The White Death, the deadliest sniper who ever lived, 1939-1940.

The White Death, the deadliest sniper who ever lived, 1939-1940.

Simo Häyhä was a Finnish farmer who took part in hunting and target practice from a young age. In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland.

 It began the Winter War or the Russo-Finnish War, and a young Simo Häyhä answered the patriotic call by joining the Finnish army to defend his homeland. 

Häyhä's home was also close to the border with Russia, which further fuelled his drive to defend his country.

Häyhä demonstrated incredible marksman abilities. He could fire 16 rounds per minute while hitting his target. 

This was exceptional as his rifle was the bolt action SAKO M/28-30, a Finnish version of the Russian Mosin Nagant. 

This rifle only took five bullets using stripper clips. He also used the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun.

 Häyhä also showed extraordinary abilities in skiing, which allowed him to travel quickly to new locations with very little noise.

Häyhä had several advantages. He knew his environment and wore white camouflage, making him very difficult to spot in the snow. 

He would pack snow around his position and would often put snow into his mouth to make the vapour from his breath not visible. 

The Soviet soldiers did not wear white camouflage and wore khaki uniforms. 

Stalin had just purged many Red Army officers during the Great Purge, an event where Stalin killed many officers who served Vladimir Lenin. 

This was to ensure that they were loyal to Stalin. 

However, it meant that the Red Army was highly unorganized at the time due to inexperienced leaders.

During his time in the war (which only lasted 5-6 months), Häyhä killed 505 Soviet troops with his rifle. 

He also killed 200 with his Suomi submachine gun. He did this in less than 100 days. Häyhä achieved the highest amount of sniper kills ever. 

The most incredible part is that he did this with iron sights and not with a scope, as the reflections from the sun on the scope could have exposed his position. 

The Russians feared him so much that they gave him the name "The White Death". 

He was shot in the face with an explosive bullet but survived. He died in 2002 at the age of 96.His kill count is a topic of debate.

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