Simo Häyhä (December 17, 1905April 1, 2002), nicknamed "Belaya
Smert" (Russian Cyrillic Белая Смерть; in English, White Death;
Finnish Valkoinen kuolema) by the Soviet army, was a Finnish
soldier, and is widely considered to be the most successful sniper
in history.
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He was born in the small town of Rautjärvi near the present-day
border with Russia, and started his military service in 1925.
During the Winter War (1939 1940) between Finland and the Soviet
Union, he began his duty as a sniper against the Red Army. Working
in temperatures between −20 to −40 degrees Celsius(-4 to -40
degrees Fahrenheit), and dressed completely in a white camouflage
suit, Häyhä was credited with 505 confirmed kills against Soviet
soldiers.
The unofficial Finnish frontline figure from the battlefield of
Kollaa places the number of Häyhä's sniper kills at 542. A daily
account of the kills at Kollaa was conducted for the Finnish
snipers. Häyhä used a Finnish variant, M28, of the Soviet
Mosin-Nagant rifle (known as "Pystykorva" rifle), because it suited
his small frame (5 ft/1.52 m). He preferred to use iron sights
rather than telescopic sights to present a smaller target (the
sniper must raise their head higher when using telescopic sights)
and aid concealment (sun reflecting off telescopic sight lenses can
reveal a sniper's position).
Besides his sniper kills, Simo Häyhä was also credited with as many
as two hundred kills with a Suomi M-31 SMG submachine gun, thus
bringing his credited kills to at least 705. However, the latter
claim has never been substantiated. All of Häyhä's kills were
accomplished within 100 days prior to injuries caused by an enemy
bullet. Häyhä's record of an average of 5 kills a day, almost one
kill per daylight hour of the short winter day, is unique.
Before his injury, the Russians tried several plans to get rid of
him, including counter snipers and artillery strikes. Their best
result was tearing the back of his coat away with shrapnel, but
leaving Häyhä himself unscratched.
On March 6, 1940, Häyhä was shot in the jaw during close combat.
The bullet tumbled upon impact and left his head. 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 dramatic fashion in
Finland's military history.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4
http://www.kevos4.com/Simo_Hayha.htm
http://www.snipercentral.com/snipers.htm#WWII[/img][/url]