Simo hayha was a finnish marksman of the highest order, and his weapon of choice was the finnish m2830 rifle, which he used in the winter war 1939. Simo simuna hayha was a finnish sniper who earned the ominous nickname, the white death. The finnish army was one of the smallest in europe. Doug answers a letter and shows the results of a day at the range. The sniper rifles then were all regular service rifles with a scope. Apr 14, 2010 during the 19391940 winter war, in temperatures as low as 40 c, the finnish sniper undertook a killing spree that saw him singlehandedly take the lives of at least 700 men in less than 100 days. While the soviets had 76mm regimental guns infantry guns and commonly used their antitankguns as directfire support in the frontline, finnish infantry did not usually have. Why was sovietfinnish war surprisingly hard for russians.
Direct action speed reload pouch rifle multicam porfsrcd5mcm. One lone finnish sniper, simo hayha, was responsible for 505 of them. This is the first topic regarding the russofinnish war in this forum from me, so no chance. Finnish divisions, strength and equipment, tanks, air force and navy. There are a total of 10 ww2 finnish tanks 19391945 entries in the military factory. This amazing feat occurred in 2002, when he was involved in operation anaconda. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily primary operator.
A lone finnish sniper repels enough invading russians in ww2 to earn the nickname white death. A finnish sniper is being visited by his superior officer in his outpost in the mountains. The deadliest sniper in history, simo hayha the white death. Instead of scheming in a snowbank behind his sniper rifle, camouflaged in white. It is true that finnish army did not really have a sniper training program at that time, but finnish civil guard most certainly did although it was also pretty smallscale. How finnish farmer became deadliest sniper in history daily mail.
The finnish army has produced such rifles since the nation was founded. Simo hayha may have used the suomi for more kills than his rifle. Our upload feature allows website visitors to add related ww2 images and other historic documents for educational purposes. The m9 military rifles rebuild by the finns with tikkakoski made barrels were never used as sniper rifles. I dont want you to think im biased because the ammo is finnish too, its simply the most accurate for these weapons. He started his military career at the age of 20 years. Simply because im blocked after a purchase for six months according to our stupid german firearms laws. Not only is he the most deadly sniper of world war ii, but he is also believed to be the most deadly sniper of all time. Strike industries scorpion evo3 stock adapter back plate black.
While its true the soviets did have huge amounts of equipment. To me it seemed like these men were just normal infantry soldiers. This photo shows a sniper team with a scoped moisin nagant rifle and a suomi m31 submachinegun. Scandinavian sniper finnish and swedish marksmen corporal. While official sniper rifle models used by finnish army during world war are listed above, there were also some sniper rifles which did not fit to any of these categories and can only be best called as mixed sniper rifles. Simo hayha, white death, sniped over 542 soviet soldiers in wwii. He helped defend finland from the soviets during world war ii. Aug 24, 2008 this is a video of finnish sniper, not the best of the world but certainly the fearlest and indomitable will soldiers. The deadliest marksmans cold, brave stand narratively. Staring sadly at the wasted life that lay in the snow a few yards off, berwald couldnt help but rant quietly in his head. An excellent weapon accurate at ranges beyond normal submachinegun use.
He used a finnishproduced m2830 rifle, a variant of the mosin nagant rifle. The finnish navy in ww2 merivoimat naval encyclopedia. Today i found out simo hayha, arguably the greatest sniper to ever live. There were no destroyers and the only three torpedo boats in service dated back from 1899. Our upload feature allows website visitors to add related ww2. The rifle is a minor thing, a good sniper will be good with any decent rifle and all the wwii rifles were decent. Over 500 of these he shot using a standard, boltaction rifle with nontelescopic sights. Hayha used his issued civil guard rifle, an early series sako m 2830, serial. It is september 1944, a few days before the second world war ends for finland. In april of 1938, representatives from the ussr approached the finnish government and expressed a concern that nazi germany could attempt to invade russia, and such an attack might come through parts of finland. Simo hayha, also known as the white death is widely regarded as the most skilled and successful sniper there ever was, with over 500 kills to his name. The serial number given by many sources for the rifle that simo.
One major reason it was hard for the soviets to invade finland was because of the lack of gear, and also really, really bad communication and maybe even a little support from the west. The former farmer from rautjarvi, finland, racked up 505 confirmed sniper. Dec 23, 20 how a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a massive soviet army. One russian sniper killed several finnish soldiers and three officers, and was on the hunt for a particularly troublesome finn with a mosinnagant m91. This is funny but a finnish actor, totally unknown in finland, is very popular in russia after being in several russian movies. This book is the story of the finish wwii sniper simo hayha who had over 500 confirmed kills during the 19391940 winter war against the russians. We wont go into any more detail than that, but you can read up on finnish wwii history here. Over the course of 100 days, hayha killed 542 people with his rifle. Free download need for speed hot pursuit 2010 full version.
Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions. The finnish sniper who killed 700 red army soldiers in 100 days, and my reply is based on the very same war. Although finlands success in stopping the red army in winter war has gained nearly mythological proportions and international fame, only little is usually said about finnish armored forces in world war 2. Whether on the soccer pitch or the field of battle, humans have a natural tendency to root for the underdog. A contemporary finnish sniper in winter gear, possibly simo hayha. He has been credited with a mindboggling 505 reported kills, which is actually the highest number of confirmed sniper kills in the history for any major war.
From the battle of thermopylae to the siege of the alamo, from the gunfight at camaron to the clash at rorkes drift, there is something about. The finnish ski troops approached the lines from the front and back and knocked out the lead. Oct 29, 2010 just a slide show about finnish sniper guild and their training sessions. Simo hayha simo hayha, also known as the white death is widely regarded as the most skilled and successful sniper there ever was, with over 500 kills to his name. He used a finnishproduced m2830 rifle, a variant of the mosinnagant rifle. Sep 25, 2019 armed forces of finland in the winter war 193940. For obvious reasons finnishused m9 sniper rifles may be samarked, may have 41 marking and absolutely must have been manufactured year 1944 or earlier expect finnishcaptured m9 rifle equipped with pu rifle scope to be. Finnish long johns, with white guard style crotch repair patch, surplus 91. Sep 27, 2016 scandinavian sniper finnish and swedish marksmen on september 27, 2016 october 1, 2016 by corporal frisk in army by an interesting coincidence, both the finnish defence forces official podcast radio kipina as well as sweidsh authorhistorian lars gyllenhaals militart med gyllenhaal podcast dealt with todays snipers in their. If there is one mosin nagant that has captured the attention and respect of the american collector it is the finnish model 1939 service rifle commonly referred to as the m39.
The highly mobile nature of the armored units comprising the successful and quite short only six weeks blitzkrieg campaign in western europe reinforced the view that the sniper rifle was obsolete. Also, remember this is not a hero sniper but an abstract unit that reflects a finnish sniper. The stock is of plastic treated to be nonreflective. Those were the kills reported by the sniper and i wouldnt be surprised if they were inflated by his superiors for propaganda purposes. Lahti l39 elephant gun antitank rifle atr military factory. They are built around standard actions for a boltaction rifle, with the addition of a sight mount that can use both western or eastern bloc scopes and nightvision equipment. During world war 2 infantry division was the most typical large formation type for practically all countries finland included. These two sniper weapons are meant for clandestine work. The following line drawings and text are used with the permission of doug bowser author of the new finnish mosin nagant collectors handbook, rifles of the white death. Rarely did the temperature exceed zero degrees fahrenheit, but the genitalconstricting cold was inadequate to stop hayha. Browse through a 160,000 photo archive of finland during wwii. The lahti l39 was a large finnish antitank rifle used in the world war.
The finnish m39 stayed in inventory with the finnish defense forces well into the 1990s. This page contains information about finnish world war 2 era infantry divisions, infantry regiments and their subunits. Finnish sniper in wwii the firearms forum the buying. The lahti l39 is a finnish 20 mm antitank rifle used during the second world war. Wwii video shows finnish ski troops traveling through the snow. How a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a massive. Simo hayha the deadliest sniper in military history. Russians was so afraid of that guy that they placed multiple countersnipers who he shot, tried to carpet bomb him his mantel was torn and even offered for finnish soldiers 5 million finnish markka and free pass to russia if someone kills him anybody didnt even try. A former corporal of the canadian forces, he holds the record for the longest confirmed sniper kill in history at 1. The chief characteristics of russian combat methods during world war ii were. The infamous wwii finnish sniper, who took down over 500 kills in a short 100 day war between the soviet union and finland. Dec 08, 2019 finnish armed forces 19411944 by kretaner december 8, 2019 december 9, 2019 air forces, armed forces, armies, axis, navies, ww2 strength and organization of the army, air force and navy of finland in the continuation war against the soviet union. He was nicknamed white death by his russian prey and held the record for the most recorded confirmed kills in any major conflict for a sniper. He didnt care who did it or how, but if this sniper was going to go down he was going to make it soon.
He is believed to have killed over 500 men during the 193940 winter war, the highest number of sniper kills in any major war. Finnish armed forces in the winter war 193940 ww2 weapons. Just a slide show about finnish sniper guild and their training sessions. I have not made any assumptions regarding the number of killssacrifices, as i have very clearly mentioned the source of my reference reference. Finnish air operations hit their stride during the continuation war, so called because it continued the conflict begun by the soviets in 1939. Finnish snipers like hayha, sometimes with a spotter in tow, would take a. Hayha used his issued civil guard rifle, an early series sako m2830, serial. He had 542 confirmed kills, with an unconfirmed total number of 705.
Jul 20, 2016 as a result, red army commanders began to refuse to move large numbers of troops across frozen bodies of water, instead channeling their troops into nearby forests where finnish snipers and machine gunners would patiently lie in wait. While the swedish sniper fires approximately 1,000 rounds during a service year, a finnish conscript fires approximately 300 7. Finnish forces finn sniper team with weapons ww2 in color. Berwald was glad that most of the finnish snipers had been taken out, they were like tinos pride and joy. In the the sakuva archives there are photos of men in their trenches during the trench war part of the continuation war, picking off enemies with a trophy rifle. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. At first glance, the finnish navy relied heavily on mines to protect her assets. Aug 05, 2014 finland is one of the more obscure nations, when it comes to armored warfare in ww2. He took out another 150 or so with his smg, sending his credited killcount up to 705. One of finnish commanders most effective strategies, however, was the weaponization of their enemys hunger. In most instances the german soldier was hit by a snipers bullet before he ever. Small unit actions during the german campaign in russia. Finnish system for distributing fire support units to infantry was relatively flexible, but the fire support assets were rather light when compared to soviet ones. Skis and reindeers make the finnish soldiers movable.
The stoic blonde could remember the days he would let tino brag about them nonstop all day throughout the war with russia. Finnish forces sniper and his officer ww2 in color. Our sacred texts, medieval ballads, and regimental histories are filled with gutwrenching tales of desperate men facing overwhelming odds. The biggest difference between an ssr and a standard. As a regular customer you can browse your order history, follow the status of your orders. What did you guys think of the finnish sniper that was shown in my thread a few weeks ago. As i stated in an earlier post my friend has one and has used it for years and has thousands of rounds through it. The soviet union was the only country that had expressly trained sniper units in the decade leading up to the world war two, and their superiority with the obvious exception of the topranked sniper on this list is clearly displayed by the numbers beside the names of its. Only in this past year of 2000 have the final 20,000 rifles of the remaining 78,000 rifles from reserve inventory been releasedsold to the public and collectors. It is true that finnish army did not really have a sniper training program. He used only iron sights cause scopes may reflex sunlight and you have to keep you head bit up to aim. To me it seems that in the finnish army during the wars, sharpshooting wasnt that well organized, as mentioned before.
And what relevance does it have with the topic of this thread. Needless to say, the finnish sniper being sent into the reserve is not up to par with a professional soldier such as the swedish ones, something that saarelainen readily admits. He used a finnishproduced m2830 rifle, a variant of the mosinnagant rifle, and a suomi kp31 sub machine gun. He called to everyone who had witnessed the same thing he had. So i have to let this finnish m2830 sniper go, but at least want to show you some.
This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the axis nations and related topics hosted by the axis history factbook in cooperation with christian ankerstjernes panzerworld and christoph awenders ww2 day by day. Simo hayha was a finnish sniper in world war ii with some terrifying stats. The assault was almost three times larger than the allied landing at. Almost every important thing about the finnish armored forces in ww2 was mentioned. Nagant in the winter war and recorded a confirmed 505 killings. His sniper team consisted of 2 corporals and 3 master corporals. Though i did toy with the idea of making a finnish hero that was a sniper. Why were soviets so extremely effective snipers in ww2. Not only have these fine rifles gained respect in their own right but they have often created new converts to the mosin nagant collecting community. How a finnish farmer became the worlds deadliest sniper. He preferred his rifle, which only had an iron site rather than a scope, over swedish sniper rifles as it allowed him to keep a slightly lower profile. The russian silvertips to my knowledge and our special forces sniper schools were never intended to be accurate ammo for svd and neither is it a match grade ammo for any 7,62 x 54r. The barrel extruded out at length and sported noticeable cooling vents akin to a pepper shaker. Ww2incolor is made up of a large ww2 photograph collection of over 45 thousand images which have been viewed over 110 million times over the last few years.
The finnish sniper, wille, resolved to do whatever is necessary, is planning his escape to freedom. The heroic stand of finland against the soviet union in 1939 was a lesson for the ages. It seems that always happens the same to me as soon as i find a nice rifle and buy it in this case a short version brazilian m1935 mauser an even more interesting one pops up. Sa man gives the numbers of some of the rarest of all military rifles. The only missing thing worth mentioning was the uparmoring of t28 tanks in 1942. Finnish air force in russo finnish wars seeds of tradition were sown in the ilmailuvoimat the finnish air force during the winter war 30 november 193912 march 1940 against the soviet union.
Doesnt stop anybody from circlejerking anytime the simo hayha name shows up on reddit, or the small fact that the finns lost the winter war. Proudly presents a series of article from sa man doug bowser. He was one of the most famous snipers of world war ii. How a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a. This is a video of finnish sniper, not the best of the world but certainly the fearlest and indomitable will soldiers. German sniper rifles of world war ii germany invaded poland on 1 september 1939, introducing a new concept of war. Messerschmitt bf 109 g2 fighter at helsinki malmi airport in june 1943. The mosinnagant boltaction rifles were modified in 1984 by valmet. Ivan, a captain in the soviet army who was arrested and imprisoned by the smersh secret military police, decides to join the finnish kamikaze. Antti rantama, who was the captain of his unit, credited him with 259 confirmed kills by sniper rifle and an equal number of kills with a sub. Til that finnish sniper simo hayha nicknamed white death for his 200 confirmed enemy kills was known to keep snow in his mouth while sniping to prevent his steamy breaths from giving away his position in the cold air. It had excellent accuracy, penetration and range, but its size made transportation difficult. The finnish air force faf or fiaf is one of the branches of the finnish defence forces. Instructor at the light services combat school supervises practice with the suomi submachine gun.