New Book - Harry Furness Biography: The Solitary War of a Sniper

[Riter]

I used everything that Harry could tell me in my own work. I'm sure Nigel or Martin could share more insights. They knew Harry and either had more time with him. I only exchanged emails and a couple of letters.

I also drew from Harry's contributions in Rocky Chandler's series, Death From Afar. Harry wrote a lot of snippets (tips) that Chandler published and I republished them (Fair Use Doctrine).

Harry told me he used to carry that Commando knife on his lower leg. Then during Market Garden his company advanced and he noticed his knife was missing. He backtracked and luckily found it sticking up in the grass. He did some horsetrading with an American paratrooper for a bayonet sheath and thereafter carried the knife in the bayonet sheath (which was worn on his belt).

[CINDERS]

On a side note there was written in Hathcocks book (He mentioned it) that on one mission he was tasked with was to take out a spook from memory a man in a grey suit pops up.
He also stated he took out a Chinese General on a boat going along a river somewhere (Cambodia! possibly)
*I have read this somewhere in the 3 books I have on Carlos.

It would be very naïve of us to think that our various Govts have not furthered their political sway in certain areas to eliminate persons of interest that are seen as a threat or roadblock.

[Ovidio]

Got it and started reading it yesterday.

[painter777]

Got it and started reading it yesterday.

Quit Rubbing it in Ovidio

I don't think I want to hear anymore.
I'm Looking to stash this away to read during the cold winter here, that comes too soon and hangs on too long.

Is Harry in one particular volume of the series in Death From Afar?
I'd like to gather what I can to read about him, if anyone can direct me further.
I'd appreciate that help.

Thx,

[Surpmil]

Over a decade ago around 2009-10 Harry told me that MoD instructed him not to discuss anything about his wartime activities. They monitored his email and when I asked some questions, he answered and then wrote me that MoD was telling him again to shut up. State Secrets Act. I never asked about anything sensitive like his missions (or kill count) but some very general information (selection, places where trained, operating by himself or with a spotter).

Seriously? Capt. Shore was writing about his experiences in the 1950s, even discussing training in detail IIRC.

There are books out there by people who claim to have brought Martin Bormann out of Berlin or flown ME262s out of Hungary...

Was Mr. Furness something other than a sniper in a line regiment?

Don't you think he was perhaps suffering from PTSD and/or was simply tired of being asked questions and this was perhaps a polite way of dealing with such inquiries?

BTW, since you're gathering this sort of stuff, here's a post that no longer seems to be online you might find interesting; just came across the print out from 2014 the other day.

[Nigel]

I regard Shore as a firearms enthusiast who cajoled his Boss in to letting him go on a Sniper's course. I don't regard him as true operational sniper. Harry was a dedicated sniper who had been on every available sniper course before he landed on D-Day. He served throughout the rest of the war as an operational sniper with 117 confirmed kills. He went on to win a 3 day sniper competition in 1946 against all comers. He was mentioned in despatches for his sniping exploits. He rightly could be regarded as the most successful British sniper of WW2. After the war he lectured at the Sniper Div (Brecon) and also helped to re-write the USMC's training syllabus. Harry gave me thousands of pages of MoD library stamped photocopied pages of War Office Committee Meeting minutes discussing the development of the No.32 scope starting with the Bren gun. These photopies would have been done in the era when manual placement of the page to be copied was required - it would have taken someone months to do this work. So Harry was something more than just a sniper in a line regiment.

[painter777]

Really looking forward to the book coming in. Don't think it'll wait for a winter read.
About 3 more weeks.....