Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
He is widely regarded as the deadliest sniper in history.
Every year, Russia celebrates “Victory Day” to commemorate the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany.
But Russia seems to forget that it was itself an aggressor during the Second World War.
Or rather – the Soviet Union was.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, global attention has focused on the ongoing fighting.
But Russia/Soviet Union has taken part in several wars, including one against a country that is now a NATO member.
And that war took place at the beginning of the Second World War.
The Winter War
On 30 November 1939, the Soviet Union launched an invasion of its northern neighbour Finland, marking the start of what later came to be known as the Winter War.
The war lasted only 3 months, 1 week, and 6 days, and ended with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty.
The treaty meant that several Finnish territories were ceded to the Soviet Union.
But given the losses, it can hardly be called a Soviet victory.
A complete Russian fiasco
When the war ended, Finland had lost 25,904 soldiers.
Soviet losses are estimated between 126,875 and 167,976.
Including the wounded on both sides, Finnish casualties totalled around 70,000.
The Soviet Union lost between 321,000 and 381,000.
And a Finnish soldier named Simo Häyhä played a decisive role in those numbers.
A skilled marksman
Simo Häyhä was born in 1905 and joined the Finnish volunteer militia at the age of 17.
He distinguished himself in shooting competitions, but when he joined the Finnish Army at 19, he received no formal sniper training.
He did not receive that training until 1938 – the year before the war.
Dressed in all-white camouflage, Häyhä became known to the Soviets as “The White Death,” due to his ability to remain completely invisible while eliminating large numbers of enemy soldiers.
There are even reports of the Soviets using artillery to try and kill Häyhä – unsuccesfully.
Fighting in bitter cold
During the Winter War, Häyhä served as a sniper in the Battle of Kollaa – often in temperatures between −40 and −20 °C.
To withstand the extreme cold, Häyhä wore several layers of clothing. He also kept sugar and bread in his pockets, which he ate to give his body extra energy.
Another clever tactic he used was to fill his mouth with snow to prevent his breath from being visible in the icy air.
500 confirmed kills – at least
In less than 100 days, Häyhä managed to kill a total of 500 enemy soldiers – a figure that has been verified.
It is possible that the real number was significantly higher.
According to documents from the Finnish Army, his most impressive feats include 138 killed enemy soldiers during the first 22 days of the Winter War.
What makes his skill even more remarkable is that Häyhä did not use a scope, as he wanted to remain as small a target as possible for his enemies.
Instead, he used the iron sights on his Civil Guard SAKO M/28-30 rifle.
Personal memoirs
Häyhä was wounded a week before the war ended. A few months later, he wrote his memoirs, in which he described his experiences during the Winter War.
The memoirs were discovered in 2017, fifteen years after Häyhä’s death in 2002.
Simo Häyhä has been mentioned several times in popular culture – most notably in a song by the Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton, titled “The White Death.”
The chorus of the song reads:
You’re in the sniper’s sight
His first kill tonight
Time to die
You’re in the bullet’s way
The White Death’s prey
Say goodbye!
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
