Sedalia Dave Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Eighty years ago this winter, a freezing Finnish farm boy took aim at the unstoppable Red Army — and became the greatest sharpshooter the world has ever seen. Simo Häyhä, right, and Colonel Svensson, who awarded Häylä a rifle and a certificate for his contribution to the Winter War, 1940. It took several years for Häyhä to recuperate from his wound. The bullet had crushed his jaw and removed most of his left cheek. Nonetheless, he made a full recovery and became a successful moose hunter and dog breeder after World War II, and even hunted with Finnish President Urho Kekkonen. However he was also met with hate and even death threats. He spoke only sparsely about the war. He was asked in 1998 how he had become such a good sniper: "Practice." He was asked in 2002, just before his 96th birthday, if he regretted killing so many people. He replied, "I only did what I was told to do, as well as I could." Häyhä spent his last years in Ruokolahti, a small municipality located in southeastern Finland near the Russian border. Häyhä died in a war veterans' nursing home in Hamina in 2002 at age 96. He was buried in Ruokolahti. Häyhä shooting at the Simo Häyhä Sniper Competition in Sotinpuro, Finland, 1978. (Photo courtesy Tapio Saarelainen) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Hakkaa Päälle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Louis Suomi SASS #31905 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 9 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Hakkaa Päälle! hän on pohjoisen todellinen poika He is a true son of the North!! STL Suomi 9 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punxsutawneypete Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 What is really amazing about him is that all of his kills made with a rifle were done with an iron-sighted rifle. I grew up in an area of Northeast Ohio that had a lot of people of Finnish descent. I started studying Finnish history and developed an admiration for the Finnish people in standing up to the Soviets. As a result, I have started acquiring Russian firearms that have Finnish capture marks on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 12 hours ago, punxsutawneypete said: What is really amazing about him is that all of his kills made with a rifle were done with an iron-sighted rifle. I grew up in an area of Northeast Ohio that had a lot of people of Finnish descent. I started studying Finnish history and developed an admiration for the Finnish people in standing up to the Soviets. As a result, I have started acquiring Russian firearms that have Finnish capture marks on them. Simo Häyhä's skill & bravery are without question, however I read in a book that most of the shots he took were under 200 yards and at least some were taken at even shorter ranges with a Suomi M-31 submachine gun. I've read a number of books written by snipers who fought in WWII and the majority of shots were well under 800 yards and IIRC, most were between 300-500 yards. Given the equipment available at the time that is still very good shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punxsutawneypete Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 2 hours ago, Chantry said: Simo Häyhä skill & bravery are without question, however I read in a book that most of the shots he took were under 200 yards and at least some were taken at even shorter ranges with a Suomi M-31 submachine gun. I've read a number of books written by snipers who fought in WWII and the majority of shots were well under 800 yards and IIRC, most were between 300-500 yards. Given the equipment available at the time that is still very good shooting. I had heard something similar about a significant portion of his kills were made with the submachine gun. Thank you for confirming that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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