Meet the Greatest Sniper Who Ever Lived

Follow Thoughty2

About Thoughty2
Thoughty2 (Arran) is a British YouTuber and gatekeeper of useless facts. Thoughty2 creates mind-blowing factual videos about science, tech, history, opinion and just about everything else.
#Thoughty2

Writing: Steven Rix
Editing: Matt Murray

[janjarous]

Simo: Gets shot to the head
Death: Simo?
Simo: Yes.
Death: I just want to say Im a huge fan. Have a nice day.

[Mikkell]

You missed an extremely important part of Simo's life that made him an exemplary shooter. He not only was a very capable hunter, but also participated in a fair amount of shooting competitions for fun. He was able to take first in nearly all of the competitions that he participated in. This is what gave him a leg up in the long range shooting. He also hunted for the elderly in his community, giving him the knowledge needed to remain hidden from his quarry for extended periods of time. Simo gave these reasons to why he was such a good shot.

[david]

He was actually 5'3" tall. Something that was not discussed, is that many of his kills were over 300 meters. That's good with a scope, but with only iron sights is unbelievable.

[SupremeNaz]

“I did what I was told to do” Not everyone is a born leader, some people are just soldiers who become legends

[MJamesRomano]

Finland: is out numbered 56 to 1

Simo: Then it is an even fight

[CamillaDrakenborg]

My grandmother lived trough the winter war. She told of how they almost starved but potatoes saved them. She was proud of Simo :) He lived all the way to 2002 age 96.

[brandons]

For anyone that’s interested, when I went through U.S. Army sniper school, Simo was one the first snipers you learn about and is actually a test question on the final exam.

[tangopsion]

I knew Simo personally, Simo and my late father were neighbours before the winterwar. That village is now behind the border. Simo visited my home at least dozen times in 1970 - 1980's. He had a yellow VW beetle. I have also visited his home, it was a very small cottage in countryside. I was present at Simo's funeral, veterans singing, what a great ceremony. BTW change the Soviet Union flag to this video, this is Russian flag.

[Quagehhh]

The amount of respect we finns have for this man is unbelieveable. A true war hero.

[DaComebakKid]

This man didn't even bother using the attachments he unlocked while leveling up his rifle. LEGEND

[JJuhu]

You have summoned every single finnish person on the internet by uploading this video.

[mattbrown]

I was taught about Simo when I started my Ranger class in the US Army. His bravery, skill, and dedication carried me through some very tough times in my career.

[gertytk]

The fact that he was a small man who was humble and lived his life without a family of his own to almost 100 years old, just makes him that much more badass.

[gabrieldauzmusic]

Imagine how terrifying it is to walk on the field of snow then suddenly the soldier beside you gets his brain splattered on the snow. Imagine the fear of standing there without even know where the shot is from knowing that the next bullet is probably for you.

[fluffnstuph]

I guess he breaks the rule of “better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.” Much respect for this man.

[paulmix]

In my military service time in 70s we had similar service rifles as Häyhä did and in my regiment there were some rifles classified as 0-class.They really were accurate as hell when you knew how to adjust and use sights. We tested them at shooting range with support and yes, 300m was a piece of cake, palm size area was almost big for hits. Häyhä's skills was a different story, who else could calm down and aim so precisely in middle of battles?

[t.b.player]

He died quietly, in an old folks home, few if any friends. This is the truest, purest kind of hero. He went back to his farming, didn't scream and shout for attention just was content to live a quiet life. Not that looking for recognition makes one not be a hero, but like I stated, this made him a special, more pure hero.

[vladtheimpaler]

I really like how Semo showed that being a master marksmen isn't just about having good aim but about stealth, patience and preparation.

[TheGhostOperative]

this man was an absolute unit. and a complete gentleman. the kind of hero a country deserves.

[knowplay]

Simo's kill count is actually much higher than this video states. Yes, he had atleast 505 confirmed sniper kills with his rifle, BUT he had a known 207 with his submachinegun during skirmishes with the Soviets. He is credits with 712 total confirmed kills between both weapons. Also, Simo's facial injury happened on Day 70 of the 100 Day War, but he didn't awake from the coma until the 100th day after a peace accord was signed. So that's over 700 kills in just 70 days. A record that will NEVER be broken or even approached. The facts of not using a scope, packing snow to prevent muzzle splash, and keeping snow in his mouth to cool his breath are accurate. Simo didn't use a scope because he didn't want to risk the sun causing a glint giving away his position due to anti-glare coatings hadn't been discovered at the time.
Simo was a machine. He didn't enjoy or even like the fact he had taken so many lives, but he did what a man has to do to defend his home.
Simo shouldn't be recognized as only a hero of Finnland, but also of the world for becoming a force of death to protect his home and his countrymen. We all should strive to do so if times ever call for such actions.