The Finnish Farmer Who Became The Deadliest Sniper In History

Added: 2026-04-30

[00:00:00]In 1939, a 5-ft-3 Finnish farmer became the most feared man in the Soviet Union.

[00:00:05]His name was Simo Häyhä. In just 100 days, he killed over 500 enemy soldiers, [music] one shot, one kill, every time. While other snipers used scopes, Häyhä used simple iron sights. Scopes could fog up in the brutal 40 below temperatures.

[00:00:21]They could also reflect sunlight and give away his position. He would lie motionless [music] in the snow for hours, waiting, watching. His white camouflage made him invisible against the frozen landscape. Soviet soldiers called him the White Death. They sent counter snipers [music] to hunt him.

[00:00:36]They called in artillery strikes. They even put a bounty on his head. Nothing worked. Then, on March 13th, 1940, an explosive bullet tore through his face.

[00:00:45]It shattered his jaw and blew off half his cheek. Most men would have died [music] instantly. Häyhä picked up his rifle and killed the Soviet sniper who shot him. He survived and lived to be 96 [music] years old. The deadliest marksman in human history was a quiet farmer who just wanted to protect his homeland.