EARLY LIFE
--HE WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 17, 1905 IN RAUTJÄRVI, FINLAND.
--HE GREW UP ON A FARM AND HE WOULD CONTINUE TO CLAIM THAT AS HIS PROFESSION
--HE WOULD JOIN THE FINNISH ARMY AT THE AGE OF 17.
MILITARY CAREER
- He served primarily as a sniper.
- He only saw major combat in the early conflicts of WW2 in what was known as the The Winter Wars.
-This minor war was fought between 1939 and 1940
-During this period he accumulated over 500 confirmed kills and 700 unconfirmed using his Mosen-Nagat Sako M/28-30.
-He only used iron sights because a scope gave away his position.
-His military career ended when he took a bullet to the face which made him retire.
LEGACY ON HISTORY
- Simo Häyhä is highly regarded in Finland
- He is looked at as a national hero, for his dedication to fighting the Soviets.
- He has been awarded many medals, and is regarded as the most lethal sniper in history.
SIMILARITIES TO CHARACTER: DEATH
- Simo Häyhä is regarded as the White Death for his precision and effectiveness.
- In "The Book Theif", Death is symbolized by the color white, and he is regarded as non-biased and effective.
- Simo and Death share being associated with the color white, and their similar persistence to an impossible task.
- Death has to undertake the impossible task of collecting all the souls, while Simo was tasked with holding off a much stronger and better stocked military force in the Soviets.
- Both of these people share very distinct similarities.
CITATIONS
/, / /. “Lieut Simo ‘White Death’ Hayha (1905 - 2002) - Find A Grave Memorial.” Lieut Simo "White Death" Hayha (1905 - 2002) - Find A Grave Memorial, /, 2002, www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=115834830. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.
/, / /. “Simo Hayha.” Finnish Sniper • Simo Hayha • The White Death, /, 2006, www.simohayha.com/. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.
/, / /. “Simo H.” TV Tropes, /, 200ADAD, tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/SimoHayha. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.
Chen, C. Peter. “Simo H.” WW2DB, Lava Development , 2004, ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=814. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.
Valle, Orvelin. “This Sniper, Known as 'The White Death,' Is Credited with More than 500 Kills.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 24 Sept. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/this-sniper-known-as-the-white-death-is-credited-with-over-500-kills-2015-9. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.