Found the beast Finnish dude who killed nearly 800 Russians in the Winter War.
Simo Häyhä (December 17, 1905 – April 1, 2002), nicknamed "White Death" (
Russian: Белая Смерть,
Belaya Smert;
Finnish:
Valkoinen kuolema;
Swedish:
den Vita Döden) by the Soviet army, was a
Finnish soldier. Using a standard iron-sighted, bolt action rifle in the
Winter War, he had the highest recorded number of kills as a
sniper in any major war
Häyhä was born in the municipality of
Rautjärvinear the present-day border of Finland and Russia, and started his
military service in 1925. Before entering combat, Häyhä was a farmer
and a hunter. His farmhouse was reportedly full of trophies for
marksmanship.
[3] It was during the
Winter War (1939–1940), between Finland and the Soviet Union, that he began his duty as a sniper and fought the
Red Army.
In temperatures between −20 and −40 degrees Celsius (−4 and −40
degrees Fahrenheit), dressed completely in a white camouflage suit,
Häyhä was credited with 505 confirmed kills of Soviet soldiers,
[2][4] and 542 if including the unconfirmed deaths.
[4] The unofficial Finnish frontline figure from the battlefield of
Kollaa places the number of Häyhä's sniper kills over 800.
[5]A daily account of the kills at Kollaa was conducted for the Finnish
snipers. Besides his sniper kills, Häyhä was also credited with over
two hundred kills with a
Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun, thus bringing his credited kills to at least 705.
[4] All of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in less than 100 days.
Häyhä used a Finnish variant, M/28, of the Soviet
Mosin-Nagant rifle (known as "Pystykorva" rifle, meaning "
spitz"), because it suited his small frame (5 ft 3 in/1.60 m). He preferred to use
iron sights rather than
telescopic sightsto present a smaller target (the sniper must raise his head higher when
using a telescopic sight), to prevent visibility risks (a telescopic
sight's glass can fog up easily), and aid concealment (sunlight glare
in telescopic sight lenses can reveal a sniper's position). Another
tactic used by Häyhä was to compact the snow in front of him so that
the shot wouldn't disturb the snow, thus revealing his position. He
also kept snow in his mouth so that when breathing he wouldn't reveal
his position.
The Soviets tried several ploys to get rid of him, including counter
snipers and artillery strikes. On March 6 1940, Häyhä was shot in the
jaw during combat. The bullet tumbled upon impact and left his head. He
picked up his rifle and fired a round, killing his attacker. He was
picked up by fellow soldiers who said "half his head was missing". He
regained consciousness on March 13, the day peace was declared. Shortly
after the war, Häyhä was promoted straight from corporal to second
lieutenant by
Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. No one else has ever gained rank in such a quick fashion in Finland's military history.
What a MAN.
