Posted on 02/11/2009 8:18:36 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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 in excess of 2,500 yards. But the greatest sniper of all time accounted for more than 500 enemy troops—in three months.
Simo Häyhä was born in 1905 near the Finnish village of Rautajärvi, close to the border with Russia. It was a poor area, the residents of which made a living by farming, raising livestock, lumbering, trapping and hunting. Young Simo adapted to the harsh winters and became a skilled hunter and trapper.
At the age of 17 he joined the Civil Guard, where he rose to the rank of corporal. Three years later he reported for his national service and spent a year on active duty with the Regular Army.
Finland had been a part of the Russian empire since 1809, but when the Russian Revolution erupted in 1917, Finland took advantage of the turmoil and declared its independence. They soon found themselves under attack by local communists, supported by the thousands of Russian troops still in Finland. To defend themselves, the Finns formed volunteer Civil Guard units. By spring 1918 the Finns, under Baron Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, had driven the Reds back across the border. While a Regular Army was established, the Civil Guard remained in existence.
The Civil Guard maintained its own command structure, ordnance department, weapons repair and manufacturing facilities, known by its initials "SAKO." Membership was seen as a social responsibility, and the Finns took it seriously. While serving in the Guard, Simo became known for his abilities as a marksman. Both the Civil Guard and Regular Army used former Russian 1891 Mosins as the Infantry Rifle Model 91. In the early 1920s the rifles were updated with heavy barrels, improved triggers and sights, and a new designation—the Model 91-24. The service round, naturally, was the 7.62x54R (known in Finland as the 7.62x53R).
In 1927 and 1928 the Finns modified the rifle again, giving it a shorter 27-inch barrel, new sling swivels, a front sight with protective ears, a modified rear sight and a knife-style bayonet. The Model 27 was given the nickname Pystykorva ("Spitz ears") by Finnish troops, as the front sight protectors reminded them of that dog's upright ears.
The Model 28 differed from the 27 in that it used a different rifling pitch, simpler muzzleband and improved trigger mechanism, and the sling mounting slots in the stock were retained. SAKO assembled all Model 28s, some with barrels supplied by S.I.G. in Switzerland and the Finnish firm of Tikkakoski.
Two years later, the Civil Guard's Capt. Harald Mansner designed the Model 28-30. The heavy, free-floating barrel was fitted with an aluminum sleeve under the muzzleband so that a hot, expanding barrel or warped stock would not affect accuracy, while the front sight was screw adjustable for windage.
In 1939 the USSR demanded that Finland cede the port city of Hanko, portions of the Karelian Isthmus and several islands in the Gulf of Finland to Soviet control and demilitarize the fortifications (the Mannerheim Line) that Finland had established near the Russian border. The Finns refused.
After faking a series of border incidents, the Red Army invaded Finland on November 30, 1939. Although vastly outnumbered, the Finns, with the aid of the severe winter weather, inflicted a series of humiliating defeats upon the Red Army and stopped its early advances.
Simo's Civil Guard unit was called to active duty as the 6th Company of the 34th Infantry Regiment, stationed on the Kollaa River front, which was hit by an unexpected Soviet advance on December 7. The defenders, who never numbered more than a few regiments, were told to hold the line at all costs.
In this winter maelstrom Simo would become a legend. Using the skills he had developed as a hunter and trapper, he prowled the front lines camouflaged in a white snow suit, spreading terror among the Soviets.
Simo had been issued a Swedish Model 96 Mauser equipped with a telescopic sight, although he soon replaced it with an M28-30. There were many reasons he liked the M28-30 over the scoped Mauser. One was that it was more suited to his size. (He said that the scoped rifle forced him to raise his head a bit more than he liked). Finally, iron sights were not prone to breaking or fogging.
Simo's faith in the M28-30 was rewarded as his tally grew. But with the close-range fighting common to forest warfare, he also found it advantageous to use another weapon.
The Konepistooli Model 31, better known as the Suomi submachine gun, was developed by Aimo Lathi and became the most famous weapon of the Winter War. It was built from machined steel and sported a wooden, pistol-grip stock; ventilated barrel jacket; muzzlebrake; and sights adjustable up to 500 meters. Chambered for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, it was a selective-fire weapon and was most commonly used with a 71-round drum.
Simo used a Suomi to ambush groups of Russians, spray them with bullets, then disappear into the frozen forests.
As Simo's score increased, he earned a nickname from the hapless Soviet conscripts—White Death. The Soviets took great pains to try and eliminate Simo. It was not uncommon for local commanders to call down an artillery bombardment in massive attempts to destroy him. Soviet snipers were brought in, but Simo continued to roam the forests along the Kollaa River, spreading fear and destroying morale.
On March 6, 1940, Simo fell afoul of a Soviet sniper who got off the first shot and hit him in the face. Simo retrieved his rifle and killed the Russian before making his way back to his own lines. As he was taken to a field hospital in a truck, he forced himself to sit upright and hold his head down so he wouldn't drown in his own blood.
A week after Simo was wounded, the Finns and Soviets signed a ceasefire. While the Finns were forced make large territorial concessions, they managed to avoid Soviet occupation. Finnish negotiators told the Soviets that if they attempted to occupy the nation, the Finnish people would fight to the last. Their experience with Finnish resistance so far led the Soviets to believe them.
In recognition of his bravery, Simo was promoted to sergeant. After the war, he received the Kollaa Cross, Liberty Medal 1st and 2nd Class and Liberty Cross 3rd and 4th Class. On August 28, 1940, he was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant by Field Marshal Mannerheim himself.
According to official Finnish army records, during his 100 days on the Kollaa Front, Simo is credited with killing 542 Soviets. In three and a half months of war, the outnumbered and undersupplied Finns inflicted more than 130,000 casualties upon the Red Army while suffering 19,500 themselves.
Simo Häyhä passed away on April 1, 2002, at the age of 97.
Ha! He might have sniped 500+, but he killed THOUSANDS!.
One AAR states that he and his small team killed 1,500 Soviets in one engagment.
Simo was sniping Soviets on a road from across a frozen lake. After killing 50 or so Soviets in a few hours, the Soviet officers mounted a regiment-sized attack to run across the lake and kill the snipers. The Soviets lined up and charged across a 1/2 mile area still taking increased sniper fire. What the Soviets didn't know is that the Finns actually anticipated this and had placed explosives all over the frozen lake. When the Soviets got to the middle of the lake, less than 100m from Simo's position, they blew the charges and well over a thousand Soviets either drowned or froze to death.
That was one (1) engagement.
Next: the Finns attacked the hot kitchens and TENS OF THOUSANDS of Soviets starved or froze to death.
Anyways, ole Simo is my favorite Commie killer next to Henry Bowman ;)
The best stories are real, thanks for posting.
Great post, thank you.
In fairness, Gunny Hathcock (aka White Feather) had in excess of 200 kills. He had 93 “recorded” kills, which had to be witnessed by a Marine officer in order to be counted in the book.
Also, that mile-plus shot of his was taken with a Browning .50 (M2 w/ attached scope). The victim just happened to be in the same spot he zeroed at - good coincidence.
In my opinion, Gunny Hathcock was the greatest. Zaitsev was also good, but a product of propaganda. In between there have been hundreds of snipers who were great, but not the greatest. Their deeds will go untold, but are worthy of respect just the same, no matter whose flag they shot under.
K-
Unintended Consequences (I hadn't thought of Henry in years)
I liked Tony Montana myself, "I kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I gonna carve him up real nice."
Interesting article.
Wow, that fourth one is definitely a pink mist moment.
Thats a great line.
A very very brutal war that almost no one knows about. The Finns were incredible and the poor Russian kids were allowed to be sheep to the slaughter. The Finns would blow up trees and box em in and just mow them down. Sad.
Hopefully the Europeans will do something about that Islamo cancer before it is too late.
An idea taken directly from the Battle of Austerlitz. Only that time the French did it to the Russians.
bump
Funny how that works, right?
a most excellent read BUMP!!
It's time to re-read the book.
It's almost time to feed the hogs.
Geez. The French and the Finns doing it to them, them doing it to the Germans (Alexandr Nevsky). What is it with Sovs and frozen lakes?
bump for later read
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