--- title: "Watch this WWII commando veteran explain how to spot a sniper" description: "Roy Cadman, a WWII veteran of Britain's No. 3 Commando, talks about fighting the Nazis, \"a bloody nuisance,\" in Europe." date: "2021-06-07" modified: "2021-06-08" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/watch/watch-this-wwii-commando-veteran-explain-how-to-spot-a-sniper/" categories: - "Combat Stories" - "History" - "Veterans" - "War History" - "World War II" --- # Watch this WWII commando veteran explain how to spot a sniper ![]() "You always get enemy snipers," says Roy Cadman, a WWII veteran of Britain's No. 3 Commando, talking about fighting the Nazis in Europe. "... And they're a bloody nuisance." --- Cadman is a 93-year-old Chelsea pensioner, a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, which is a nursing care facility for veterans of the British Army of an advanced age. In the video below, he explains that you hear the crack of the bullets before the discharge of the sniper's rifle in the distance. The distance between the two sounds helps determine how far you are from the sniper shooting at you. "You can work out the distance," Cadman continues, "but you can't work out the angle of where he is. You have to look out at that distance from your right. If you were him, where would you go?" The idea is to find a place where a sniper would hide himself in a European battle, things like bushes, houses or roofs. Cadman explains that it's a skill the Tommies learned and honed over time, learning exactly where to look. In other interviews, the old, bold commando also told the Army Museum about his landing at Sword Beach on D-Day, how he joined the British Army at age 17, and how to scale cliffs, build bridges, and span rivers with a simple length of rope. He notably [returned to Normandy]() in June 2016 to spread the ashes of his departed No. 3 Commando comrade Fred Walker. The video is one of many from the U.K. National Army Museum's "[The Old and the Bold]()" series, where veterans of World War II and the Korean War share their stories and experiences from the battlefield. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qssBv987AY --- *Feature image: screen capture from [YouTube]()* ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()