This Finnish man was the most lethal sniper of the Winter War, taking down over 500 Soviets... Now, his story is a bestseller

From farmer to feared marksman, Simo Häyhä's legend returns through literature.
Text: Óscar Ontañón Docal
Published 2025-09-15

Simo Häyhä, remembered as the "White Death," has resurfaced in the cultural spotlight thanks to a new novel that has become a literary sensation in Europe. Once a shepherd from the Finnish countryside, Häyhä's unmatched precision in the Winter War turned him into a figure both feared and revered, credited with hundreds of confirmed kills against Soviet troops. Badly wounded in combat and left with scars that never healed, he later returned to a quiet life far from the battlefield. Today, French author Olivier Norek revives his story in The Winter Warriors, a book that blends historical accuracy with vivid storytelling and has already secured a place on bestseller lists, with a film adaptation now in development. Of course, if you want to learn more details, you can do so through the following link. Go!

Simo Häyhä took a dum-dum bullet through his cheek. The shot damaged his facial nerves, which is why his face looked that way.

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