Simo Häyhä
| 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 (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 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 | change source]- ↑ 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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