Simo Häyhä, The White Death: The Greatest Sniper to Ever Live

On a brutally cold winter’s day in 1939, as the sun rose over the forests of Karelia in Finland, Soviet soldiers marched through the snowy woodland. Little did they know those would be their last moments. As the men progressed through the snowy terrain, a bullet whistled through the air, taking one of the soldiers out in a heartbeat.

The remaining men suddenly realized what was happening and bolted for cover, but no matter where they tried to hide, they were gradually picked off one by one. In a matter of minutes, the entire group had perished but who, or what, was behind their demise?

The answer lies around 1,000 feet away. At first, he’s virtually impossible to see, but lurking under the snow, with a rifle in hand, is the Finnish sniper, Simo Häyhä, otherwise known as the White Death. Extraordinary a feat as it seems, that was just another day for Häyhä.

By the time the Winter War finished in March 1940, he’d taken down over 500 Soviet soldiers all on his own, crowning him the deadliest sniper to have ever lived. Yet, despite the awesome achievement of that man, his story isn’t widely known. So, who really was Simo Häyhä, and how did he become the deadliest sniper the world has ever seen?

Who Was Simo Häyhä?

Born in 1905, in Rautjärvi, southeastern Finland, Häyhä was the seventh of eight children in a family of farmers. When he wasn’t helping his family out on the farm, he enjoyed hobbies like shooting and skiing. He’d frequently go out to hunt foxes, even though the animal’s small stature and speed makes them notoriously difficult to hunt. It was there that Häyhä’s honed his sniper-like hunting abilities, fine-tuning them to a point that would prove vital later in his life.

And it wasn’t long before the Finn’s shooting skill became more than just a hobby. He started entering shooting competitions, which he almost always won. Simo was so successful that the Häyhä household was said to be full of all the shooting trophies that he’d picked up as a youngster.

With his superior skills as a sharpshooter, it’s no wonder that in 1922 at the age of 17, Häyhä volunteered for the Finnish guard; a paramilitary organization that provided military training to its members. But after that, there was no going back for him; that first taste of military training he received would eventually lead to a life far away from the farm, and to prey much bigger than foxes.

Just 2 years later, at the age of 19, the 5 ft 3 inches tall Häyhä began a 15-month compulsory military service as a member of the Bicycle Battalion. It may sound like a wheely bad joke, but back in the early 20th century, bicycle infantry was important for maneuvering soldiers between battlefields via military bicycles. Aside from pushing pedals, Simo clearly picked up some military knowledge. By the time he was honorably discharged, he’d been promoted to the rank of corporal.

After his exploits in the military, you might’ve expected Simo’s sniping career to take off. But that wasn’t the case, not immediately at least. After completing his service with the Bicycle Battalion, he returned to his home and got back to work on the farm. Not much of a hero’s story, is it? But that’s not all he did.

The Greatest Sniper Ever

In the 1920s, the Finnish Civil Guard equipped their armory with the Mosin-Nagant M28/30 rifle, replacing the Russian Army M91 Mosin-Nagant. That manually operated bolt action rifle was much improved on its predecessor, with an enhanced rear sight, and magazines that were designed to prevent jamming. Even more importantly, Finnish soldiers who’d served in the Civil Guard were given the option to part-purchase the M28/30 rifle to keep for themselves.

Predictably, he didn’t waste any time in getting familiar with the weapon. And, Simo was an ace with the M28/30 in his hands. Major Tapio Saarelainen, a man who’d had the privilege of witnessing Simo’s sniping skills first-hand. On one occasion, Saarelainen saw Häyhä accurately hit a target some 500 feet away. What if it was a fluke? Apparently not, considering he hit that target a staggering 16 times and did that is also in just 1 minute.

What makes that achievement even more incredible is the fact that Häyhä would’ve been using his M28/30 rifle and he wasn’t using any fancy scopes or telescopic gear to enhance his aim. He was just that good! That weapon is manually fed with a 5-cartridge magazine.

That means during the 16 shots, Simo would’ve had to reload his rifle 4 times. Yet somehow, he still managed to fire an accurate shot every 3.75 seconds! If only there was some way for Simo to exhibit his extraordinary talent in combat.

Well, as it happened, during the 1930s, the atmosphere across Europe began to turn pretty sour. And nowhere were things becoming more tense than in Finland. To understand why, first we need to turn the clocks back all the way to the early 19th century.

The Winter War

In 1809, Finland was part of the Swedish Empire. However, after their defeat to the Russian Empire during the Finnish War, Sweden surrendered Finland to the Russian Empire. Just over 100 years later in 1917, the Russian Empire collapsed. So, Finland took advantage of the chaos to declare independence from Russia.

Unfortunately for the Finns, they wouldn’t enjoy their freedom for long. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union, under the rule of Josef Stalin, pursued a policy of territorial expansion. Stalin was fearful that Germany would use Finland as a base of operations for attacks against the Soviet Union. So, he wanted to station troops in Finland and move the Russo-Finish border 20 miles to the northwest to create a buffer zone to protect the Soviet Union from Germany.

Despite having a population just 2% the size of the Soviet Union’s, Finland refused. Not that Stalin cared. After Finland’s rebuttal, the Soviet Union began invading Finland’s eastern border on 30th November 1939, starting what became known as The Winter War. His objective was to occupy the entire territory of Finland by the end of the year.

The Soviet Union were so confident they would succeed, the army they sent over even included a military band for their planned victory parade in Helsinki. In fairness, they had a good reason to assume they’d win. In all, 21 Soviet divisions marched into Finland, totaling a mega 450,000 men, as well as 6,000 tanks and over 3,000 aircraft. All of that, compared to Finland’s 300,000 soldiers, 32 tanks, and barely over 100 aircraft.

However, while Stalin’s masses of men were familiar with the frosty conditions of Russian winters, they were unprepared for just how bitter the Finnish weather would be. Temperatures dropped to a spine-chilling -45°F, creating bitterly cold conditions that the Red Army troops just weren’t prepared for.

To make matters worse for them, Soviet uniforms weren’t warm enough to cope with the cold. And it was even worse for injured troops; due to the icy conditions and tricky terrain, medical services were unable to quickly tend to any injured men. Instead, many wounded soldiers lay injured in the snow more often than not freezing to death!

But soldiers weren’t the only part of the Soviet war machine that were suffering in the harsh Finnish conditions. Like the men carrying them, the Soviet weapons struggled in the snow, and weren’t designed to function in such punishingly cold conditions. Guns malfunctioned, engines stalled, and motor vehicles froze. To make things even worse for the Soviet soldiers, their lives were in the hands of inexperienced military leaders.

In the late 1930s, Stalin fueled by his paranoia of a potential rival had thousands of his military experts imprisoned and many were also executed. That event, known as the Great Purge, may’ve eased Stalin’s paranoia, but it’s impact was catastrophic for the Soviet Union, with the Red Army becoming highly disorganized, and lacking generals with military knowledge and experience.

Unlike their enormous enemy, Finnish forces were far more prepared for the Winter War. For a start, they knew the snowy terrain in eastern Finland like the back of their hands. Many soldiers glided through the Baltic battlefield on skis, allowing them to launch quick, agile attacks on the long winding columns of Red Army troops and supplies.

In contrast to the Soviets, Finnish troops were supplied with warm coats, preventing soldiers from succumbing to an icy end. Importantly, Finnish coats were also white, unlike the men in the Red Army, who were supplied with khaki-colored uniform, making them stick out like 450,000 sore thumbs on the white, wintery battlefield.

The White Death

But there was one more force pushing the Finnish troops forward in the Winter War, one that Stalin could’ve never seen coming, Simo Häyhä! The short sharpshooter was stationed in Karelia, a region that was then in southeastern Finland. Armed with his M28/30 rifle; the very same one that he’d been using back on the farm for many years, Häyhä set up in the snowy mountains near the Kollaa River.

There, he’d conceal himself in the snow, patiently waiting until he caught sight of an unsuspecting enemy. After several hours, his patience is rewarded, as a soviet soldier emerges out of the trees! Häyhä’s been in that position a thousand times before. Except usually he’s taking aim at a fox, or target, not an enemy fighter!

He steadies himself, positions his rifle and fires! The bullet whizzes 1,000 feet through the air, before piercing through the khaki uniform, sending an unlucky Soviet soldier to his end. Even on the battlefield Simo is a sure shot. Important as it was to take down as many Soviet fighters as possible, Häyhä took no pleasure in killing.

In fact, he even said: “I only did my duty, and what I was told to do as well as I could.” Turns out that Simo carried out his duty very well indeed. Virtually every day of the Winter War, Häyhä would rack up kills, consistently sniping down Soviet soldiers from his snow-covered foxholes hundreds of feet away.

By the time the Winter War ended, he’d racked up over 500 kills with his trusty M28/30. The exact number of confirmed kills is unknown, but most sources agree that the number is between 505 and 542. If that wasn’t mind-blowing enough, Häyhä achieved that count in just 98 days of fighting!

That means that that guy was recording well over 5 sniper kills every single day! In fact, even that doesn’t do justice to Häyhä’s towering tally. In winter, Finland only receives around 6 hours of daylight, meaning that on most days Häyhä would’ve had just a few hours to take aim against the Soviet forces. To break it down, Häyhä was fighting for 98 days, and on each day, he’d have about 6 hours where he could realistically snipe.

That means in total, he’d only have had about 590 hours on the battlefield in which he’d be able to fire his rifle in conditions with decent visibility. So, he was increasing his kill tally virtually every hour he was fighting. All of a sudden that 500 plus kill count got a whole lot more impressive! Although Häyhä was taking down Soviet soldiers practically every day, there was one occasion in particular when his sharpshooting skills would’ve surprised even himself.

On 21st December 1939, Christmas was just around the corner, but Häyhä wasn’t in much of a festive mood. On that day alone, he’d clocked up 25 confirmed kills! All in a mere 6 hours. That means that Simo was taking down a Soviet soldier, on average, every 14 minutes!

But it wasn’t just the high kill count that made Häyhä such a deadly sniper. He was also able to accurately snipe at the enemy from huge distances. Typically, his shooting range would be 1,000 feet, however his longest recorded kill was from 1,500 feet away. For reference, that’s longer than the length of four NFL football fields laid end to end!

You’re probably wondering how could Häyhä, the 5 foot 3 tall, bicycle-riding farm boy transform into such a deadly sniper. For starters, you’d think that he’d have some super scope attached to his rifle. One with massive magnification? Or maybe some sort of infrared heating to easily pick out the enemy?

But, actually, Simo didn’t use a scope at all! Instead, he relied solely on his weapon’s iron sight. But the reason for Häyhä’s scopeless sniper wasn’t to show off to his comrades. Strange a tactic as it sounds, going without a scope was for his own benefit. The scope of a sniper can glint when light reflects off the lens. So, in seeking to remain as discreet as possible, Häyhä ditched the scope in favor of the old fashioned, inconspicuous approach.

On top of that, a scope requires the shooter to lift their head a couple of inches higher than they’d do normally to look through the lens, increasing their chances of being spotted, or shot. Most importantly though, Häyhä had grown used to aiming down the iron sights of rifles while out hunting back on the farm. Judging by the success he’d enjoyed without scope; he was probably right in not changing his approach.

It wasn’t just the scope, or lack of, that Häyhä had grown used to. He was also using the exact rifle that he trained with back on the farm. Rather than switch to a newer, fancier weapon for the Winter War, Häyhä favored the M28/30 for its reliability and the consistency of its shot. It wasn’t a particularly flashy weapon, but it was one that he’d mastered.

On top of that, being a Finnish-made weapon, the M28/30 was constructed with an Arctic birch stock, preventing the weapon from warping in the frigid Finnish conditions. And, at a time where Soviet equipment was failing to cope with the cold, reliability was everything.

Simo’s prior hunting experience also meant that he’d mastered the skills of patience, the importance of breathing, and the ability to judge distances before the war had even begun. Granted, the stakes were much higher now, he certainly wasn’t hunting foxes anymore but Simo had all the training, talent and experience needed to become a superior sniper.

Aside from his clear talent for shooting, and his familiarity with the M28/30, a large part of what made Häyhä so deadly was the immense time and preparation he put into each shot. Even during the dead of night, in the freezing Finnish forests, Häyhä refused to rest. While his compatriots slept, Häyhä practiced his various firing positions, and looked for the perfect foxholes that had clear sight of the enemy’s route.

When morning came there wasn’t a chance that the Soviets would have clear sight of him, though. Dressed in his white winter coat, Simo would lie still in snowy foxholes for hours on end, remaining well hidden and perfectly camouflaged with his wintry surroundings. Häyhä even developed a few curious quirks to improve his sniping further.

He’d frequently pour water onto the snow in front of him. You may assume that it’s just Häyhä’s way of passing the time as he awaits his next victim, but then you’d be underestimating his genius. Due to the cold conditions, the water would quickly freeze over the snow. That meant that when he took a shot, the muzzle blast from his gun wouldn’t expose his location by disturbing the light snow in front of him.

But Simo wasn’t finished there with the snow tricks. He’d literally eat snow! But not for sustenance. Although undoubtedly hunger would’ve tested him, as he only ate sugar cubes and dry bread white foods that didn’t require cooking and wouldn’t give away his position during "hunting" time.

Actually, by consuming snow, he prevented the Soviets from spotting the condensation from his warm breath as he breathed out into the cold air. Testing as those practices may’ve been, the planning and dedication that went into locating the perfect position and remaining discreet, made Simo impossible for the Soviets to track down.

Unsurprisingly, with his ever-rising kill count and allusivity, it didn’t take long for Simo to rise to fame. Finnish newspapers heralded the sharpshooter as the White Death, and he became a heroic figure that could help Finland resist the Soviet Union! Soon the image of the White Death became imprinted on the minds of Finns everywhere.

He became a legendary guardian spirit who glided through the snow like a ghost, taking out Soviet soldiers at his will. The cult of the White Death was so prominent that even the Soviets began to refer to him by that name. No doubt they were left shaking, and not just because of the cold conditions!

Symo VS Other Snipers

But how does he stack up to some of history’s other notable snipers? When Simo was still a child, Canadian sniper, Francis Pegahmagabow was serving his country during World War One. In his youth, he too was a hunter, helping him develop a keen eye for shooting. That translated onto the battlefield.

In his three years of service, Pegahmagabow killed some 378 German troops, making him the deadliest sniper of World War One. Just over 20 years later, another great sniper emerged; Fyodor Okhlopkov was a Soviet sniper that served with the Red Army during World War Two. Prior to the war, he attended sharpshooting training, earning a Voroshilov shooter badge for his accuracy.

Not long after, Okhlopkov and his brother were both enlisted in the Red Army together. Unfortunately, combat claimed his brother’s life, and a grieving Fyodor vowed to avenge him. And, safe to say he did that! Between 1942 and 1944 he racked up an astonishing 429 sniper kills.

In more modern times, Chris Kyle, the subject of the film, American Sniper, is regarded as the 21st century’s supreme sniper. Kyle was a United States Navy SEAL sniper who served four tours in the Iraq War between 1999 and 2009. In his 10 years of service, the marksman racked up some 160 kills. All sounds pretty remarkable, right? But extraordinary as the feats of those sharp snipers are, they’re still eclipsed by old Simo.

Yes, with his 505 plus headcount, Häyhä racked up at least 127 more sniper kills than Pegahmagabow, 76 more than Okhlopkov and some 345 more than Kyle. Let's not forget that Häyhä achieved his extraordinary feat not in years, like those other snipers, but in just 98 days. And just in case you needed more convincing, remember Simo did all that without even using a scope! Safe to say that it isn’t much of a contest for the title of world’s deadliest sniper.

Stalin VS Symo

Scared as Stalin may’ve been of the White Death, he was never gonna let Häyhä get in the way of his plan for world domination, was he? Soon after Häyhä rose to fame, efforts were made to give him a taste of his own medicine. Soviet commanders sent counter-snipers to take him down, but they too were dispatched by the Finn.

So, the Soviets decided to ramp it up a level. Mortar barrages rained down in the area where the sniper was firing from. The Soviets literally bombarded the entire forest just to take down one man. But they weren’t gonna get him that easily. Being so elusive, most of the shells landed nowhere near him. Yet, as superhuman as he appeared, Simo couldn’t avoid the Soviets onslaught forever.

On March 6th, 1940, while defending Finnish ground in the forests of Ulismaa, Simo was struck in the face by a bullet. His jaw was crushed, and it blew off most of his cheek. All of a sudden everything turned white for the White Death, as he collapsed to the floor. Following the fight, Finnish troops discovered Simo’s lifeless corpse, and begrudgingly lay him on a pile with the rest of the dead.

Yet, just before the bodies were disposed of, a Finnish soldier spotted some strange movement coming from the pile. Simo’s leg was twitching! By some miracle, he was alive but barely. The damage was so bad that his fellow soldiers claimed that half his head was missing. After being rushed to hospital, Häyhä went into a coma for 7 days, during which time Finland lost the war. Coincidence? Probably not!

In fact, the war ended on the same day that Häyhä woke up. Who knows, maybe the Soviets heard he’d risen again, and wanted to finish the war there and then? The Moscow Peace Treaty that was signed to end the war, resulted in Finland ceding 11% of its territory to the Soviet Union. Still, considering the size and might of the force they were up against, many in Finland viewed the result of the Winter War as a victory.

On the flip side, the Soviets didn’t recognize their progress as much of a triumph. Nikita Khruschev, the Soviet leader in the 1950’s and 60’s, later claimed: “All of us sensed in our victory a defeat by the Finns.” Nowhere were the effects of the Winter War felt more heavily for the Soviets than in the number of casualties.

Over 125,000 Soviet soldiers died. So bad was the Soviet casualty total that one Russian general remarked that the land they’d conquered was just enough to bury their dead. And to think, Simo, the little boy from the farm, took down almost 0.5% of them on his own!

Facial Injury

Despite dancing with death, Häyhä was one of the fortunate survivors of the war. To honor his bravery and skill, he was awarded the Cross of Liberty and the Cross of Kollaa Battle. Even more impressively, Häyhä gained promotion from corporal to 2nd lieutenant, the biggest jump in military ranks seen in Finland’s history.

It took years for Häyhä to recuperate from his facial injury, with lengthy treatments and 26 surgeries. While he eventually made a full recovery, the left side of Häyhä’s face would remain disfigured for the rest of his life. But thanks to his scars, Simo was easily recognized whenever he went out in public. For the most part he was heralded as a war hero by those he met.

But not everyone was overjoyed to bump into the White Death. Staunch Communists within Finland disapproved of Häyhä for sniping so many Soviets on the battlefield. So much so that he even received death threats from them. Death threats from the very people you were trying to safeguard. With people seemingly after his head, Simo decided to spend much of his post-war life at his parent’s and sibling’s homes, rather than his own.

Fortunately, it wasn’t all bad news for Simo. With all the down time he now had, he returned to the thing in life that he was best at shooting. Except this time, he was sniping down moose, not Soviet soldiers, and now instead of camping in freezing foxholes, he was attending glamorous hunting parties. Well, if anyone deserved a retirement of luxury, it was Simo.

Death

In 2002, at the ripe old age of 96, Simo Häyhä peacefully passed away at his home in southeastern Finland. Funnily enough, even in his later years he was still able to get one over on his old enemy, outlasting the Soviet Union, which had collapsed 11 years before his death.

While Simo may no longer be with us, his legacy is still alive today, a museum in Sairastupa has an entire exhibition dedicated to Simo, his rifle is proudly on display, and elsewhere on the internet people have created video game characters in his image! No matter how much the odds are stacked against you, Simo Häyhä has shown with practice, patience, and maybe a bit of snow munching, even the most extraordinary of feats are possible.

If you were amazed at Symo's history you might want to read about the greatest warriors of all time. Thanks for reading!