Simo Hyayuha in the Finnish War, the Red Army nicknamed the White Death. He was, according to the Finns, the most successful sniper in all wars in the world. According to some reports, in 100 days of the war he killed 500-750 people. This means that every day he took the lives of 5-8 Red Army men. Could this be? After all, he was followed by a real hunt, in which more than a dozen of the best counter-snipers of the Red Army participated, and they, admittedly, were the most productive in the world.
Myth or reality
Probably, the Finnish sniper Simo Häyühä was a good shooter, but Finnish propaganda clearly outdid both Soviet and fascist taken together. A sniper nicknamed the White Death was being hunted, this confirms his serious injury. The Finnish side simply could not know this. Most likely, Hyayuha himself knew about this. So, starting in the middle of the war, he didn’t shoot so much as he hid.
No one argues that in the early days of the war, snipers from the Finnish side were really rampant. But this is for the time being. Soviet snipers also worked along the entire front line. If at the beginning, as always, they were a little blundered, then by the middle of the campaign there was no such revelry. We must also take into account the length of the front line. It was insignificant, just a little less than 400 kilometers. Someone argues that the Finns are excellent forest hunters, but Russia is not deprived of them. There were taiga people who, without any optics, beat a squirrel in the eye.
And one more important fact. It was a winter war, when any trace was printed in full view. In severe frosts there are no snowfalls that hide traces. And the cold was almost the whole of December 1939. And yet, shooting in the Union has always been given due attention, there were special courses for snipers. Only in the NKVD in the state there were more than 25 thousand of these specialists.
Confirm this "record", of course, no one but the sniper himself could and cannot. In addition to Simo Hyayuha, other shooters also worked from the Finnish side. Professionals also worked on the Soviet side. Interestingly, the 100 best Soviet snipers during the years of World War II destroyed 25,500 enemy soldiers and officers, which averages 255 people per gunner. There were those who had an account of more than 500 killed, but this, it is worth emphasizing, for four and a half years.
Childhood and youth
The son of a peasant, Simo was born on December 17, 1905 in Rautjärvi, located in Finland (Russian Empire). The family had eight children, he was the seventh. Together with his older brothers went fishing and hunting. These activities were the main business of the family. He graduated from public school in Mietilya. When he was 17 years old, he entered the security building "Shyutskor", where he was engaged in shooting. He even participated in shooting competitions in Viipuri, at which he became the first.
Military career
The future sniper Simo Häyühä at the age of twenty served in the second bicycle battalion, stationed in Valkjarvi. He graduated from the non-commissioned school and received the rank of non-commissioned officer of the 1st battalion of cyclists in the town of Terijoki. Noting his good shooting performance, he was sent to Kouvola, where he trained in sniper courses in Utti in 1934.
The war between Finland and the USSR
After training, he served in the 34th Infantry Regiment. During the war, from December 7, 1939, the regiment took part in the battles of the Ladoga Karelia near Mount Koll. During the war there were severe frosts, the air temperature reached -40 degrees Celsius.
The soldiers of the Red Army at the beginning of the war did not have winter equipment (white coats) and represented excellent booty for Finnish snipers. This gap was quickly filled. In addition, myths were launched about the elusive Finnish "cuckoos" who allegedly shot from the trees. At first it played a significant role.
Special tactics of Finnish snipers
The equipped platforms on the trees, the cuckoos, which at first were mistaken for sniper positions, were some kind of observation posts. Snipers advanced to ski positions. Rookery was equipped in advance and carefully masked. Warm woolen clothes protected in the most severe frost and evened out the pulse. The small growth of Simo Hyayuha made it possible to feel good in tight snow holes.
Simo's Little Tricks
Hyayuha used the Sako M / 28-30 Spitz as a weapon - the Finnish analogue of the Mosin rifle. He did not use an optical sight, since it left glare that could give it away. In addition, the glass "cried", and frost covered them with frost. When using optics, the sniper’s head rose higher, which also made him vulnerable. He also used a Suomi KR / 31 submachine gun.
Another nuance: he had his position at a short distance, about 450 meters from the enemy’s position, taking into account the fact that they wouldn’t look for him so close. By mid-February, the unit commander wrote down 217 Red Army soldiers killed by sniper rifle on his account. And according to one version, he killed 200 people from a machine gun. Why were you afraid Simo Hyayuha? Because they were afraid not only of him, but of any other human hunter. Everyone wants to live.
Wound
The soldiers called him the White Death. The hunt for him, as well as for others, began, to which the best snipers of the Soviet Union were attracted. At the very beginning of March 1940, he was seriously wounded. An explosive bullet hit him in the lower part of the face, turned the cheekbone and crushed the bones. Having lost consciousness, the sniper came to his senses only after a week. The treatment was difficult and long. He survived many operations and survived. Due to injury, he did not participate in the war of 1941-1944. But he received the rank of second lieutenant. In the post-war photos of Simo Hyayuha you can see that his face is very different from the images in the pre-war images.
Hyayuha image - a weapon of propaganda
At the very beginning of the military campaign, the Finnish press created the image of a hero who kills a myriad of enemies. The most interesting thing is that at critical moments at the front, when it was necessary to raise the spirit of the soldiers, the Finnish command announced that a great sniper arrived in their unit, who killed 25 Red Army men in one day. Often, he really appeared in this place. This was done to raise the spirit of simple and war-weary soldiers. "Achievements" Simo skillfully used as a weapon of propaganda. Most likely, he was in fact a good sniper, but not the same as they are trying to imagine us today.