SIMO HÄYHÄ: The Man from Rautajärvi aka The White Death (Best Snipers Series Book 3)

This short story about one of the most unusual snipers in the history of sniping describes Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä and his activities during the 100-day Winter War (1939-1940) when the Russian Red Army invaded Finland. World War II had started and Russia wanted a buffer country against a German invasion. Tiny Finland said she was neutral. So Russian troops outnumbering the defending Finnish soldiers 100-to-1 moved in to force Finland to her knees.

What followed was a dreadful loss of lives for the Russians. One sniper they named “White Death” took out so many Russians that heavy artillery was used to destroy his supposed hides and groups of Russian snipers tried to kill him. But 30-year-old Simo Häyhä survived them all during that 100-day war racking up a score of over 500 confirmed kills (averaging five a day! His max was 25 in one day!) with another 200 unconfirmed. How he did it the author describes here. Häyhä never talked about his methods but any sniper who kept snow in his mouth so the enemy could not spot his exhaled breath, and one who never used anything but the open iron sights of his Mosin Nagant M28 to make repeated kills up to and over 500 yards away knew a thing or two about sniping. He was a quiet, unassuming man who came from a farming family. As a huntsman he was an expert sharp-shooter who knew the tricks of the trade that enabled him to survive this deadly game. Today, Simo Häyhä, who died of natural causes at 96, is one of Finland’s most deserving and honored war heroes. After reading this account you will understand why. Simo’s sniping record has never been equaled.