“White Death” – Deadliest Sniper

Simo Hayha

There have been many great snipers throughout history but there is one who not many know about. His name is Simo Haysha and he was a Finnish marksman who fought against the Red Army during the Winter War. He was born in 1905 in the small village of Rautjärvi close to the present-day border of Finland and Russia. Simo was not a tall or built man standing just 5′ 3”. Prior to the war he was a farmer and a hunter who enjoyed target practice during his spare time. With this passion he was eventually able to hit a target 16 times per minute 500 feet away. He also enjoyed shooting sports and his home was reportedly full of trophies. At the age of 19 he served a mandatory one-year service in the Finnish Army. After the Army he became a member of the Civil Guard much like the National Guard. It was in 1939 at the age of 33 that Simo was called into service when Russia invaded Finland.

Winter War

Three months after the beginning of WWII the Soviet Union sought to claim parts of Finnish territory. The reason behind the claim was due to security concerns related to the protection of Leningrad. Leningrad was located only 20 miles from the Finnish border. In November of 1939, 400,000 Soviet troops were deployed to Finland whose army was three times smaller. Simo served as a sniper in the 6th Company of JR 34 during the Battle of Kollaa. He used an M28/30 rifle which is shorter and best suited him due to his small frame. He also used a Suomi K31 sub-machine gun. During the Winter War the weather was exceptionally cold with thick snow and temperatures ranging from −40 °F to −4 °F.

“White Death”

Simo was soon nicknamed by the enemy “White Death” due to his all white camouflage and extraordinary marksmanship. He preferred using iron sights over telescopic in order to present a smaller target to the enemy. A sniper must raise his head higher when aiming with a telescopic sight. Due to the extreme cold the telescopic sight can fog easily and sunlight glare can reveal your position. Other tactics he used were mounting snow to conceal himself and using it as padding for his rifle. He also kept snow in his mouth to prevent steam being released from his breaths. With these tactics he is reported to having killed 505 men in less than 100 days which is the highest number of confirmed sniper kills in any war. Another 200 kills were reported using his sub-machine gun but were never confirmed.

Frustrated the Red Army constantly deployed artillery strikes and counter-snipers against Simo. It was on March 6, 1940 just days before the end of the war that he was hit by an explosive bullet in his lower left jaw. The bullet blew off his lower left cheek. Simo endured the wound gaining consciousness on March 13th the day peace was declared by the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. Even though the Red Army gained many miles of Finnish territory the Soviets lost the Winter War.

Legacy

After the Winter War, Simo was given multiple awards being promoted from corporal to second lieutenant. He made a full recovery of his face wound and became a moose hunter and dog breeder. He died of old age at the age of 96. It was the encounters with Simo Hayha that made the Russians revisit their sniping training, equipment and program. Later in WWII “Red snipers” were able to turn back the German invasion on the Soviet Eastern in Stalingrad, Leningrad, and Kursk. It was also later reported by the Soviet Propaganda Machine that three Russian snipers, Mihail Surkov, Vladimir Salbiev, and Vasiliy Kvachantiradze had more kills than Simo Hayha but many think the numbers to be inflated. In 1998, when Simo was asked how he became such an amazing sharp shooter he simply said “Practice”. When asked if he regretted killing so many people he answered “I only did my duty, and what I was told to do, as well as I could”. Simo Hayha is considered by many to be deadliest sniper of all time.