Simo Häyhä
Finnish military sniper (1905–2002)
Simo Häyhä (December 17, 1905 – April 1, 2002) was a Finnish soldier. He has the highest recorded number of confirmed sniper kills in any major war.[2] The Russian soldiers began to call him as "White Death". He had over 500 confirmed kills during Winter war, which lasted only 105 days.
| Simo Häyhä | |
|---|---|
 Häyhä after being awarded the honorary rifle model 28. | |
| Nickname | White Death |
| Born | December 17, 1905 Rautjärvi, Finland, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 1, 2002 (aged 96) Hamina, Finland |
| Allegiance |  Finland |
| Years of service | 1925–1940 |
| Rank | Alikersantti (Corporal) during the Winter War, promoted to Vänrikki (Second Lieutenant) shortly afterward[1] |
| Unit | Infantry Regiment 34 |
| Battles/wars | Winter War |
| Awards | Cross of Liberty, 3rd class and 4th class; Medal of Liberty, 1st class and 2nd class; Cross of Kollaa Battle[1] |
Simo Häyhä spent his last years in Ruokolahti, a small village in southeastern Finland, near the Russian border. He died at the age of 96 in 2002.
Actor Steven Wiig portrayed Häyhä in the 2012 HBO docudrama Hemingway & Gellhorn. Sabaton also wrote a song about Häyhä.
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lappalainen, Jukka-Pekka (6 December 2001). "Kollaa kesti, niin myös Simo Häyhä" [The Kollaa held out, so did Simo Häyhä] (fee required). Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Helsinki. Retrieved 19 February 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Rayment, Sean (30 April 2006). "The long view". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
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