The White Sniper: Simo Häyhä

Tapio A. M. Saarelainen

Oct 2016 · Casemate

About this ebook

The remarkable story of the Finnish marksman nicknamed “White Death” by the Red Army for his record number of confirmed kills.
 
Simo Häyhä is the most famous sniper in the world. During the Winter War fought between Russia and Finland from 1939 to 1940, he had 542 confirmed kills with iron sights, a record that still stands today.
 
A man of action who spoke very little, Simo Häyhä was hugely respected by his men and his superiors and given many difficult missions, including taking out specific targets. Able to move silently and swiftly through the landscape, melting into the snowbound surroundings in his white camouflage fatigues, his aim was deadly and his quarry rarely escaped. The Russians learned of his reputation as a marksman and tried several times to kill him by indirect fire. He was promoted from corporal to second lieutenant, and he was awarded the Cross of Kollaa. For sniping, Simo Häyhä only ever used his own M/28-30 rifle. Eventually, his luck ran out, and Simo received a serious head wound on March 6,1940, though he subsequently recovered.
 
The White Sniper fully explores Simo Häyhä’s life, his exploits in the Winter War, the secrets behind his success, including character and technique, and also includes a detailed look at his rifle itself. There are appendices on the basics of shooting, the impact of fire on the battlefield, battles on the Kollaa Front during the Winter War, and a list of ranked snipers of the world.
 
“No matter how many books on sniping you have read, this must be added to your list if you are serious about shooting.” —GunMart

Ratings and reviews

Very nice book i would've wanted to read more histories about Simo adventures during war time or Technics, but I understand he was not likely to talk about that so anyway nice book good reading if you like history and stuff like that, Simo #1.

very good read

About the author

Tapio Saarelainen is a career officer in the Finnish Army. He has spent two decades training snipers for the Finnish Army and contributed to the Finnish Army’s manual for snipers. In his youth he competed in rifle shooting. The author has spent much time investigating Simo Häyhä’s life and accomplishments and he interviewed Simo dozens of times during 1997 – 2002.