Saturday, March 20, 2010

White Death: The Sniper Who Killed 700 Soviets in 100 Days


From Environmental Graffiti:

Ensconced in the snow, his white camouflage suit rendering him invisible to the invading Soviet soldiers he stalked, Simo Häyhä steadied himself to fire. During the 1939–1940 Winter War, in temperatures as low as –40 °C, the Finnish sniper undertook a killing spree that saw him single-handedly take the lives of at least 700 men in less than 100 days. Over 500 of these he shot using a standard, bolt-action rifle with non-telescopic sights. Is it any wonder he earned the nickname The White Death among his enemies? Meet the man who would take Rambo to the cleaners.

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My Comment: Call me skeptical .... but 700 hits in 100 days .... in the middle of winter .... nah.

2 comments:

Mark said...

if it is true, omg haha he personally would be the major reason why aliens aren't attacking us, they are sh*t-scared of anyone like him :)

Marcase said...

Actually, 700 kills is a bit conventional.

Consider the snowy and cold environment, and the enemy, which was primarily unmotorized Russian infantry with little if any armor. Recce elements were on foot or ski, and those freezing Russian soldiers were dressed in hats and coats to keep out the cold, which also impeded their situational awareness.

So a sniper on skis, familiar with the environment, could take shots at the enemy infantry, ski two miles and set up a second ambush.

The Russians are still in awe of the Finns which was also reflected to their unique position during the Cold War.