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With at least 505 confirmed kills during the Winter War of 1939–40 between Finland and the Soviet Union, Simo Häyhä (1905–2002) has been labelled the deadliest sniper in history. Here, Tapio Saarelainen shares the story of the Finnish sniper and how he achieved his nickname 'White Death'... During his 98-day reign of terror, Häyhä was unseen and unheard, yet was all the while targeting Russian soldiers with deadly accuracy, once even killing 25 men in one day. With snipers presenting such a high-value targets on the battlefield, Simo’s reputation as a marksman soon reached the Russian front lines; they referred...

It’s no secret that the Soviet army was badly prepared to fight Finnish forces in late 1939 and early 1940, during the brief, bloody and — for the Soviets — catastrophic Russo-Finnish Winter War. One particularly ill-conceived weapon underscores just how unready the Soviets were. The armored sled. In essence, a pair of overburdened skis supporting an entirely-too-heavy metal shield that Soviet commanders hoped would help protect hapless infantry in the absence of tank and artillery support. The sled failed. Worse, it actually got a lot of young Soviet troopers needlessly killed.

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Winter War: Finland's Simo Häyhä was probably the most prolific sniper in history.World War II saw the duel between Soviet sniper Vasili Zeitsev and his German counterpart Heinz Thorvald, which was the stuff that legends (and movies) are made of. Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock earned a reputation for disposing of Viet Cong and NVA officers. More recently, U.S. Army and Marine Corps snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven the effectiveness of the single, precisely placed rifle bullet. Zietsev was credited with 242 kills, while Hathcock's total of 93 is just as impressive when you consider that some were executed...

<p>In Russia, many unaware people dream of a new era of expansion.</p> <p>It won't happen.</p> <p>Stalin is gone. Capitalism is not.</p> <p>Russia is far more inferior by technological and overall societal standards than most Russians are willing to realize.</p> <p>The Soviet Union of the late 1930's and early 1940's were ridiculed in combat by "tiny" Finland.</p>

Most men can't take 70-80 hours of hard labor at a tough place of work like an elite assembly line of car manufacturing for weeks in a row. I passed the test, at the age of 37, at one of the largest industrial plants in Europe: Volvo Torslanda. I've also worked as a lumberjack here in Sweden, as a cook ("cooks calling themselves chefs usually are be morons" - Mario Batali) and I've also ran businesses of my own - admittedly with little of success. In both America and Europe, there seems to be a major lack of adrenaline and...

In 1940, the United States considered the possibility of settling Finnish refugees from the Winter War in Alaska, according to Lecturer Henry Oinas-Kukkonen of the University of Oulu. Finnish children being evacuated during the Winter War. Image: Museovirasto Speaking at a historical research conference in Jyväskylä on Friday, Oinas-Kukkonen said that the proposal was intended to be carried out if the Soviet Union had conquered Finland. In early 1940, he says, US officials were preparing to set up an "American Finland" in the northernmost state. The US Department of the Interior drew up several proposals to allow Finnish refugees to...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37y4O4SGPIQ&feature=related

The brave little nation of Finland declared itself independent from Russia in September 1917. This act was "approved" by the newly formed nation of Bolshevist Russia shortly after. Later on, Kreml changed its mind concerning this issue. Especially Stalin. Luckily enough, this initial acknowledgement by Russia/Soviet didn't result in any false sense of security among the Finns. They had no reason to. Finland was - at least formally speaking - under German hegemony until 1918 (when WWI ended) and was, furthermore, plagued by a civil war raging between patriots and Communists the very same year. This wasn't the first time...

... /snip Report: 1939 - Winter War: Soviet forces invade Finland and reach the "Mannerheim Line", starting the war. /snip ....

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...