Finnish Wwii Sniper - With at least 505 confirmed kills during the 1939-40 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union, Simo Häyhä (1905-2002) was labeled the deadliest sniper in history. Here, Tapio Saarelainen shares the story of the Finnish marksman and how he achieved his nickname "White Death"…
According to an American study, an average of 7,000 rifle rounds were needed to achieve a combat kill during World War I. During the Vietnam War, that number increased to over 25,000. Therefore, for Simo Häyhä's 505+ kills, more than 13,550,000 bullets would have been needed in Vietnam. He remains the deadliest shooter who ever lived.
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Simo Häyhä was born on December 17, 1905 to Juho and Katriina (née Vilkko) Häyhä in the village of Kiiskinen in the municipality of Rautjärvi. This area was in the former Finnish region of Karelia, which is now Russian territory. He was a farmer by trade and enjoyed many different hobbies including snow skiing, hunting and shooting.
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Häyhä fought for Finland against the Soviet Union in what history calls the "Winter War", the conflict that took place in the winter of 1939-40. The Winter War broke out when he was 33 years old and on December 17, 1939, he celebrated his 34th birthday on the battlefield of Kollaa. He served a total of 98 days with the 6th Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment. The war lasted only 105 days, but Simo Häyhä did not see the end - he was wounded and hospitalized during the last week of the conflict.
During his 98-day reign of terror, Häyhä was unseen and unheard, but all the while he targeted Russian soldiers with deadly precision, once killing 25 men in one day. With snipers presenting such valuable targets on the battlefield, Simo's reputation as a marksman soon reached the Russian front lines; they called him "The White Death".
Häyhä demonstrates his method of firing from a covered trench. Notice how he put on the gloves; they are used to reduce weapon shock. The support hand is behind the trigger to give the best possible position. (© Tapio Saarelainen)
On one occasion, after Häyhä had again killed an enemy sniper with a single shot, the Russians in turn tried to kill him by firing indirect fire, a mortar bombardment, in the vicinity of his firing position. Incredibly, Häyhä was not injured or killed, walking away without a scratch. On another occasion, an artillery shell landed near his firing position and tore the back of his overcoat; Häyhä survived this with only a minor scratch on her back.
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However, for a soldier who spent so much time on the front lines, Häyhä reported that he never felt fear. He treated his work as he treated hunting and was always thinking of new ways to stay hidden and outwit the enemy. He developed clever techniques, such as pouring water on the snow in front of him so that the explosion of the barrel would not expose his location disturbing the light snow. He also became a master of using sounds, smoke, and artillery fire to cover his movements while changing positions. With maps very scarce during the war, Häyhä relied on his memory to find the best hiding places.
His weapon was an M/28-30, which he had before the war, without even a telescopic sight. It was a basic weapon, but one he had mastered through years of experience. Preparation and tactics.
Häyhä's skill was compounded by his extensive shooting preparations. During the night he often visited his "favorite" firing positions, making whatever preparations and improvements he deemed necessary. His behavior can be described as obsessive due to his dedication to the task: he cleaned his gun much more often than most soldiers; and perform both maintenance operations before and after completing a mission. Especially in the -20°C temperatures of the Finnish winter, proper gun maintenance was essential to prevent jamming.
His weapon was an M/28-30, which he had before the war, without even a telescopic sight. This rifle was the standard issued to Finnish infantry in the late 1930s and Häyhä preferred the reliability of the model and the consistency of its fire. It was a basic weapon, but one he had mastered through years of experience. His weapon was "cancelled" [sights adjusted] to 150 meters, the most common combat distance at the time, which allowed him to quickly adjust to the proper setting as needed.
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A strange myth involving snipers is that they climbed trees to shoot the enemy. Häyhä laughed when asked about it. Not only is it much more difficult to keep a firm aim at the enemy, but if he were discovered, he would have no escape route. Instead, Häyhä used overhanging branches for cover, which provided better protection and allowed him to maintain a steady aim.
Häyhä's skills have been developed since his youth, which was spent very close to nature, taking regular hunting trips into the forests. He used to hunt shy birds in glades and pine forests, birds that reacted to the slightest sound, reflection or sudden movement. As a hunter, when everything depends on situation, target and terrain, Häyhä would need keen eyesight and the ability to detect and recognize targets. There are no set methods in hunting, as each situation and condition is unique.
Häyhä knew that when a hunter shoots his target he must be able to observe the effect because some game will try to escape if the first shot is inelect if the game is not wounded by movement. Every animal will try to defend itself until it dies or cannot move; this grim reality also applies to people on the battlefield. Häyhä's hunting experiences taught him to read and use the terrain and he was the ultimate master of exploiting the battlefield terrain to his advantage.
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In addition to these skills, Häyhä's father taught him a very important hunting skill: the ability to judge distances. This was not a skill he was born with - he had a lot of practice, first estimating the distance to a target and then taking steps. In most cases, his estimate was close to perfect: when checking his estimates, a typical variance of the actual distance was one or two steps to either side over distances of about 150 meters. As a young man, he also learned to assess the effects of wind and rain on footage and forest conditions.
After being hit by an explosive bullet during a Russian attack, sniper Simo Häyhä suffered enduring facial scars and near-constant pain for many years. (© Tapio Saarelainen)
With Simo's unique character and a lifetime of preparation, he was a nightmare for Soviet troops in the winter forests of Finland, until he was wounded on March 6, 1940, in the forests of Ulismaa in the Kollaa region. He was hit by an explosive bullet during a Russian attack; he fell into a coma from which he woke up only a week later, when the armistice had already been signed. After his injury, Häyhä suffered enduring facial scarring and almost constant pain for many years.
After the end of the war, Häyhä returned to his farm. His military exploits were legendary in Finland and he became something of a celebrity, but he preferred his own company. Kalevi Ikonen, a friend of Häyhä, said: "Monkey spoke more to animals in the forest than to other people." Considering, however, that he has undergone a total of 26 surgical operations on his jaw, and his speech has never been fully restored, it is not difficult to see why he might not want to interact with other people more than necessary. Until he moved to the Kymi Institute for Veterans with Disabilities in 2001, he lived alone. He died in 2002 at the age of 96.
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This photo shows Simo leaning his gun on a stump. His gloves are between the stump and the rifle to suppress the rebound of the weapon giving the shot a better hit probability. (© Tapio Saarelainen)
Simo Häyhä was the most successful marksman who ever lived because he understood everything that was happening around him. He was an experienced hiker and hunter who knew exactly how to stay hidden. His gun was one he had used for years and knew exactly how he would react in his environment, and his personality was ideal for shooting, with his willingness to be alone and ability to avoid the emotions that many would attribute to such a task. . Considering his small stature, he was born to hunt and the marksman suited him well. During my many interviews with him in the twilight of his life, he always wanted to remind me of his favorite experiences.
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