept this up for a few hours and was rewarded by picking up his enemies footprints. He tracked these until he saw the man and reluctantly took him out.

As a hunter and shooting type my father had the greatest admiration for this man who was very skilled bushcraftsman and a great marksman. Going on a poaching expedition to a farming estate just outside what was then Salisbury (15 miles) Stober stopped the vehicle in some bushes. He then crawled somewhat close to the homestead and shot a duiker ( a small antelope)for the pot. Dad said the dogs in the homestead went wild with their barking and some inhabitants got in their vehicle and started driving around probably in the hope of seeing someone. Stober told my dad to just lie still, they were in the middle of a field. Twenty minutes later everything returned to quiet and Stober collected his "pot trophy" and he and Dad drove off.

Typical sniper style. Concealment in the most unlikely place. One shot did it all.

I would like Rich Smith to contact me as I understand he may be researching the unit and may be able to verify this.

I am unable to verify whether this man was in the small unit. All I know is that my father related it to me and he had nothing to gain from making it up. Rhodesiangunner (talk) 11:18, 1 May 2016 (UTC)