History UsefulNotes / SimoHayha

!!Tropes applied to Simo Häyhä:

* {{Conscription}}: Häyhä was a conscript, not a professional soldier.

** Finally, Russia's efforts to stop him become absolutely hilarious when you consider their other exploits. The common joke of "Never invade Russia in the Winter" has existed in some form or another for centuries, due to the incredibly harsh Russian winters making the Soviets adept cold-weather fighters. However, they apparently weren't prepared for a Finnish Winter, since Häyh&auml used it to his advantage to kill hundreds of them.

** Finally, Russia's efforts to stop him become absolutely hilarious when you consider their other exploits. The common joke of "Never invade Russia in the Winter" has existed in some form or another for centuries, due to the incredibly harsh Russian winters making the Soviets adept cold-weather fighters. However, they apparently weren't prepared for a Finnish Winter, since Hayha used it to his advantage to kill hundreds of them.

Using his extensive knowledge of the surrounding forest as well as a knack for camouflage (he dressed in all white and even kept snow in his mouth so as to mask his breathing and avoid giving away his position), [[OneManArmy he racked up an incredible 704-742 confirmed-kills estimate (542 by rifle, and around 200 by submachine gun)]]. All the more impressive was that he did all of this ''without a scope or a spotter''. He instead used the trusty iron-sights on the rifle, as he noticed that using a scope presented a target due to the glint off the lens (when asked later in life how he had become such an incredible shot, Simo answered simply: "Practice. And clear days."[[note]]In forested terrain, where battles are fought at shorter ranges, a trained marksman can easily hit a target as large as a man without a scope. Long range hits like those that happen in modern Afghan or Iraqi Wars are a different story.[[/note]]

Many people consider him to be one of the ultimate examples of a badass in real life, having racked up more confirmed kills than any other sniper ''in history''. Despite this, he remained a very humble man who only considered his actions to have been doing duty by his country.

Put simply, Simo Häyhä (7 December 1905 – 1 April 2002) was ''the'' deadliest single individual in history.[[note]]The other possible contender, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, probably did more damage, but cheated. He used a Stuka dive-bomber.[[/note]]

Put simply, Simo Häyhä was ''the'' deadliest single individual in history.[[note]]The other possible contender, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, probably did more damage, but cheated. He used a Stuka dive-bomber.[[/note]]

* He has been featured in both Website/BadassOfTheWeek and Cracked's [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17019_5-real-life-soldiers-who-make-rambo-look-like-pussy.html "5 Real Life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like A Pussy".]]
* He has a song dedicated to him on the Music/{{Sabaton}} album ''Coat Of Arms'', appropriately titled "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLTpKs2ylP4 White Death]]".
* A manga called ''[[http://myanimelist.net/manga/67315/Shiroi_Majo/ Shiroi Majo]]'' was released in 2014 which features Simo Häyhä in the middle of the Winter War in 1939. Just one slight difference from reality: "Simo Häyhä" is [[GenderFlip a teenage girl]] who looks [[{{Expy}} outrageously similar]] to [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline Sinon.]]
* As of March 2015, a movie is in pre-production about his feat, appropriately titled "[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4555288/ White Death]]"
* In ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', the default name of Stealth Cruiser Type C is "Simo-H".

[[WMG:Tropes Applied to Simo Häyhä]]

He was born in 1905, and prior to the Winter War of Finland, was an ordinary farmer who had served one compulsory year in the Finnish army. When the war began in 1939, he was called to action, and taking his trusty Mosin-Nagant rifle, became to many an almost legendary figure over the next 105 days.

Using his extensive knowledge of the surrounding forest as well as a knack for camouflage (He dressed in all white and even kept snow in his mouth so as to mask his breathing and avoid giving away his position), [[OneManArmy he racked up an incredible 704-742 confirmed kills estimate (542 by rifle, and around 200 by submachine gun)]]. All the more impressive was that he did all of this ''without a scope or a spotter''. He instead used the trusty iron-sights on the rifle, as he noticed that using a scope presented a target due to the glint off the lens (when asked later in life how he had become such an incredible shot, Simo answered simply: "Practice. And clear days."[[note]]In forested terrain, where battles are fought at shorter ranges, a trained marksman can easily hit a target as large as a man without a scope. Long range hits like those that happen in modern Afghan or Iraqi Wars are a different story.[[/note]]

The Russian forces were absolutely terrified of Häyhä, nicknaming him [[RedBaron The White Death]]. They attempted numerous times to kill him, from sending teams of countersnipers after him ([[AssassinOutclassin none came back alive]]) to [[TheresNoKillLikeOverKill artillery bombing any place they thought he was hiding]]. Needless to say, each of these attempts was met with failure, and Simo continued to utterly stomp any enemy who came within his sights. Eventually, the Russians had a stroke of luck when one sniper, after Simo had wiped out the whole team, managed to ''shoot him through the jaw with a 14.5mm explosive round from a fucking anti-tank rifle'', blowing half of his cheek away. Incredibly, Simo managed to pick up his gun and kill the sniper, and walked back to his nearest unit, where he was sent to the hospital, whereupon he slipped into a coma. A ceasefire was ordered, and [[AsleepForDays eleven days later, on the day Simo awoke]], the Russian army withdrew. While almost certainly a coincidence, it was nonetheless an incredible one. With the Winter War over, Simo [[CallToAgriculture returned to farming]], where he spent the majority of his life breeding dogs and hunting moose. When asked if he regretted killing so many people, all Simo had to say was: [[IDidWhatIHadToDo "I did what I was told to as well as I could"]]. He passed away in 2002, aged 96.

Many people consider him to be one of the ultimate examples of a badass in real life, having racked up more confirmed kills than any other sniper ''in history''. Despite this, he remained a very humble man who only considered his actions to have been doing duty by his country. No matter what, "The White Death" will always be remembered as the greatest sniper in human history. Even if someone comes along and takes that trophy from him, they'll likely be using some high-tech modern day rifle; this guy didn't even need a fucking scope ([[HoistByHisOwnPetard with a good logical argument on his part]]).

The Russian forces were absolutely terrified of Häyhä, nicknaming him [[RedBaron The White Death]]. They attempted numerous times to kill him, from sending teams of countersnipers after him ([[AssassinOutclassin none came back alive]]) to [[TheresNoKillLikeOverKill artillery bombing any place they thought he was hiding]]. Needless to say, each of these attempts was met with failure, and Simo continued to utterly stomp any enemy who came within his sights. Eventually, the Russians had a stroke of luck when one sniper, after Simo had wiped out the whole team, managed to ''shoot him through the jaw with a 14.5mm explosive round from a fucking anti-tank rifle'', blowing half of his cheek away. Incredibly, Simo managed to pick up his gun and kill the sniper, and walked back to his nearest unit, where he was sent to the hospital, whereupon he slipped into a coma. A ceasefire was ordered, and [[AsleepForDays eleven days later, on the day Simo awoke]], the Russian army withdrew. While almost certainly a coincidence, it was nonetheless an incredible one. With the Winter War over, Simo [[CallToAgriculture returned to farming]], where he spent the majority of his life breeding dogs and hunting moose. When asked if he regretted killing so many people, all Simo had to say was: [[ThinkNothingOfIt "I did what I was told to as well as I could"]]. He passed away in 2002, aged 96.

* {{Determinator}}: See NoOneCouldSurviveThat. That is how determined he was to continue fighitng.

* {{Badass}}:
** He is ''the soldier with single highest'' '''''confirmed''''' ''body count in history,'' and he did that with highly limited equipment.
** As mentioned above, the Russian army was so scared of him that they mounted artillery missions ''just to flush him out and kill him''. Recall that Russia has been known in history as one of the great military powers in the world. Simo Häyhä single-handedly managed to scare the living shit out of ''one of the great military powers on Earth'' with nothing more than the basics.
** He was put into a 2-week coma after taking an exploding bullet to the face. The day he woke up, the war ended, and the Russians backed out. Coincidence? You decide.
** His entire body count was earned in less than three months, where other soldiers have served in battle for years.
** MemeticBadass: While it is very hard to exaggerate just how much of a {{Badass}} he really was, it's not impossible, and he still became something of a Finnish folk hero in the vein of Davy Crockett. For the record, the Russian withdrawal on the same day he came out of his coma wasn't a coincidence; Uncle Joe heard he was conscious again and told the army to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere nope the fuck out of Finland]], on the off chance that ''the White Death'' wasn't just a nickname.

Many people consider him to be one of the ultimate examples of a {{Badass}} in real life, having racked up more confirmed kills than any other sniper ''in history''. Despite this, he remained a very humble man who only considered his actions to have been doing duty by his country. No matter what, "The White Death" will always be remembered as the greatest sniper in human history. Even if someone comes along and takes that trophy from him, they'll likely be using some high-tech modern day rifle; this guy didn't even need a fucking scope ([[HoistByHisOwnPetard with a good logical argument on his part]]).

* FacialHorror: The bullet had crushed his jaw and blown off his left cheek. Through sheer willpower, he managed to kill the man who did this to him and return to base, where he fell into a coma due to this injury.

* SimpleYetAwesome: Nothing but two guns, ammos, and basics. He made the army of the largest nation on the Earth kneel.

Using his extensive knowledge of the surrounding forest as well as a knack for camouflage (He dressed in all white and even kept snow in his mouth so as to mask his breathing and avoid giving away his position), [[OneManArmy he racked up an incredible 704-742 confirmed kills estimate (542 by rifle, and around 200 by submachine gun)]]. All the more impressive was that he did all of this ''without a scope or a spotter''. He instead used the trusty iron-sights on the rifle, as he noticed that using a scope presented a target due to the glint off the lens (when asked later in life how he had become such an incredible shot, Simo answered simply: "Practice. And clear days."[[note]]In forested terrain, where battles are fought at shorter ranges, a trained marksman can easily hit a target as large as a man without a scope. Long range hits like they happen in modern Afghan or Iraqi Wars are a different story.[[/note]]

* FinnsWithFearsomeForests: TropeCodifier. Whenever someone thinks of this trope in the future, Simo Häyhä is the guy they'll picture.

* ViolationOfCommonSense: It's naturally harder to get headshots without a scope. However, the scope could glint and could very easily betray your location, which is why Simo didn't use one.
* WeaponOfChoice: A Mosin-Nagant and, later on an AceCustom Sako M2-28.

* AceCustom: Used a an awarded Sako M2-28 later in the war.

* NoScope: Made his kills with iron sights at best, which he felt was more practical than telescopic sights because they reflected light and gave away his position. [[HoisByHisOwnPetard Something his enemies quite often did]].

-->--'''Website/BadassOfTheWeek'''

Many people consider him to be one of the ultimate examples of a {{Badass}} in real life, having racked up more confirmed kills than any other sniper ''in history''. Despite this, he remained a very humble man who only considered his actions to have been doing duty by his country. No matter what, "The White Death" will always be remembered as the greatest sniper in human history. Even if someone comes along and takes that trophy from him, they'll likely be using some high-tech modern day rifle; this guy didn't even need a fucking scope.

* BoomHeadshot: Dished them out in considerable numbers. Took one as well, and then ''killed the guy who did it.''

** He even held the record for longest range kill (over 800 yards) until CarlosHathcock beat it in Vietnam, using an 8x scope mounted to an M2 Browning. Again, Simo's record was set without a scope, surrounded by blinding snow, with blowing ice cold wind in his face, so his record is still damn impressive. ''Hathcock looked up to him''.

* NoScope: Made his kills with iron sights at best, which he felt was more practical than telescopic sights.

Many people consider him to be one of the ultimate examples of a {{Badass}} in real life, having racked up more confirmed kills than any other sniper ''in history''. Despite this, he remained a very humble man who only considered his actions to have been doing duty by his country. No matter what, "The White Death" will always be remembered as the greatest sniper in human history.

** Oh, yeah. All those kills? Done without a scope, [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy for good reason]][[note]]To clarify, the light that reflected off the scope gave away the positions of those who used them. Little wonder he went scopeless, aye? [[/note]]. Before the war, his home was full of marksmanship trophies. Also, check his entry on OneHitPolykill

-->--'''BadassOfTheWeek'''

* He has been featured in both BadassOfTheWeek and Cracked's [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17019_5-real-life-soldiers-who-make-rambo-look-like-pussy.html "5 Real Life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like A Pussy".]]