Finn Simo Häyä may be one of the most successful snipers ever. But don't feel too bad if you're never heard of him. Almost unknown outside his home country, Häyä used his skills during a war that most American school kids never study.
When the Russians invaded Finland during the 1939-40 Winter War, Häyä hid himself in the snow and killed more than 500 Russians in a short three-month period. He was known as the "White Death."
He took his shots the old-fashioned way, without laser sights or .50-caliber ammo. All Häyä had were his senses and an iron-sighted, bolt-action standard rifle.
In the end Finland lost the Winter War, but it was no real victory for Russia. The Finns lost 22,830 men compared to 126,875 Russians, who had an invading force 1.5 million strong.
As one Red Army general recalled, "We gained 22,000 square miles of territory. Just enough to bury our dead"
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