Simo Häyhä (1905–2002), universally known as “The White Death” is widely considered the most lethal sniper in military history during the Winter War.
In less than 100 days of combat, he was credited with over 500 confirmed eliminations against the invading Red Army—all while fighting in brutal Arctic temperatures that plummeted past -40°C.
He famously refused to use a telescopic scope. Scopes forced a sniper to raise their head higher, could easily fog up or freeze in the sub-zero cold, and—most importantly—the lens could catch the sun and create a telltale glint that gave away a position.
He kept packed snow in his mouth so his breath wouldn’t create visible vapor clouds in the freezing air.
He poured water over the snow banks right in front of his rifle barrel so the blast from a shot wouldn’t kick up a loose puff of snow, which would otherwise instantly reveal his hideout to counter-snipers.
Just a week before the war ended, an explosive Soviet bullet struck him directly in the face. The impact shattered his lower jaw and blew away his left cheek. He fell into a coma and was initially presumed dead by comrades who stacked him among the casualties.
But he regained consciousness on March 13, 1940. That day the Moscow Peace Treaty was signed to end the war. Though permanently disfigured and required to undergo 26 surgeries, he lived a long, quiet civilian life as a moose hunter and dog breeder.
When asked late in life how he became such a master marksman, he simply replied: “Practice.”
He passed away peacefully in 2002 at the age of 96.