Bílý odstřelovač Simo Häyhä

by Tapio Saarelainen, Petr Tuma (Translator)

SIMO HÄYHÄ (1905–2002) je nejslavnější odstřelovač všech dob. V průběhu Zimní války mezi Sovětským svazem a Finskem v letech 1939–1940 dosáhl 542 potvrzených zásahů, což je dodnes nepřekonaný rekord.

Jeho výkon je o to pozoruhodnější, že ho docílil s běžnou puškou opatřenou mechanickými mířidly. Stal se vzorem pro mnoho dalších odstřelovačů po celém světě a nezpochybnitelně předvedl, jak zásadní roli může hrát elitní specializovaný střelec na moderním bojišti.

TAPIO A. M. SAARELAINEN slouží ve finské armádě jako důstojník z povolání. Dlouhodobě se věnuje výcviku odstřelovačů, podílel se na přípravě finské armádní příručky pro odstřelovače a sám je skvělý střelec.

Díky tomu se stal jedinou osobou, které se samotářský a skromný Simo Häyhä odhodlal plně otevřít. Výsledkem je fascinující, bohatě ilustrovaná kniha, která přináší mnoho nových podrobností o životním příběhu odstřelovačské legendy, ale především podrobně zkoumá tajemství Häyhäho úspěchů a popisuje také využívání jeho zkušeností v současné finské armádě. Tuto publikaci proto ocení nejen zájemci o dějiny válek a odstřelovačství, ale také vojenští a policejní odstřelovači či závodní střelci.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, World War II, Military History, War

264 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2016

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately the author missed a great opportunity here to tell the tale of Simo Häyhä's exploits as a sniper during the Winter War. There is more time spent on his life before and after the war, and the about shooting and snipers in general, than he uses to detail his service against the Russians. The description of the book is also somewhat misleading as it states that he had 542 confirmed kills over iron sights, though in the book it is said that almost half of these were not using a sniper rifle, but also submachine guns and machine guns. Still an interesting read to get to know who Simo Häyhä was as a man, but not so much as a soldier.

[Stian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its obvious that the writer cared a lot for this project/book, as he got to know the subject matter Simo Häyhä quite well.

Sadly though, it doesn't translate into a great finished product.

There's quite a bit of repetition, especially in the beginning, one glaring example is when the writer quotes one of Simo's old time neighbours and the quote just repeats something said in the previous section...
There are also errors in the maps, for example a map showing Kollaa's location in 1939 Finland, OK, but trouble is that the map is not of 1939 Finland, as one can clearly see that Petsamo and Rybachy are missing (areas seeded after the Continuation-war). Later on when the writer gets into sniper theory he refers to drawings/tables that instead turns out to be maps of the Kollaa front... This is all very sloppy and galling.
The writer claims to have conducted a lot of interviews with Häyhä during the years, but there are very few quotes from these. Häyhä was a humble man, but not even one anecdote from his war service? A missed opportunity.
Hell, there is more info about Häyhä's activities after the war than during it! I expected some post-war info, but the balance is way off.

I didn't mind the technical stuff towards the end of the book, in fact it was the most illuminating part of the book, which doesn't speak well for the book in general.

The translation might be at fault here, but the writing really isn't very good.
I thought the subject was interesting, I wanted to like it, but in the end it fell flat.
Perhaps I should have listened to the reviews on Amazon, but at least I got it on sale.

[ShineG · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is the world's deadliest sniper.

His confirmed kill was 542 and only served for a total of 98 days since he was wounded during the last week of the war.The winter war lasted for 105 days. His highest tally of daily kills on record - 25 confirmed kills on December 21, 1939.

This book combines a semi biography of Simo Häyhä and his techniques, at the same time it touches some topics about military tactics during the Winter war and and few discussion about the basics of shooting.

I like the book (although a bit repetitive, in my opinion) which gives the reader a glimpse of the man behind the legend.
From my perspective, this book serves as a reminder that a person's character defines who he is. He was great because of his character.
What also stands out for me is his patriotism. (It's obviously nonsense and just ludicrous if the soldiers of one country does not have the highest level of patriotism.) He knows his purpose and fulfills it to the best of his ability.
And he was doing it because its his duty. Doing it not for superficial reasons like money or fame but because it's his responsibility to protect his country. His humility and modesty stems from this purpose.

According to him, he only did his duty, and what he was told to do as well as he could.

Also, while I was reading the book, I felt that it contains every bits and pieces from all those self-help books that were combined and succintly summarized. It touches some topics about habit, character, self-reliance, patriotism and being one with nature.

Here are some of the quotes from the book:
-The war can still claim more victims even though it is long over.
-You never left your buddy.
-War is not a pleasant experience but who else would protect this land unless we are willing to do it ourselves.
-Don't tell anyone anything more than you have to.
-He trusted his physical skills as much as one can. He did not need to boast his abilities to anyone...they let their deeds speak for themselves.
-When he hunted, he acted as a visitor of the forest, believing that one could not just enter nature's domain and take something from it...he felt that you are only entitled to something from nature only if you are willing to be part of it.
-Leadership is based upon example, skill and knowledge.

If I have to choose one lesson from the book (there are a lot) it would be to mind my own business and live my own life.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

This man TERRIFIES ME. What do you mean 40 kills in a day? 5 snipers kills in a day? 542 kills accounted and only a third of the kills could be accounted for? Jesusfuckingchrist

The problem with this book is that not even half the book revolves around Simo, the rest goes around sniper theory and Simo's effect on the sniper world, which I do find interesting, but I wanted to know more of him.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see the author really cares about the subject and admires Simo Hayha, while also being very dedicated to the military and his country. I like enthusiasm and respect and this book shows both. Unfortunately we are not all writers. The part about the actual sniping during the war is very short and most of the book is repetitive. I understand that mr. Hayha was a withdrawn person, who wanted not to attract attention. In this case, you get information somewhere else, try to build the story. Other parts of the book are dedicated to the war (but briefly) and t weaponry and sniping. If this is your thing, you'll enjoy it. If, like me, you wanted a great biography, not so much.
I think this book would have benefited from more perspectives - fellow soldiers, people participating in the competition named after him, friends, why not, maybe Russian veterans that were on the opposing side. There is a great story hidden somewhere in this book, but it still was informative and I learned quite a bit, so here's three stars.

[Juan Duarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short read for sure, but covers the facts in great detail. Part biography, part history book and part training manual!

[REIJO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huvitav ja oodatust lühem kirjeldus Simo elust, tegudest Talvesõjas ja ajast pärast sõda. Raamat valmistas kerge pettumuse sellega, et sisaldas palju täitematerjali: Simost ja temaga otseselt seonduvast räägib ainult raamatu esimene osa, umbes 30-35%. Sellest edasine oli samuti huvitav lugemine, aga mitte enam snaiprist endast vaid üldisem taust Soome täpsuslaskurite kultuurist.

Lühike, mugav ja pealiskaudne. Ajalooline ajaviide.

[Robert R. Anderson Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible research and analysis, very well written. Very hard to put down.

Avery limited subject but very interesting and complete in research and analysis and well written.
Helped me understand the soviet-finn winter war at the individual soldier's level.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simo Häyhä is famous as the greatest sniper in history, even more famous than the war in which he fought the Soviet communists for Finland's territorial integrity (the Winter War of 1940). This is a book by a modern Finnish military officer, himself an expert shooter and contributor to the official sniper's manual of the Finnish military, based on his interviews with Simo later in life. There are a number of places where content is repeated, and a couple of appendices which weren't particularly necessary (shooting fundamentals), although I did enjoy learning more about Simo, the Winter War, Finnish military rifles, and the life of a very private person who did something great in his past (literally being a major factor in preserving Finland and the rest of Scandinavia from communist takeover), but who wanted to them live out a quiet life as a farmer and forester (which he did, for another 60 years after the end of that war). This was a 5 star book for me due to the subject and because we're unlikely to ever have another book written with the benefit of firsthand interviews (as he died in 2002).

[César Augusto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devido a tamanha escassez de filmes ou documentários sobre Simo Häykä, o maior sniper de todos os tempos, fiquei muito curioso e feliz quando o livro foi lançado, por que estava ávido para conhecer a história do homem que conseguiu enfrentar a União Soviética e saiu vencedor, é um feito extraordinário. O livro em si é bom afinal o autor entrevistou Simo pessoalmente o que dá um peso enorme a obra, entretanto há partes muito específicas, para quem gosta de tiro ou tem interesse na arte de ser sniper, mas para quem não possui, pode ser um pouco confuso, entediante e de difícil compreensão ainda mais que só tem a versão inglesa do livro, Tirando isso, se você quer conhecer a história do maior sniper da história esse livro é um excelente caminho.

[Toniet Salas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Habla muy poco de la experiencias vividas por el francotirador y se dedica más a dar datos de poco interés al menos para mi

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief book - left me wanting more.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the role of a sniper and gained a great appreciation for the gift they possess. I’m amazed at the skill and intelligence required to be a successful sniper. I went in with zero knowledge of the Winter War, Simo, or weapons/ammunition.

3 ⭐️- I would have loved to hear more stories and there were grammatical errors in assuming from the translation to English.

[Jordison Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simo Häyhä, o fazendeiro que o mundo conheceu como: (Morte Branca.)
Um homem simples, criado no campo, acostumado a caçar desde cedo e a trabalhar na dureza do inverno finlandês. A vida moldou nele o que muitos chamam de talento… mas na verdade era disciplina, paciência e um silêncio que só homens de verdade carregam.

Quando a guerra chegou, ele não hesitou.
Vestiu uma camuflagem totalmente branca, desapareceu na neve e virou um fantasma, um caçador diante de um exército inteiro. Em operação de 98 dias, abateu 542 inimigos rusos. Atirava com mira aberta com um fuzil Sako M-28/30. Häyhä chegou a abater 25 inimigos em um dia., um por um, com precisão fria e implacável. Nenhum exagero, nenhum enfeite: números registrados pela própria Finlândia.

O inimigo o temia porque nunca o via.
Um borrão branco. Um disparo seco.
E silêncio.

Simo tinha o rosto torto, marcado por cicatrizes profundas.
Não nasceu assim.
Foi a guerra que o moldou: um tiro de explosão atingiu seu rosto, arrancou parte da mandíbula e desfigurou seu queixo. Morte branca passou por 26 cirurgias durante os meses que ficou internado. Saindo do hospital viveu como fazendeiro em uma pequena cidade da Finlândia. Em 28 de agosto de 1940, foi promovido direto de III Sargento para II Tenente.

Häyhä não virou lenda por querer glória.
Virou porque fez o que homens de verdade fazem: levantar, mirar, proteger e suportar o que poucos suportariam.

Um fazendeiro.
Um caçador.
Um guerreiro imortal chamado Morte Branca.

Análise da obra

Durante a Guerra de Inverno de 1939-40 entre a Finlândia e a União Soviética, um caçador e fazendeiro comercial chamado Simo Hayha retornou à sua unidade de reserva e pegou 542 mortes confirmadas com vistas de ferro.

Embora as versões da história de Hayha sejam bem conhecidas no Ocidente e até tenham sido abordadas brevemente pelo estudiosos, as 192 páginas do White Sniper de Tapio Saarelainen vão além das contas de segunda e terceira mão e traz, como Paul Harvey diria, o resto da história.
Deve-se notar que Saarelainen é um oficial militar de carreira que passou duas décadas treinando atiradores de precisão para o Exército finlandês e até ajudou a escrever o manual do país escandinavo para atiradores de elite. Além deste resumo óbvio para prepará-lo para escrever o trabalho sobre Hayha, o autor também conheceu e entrevistou o herói da Guerra do Inverno dezenas de vezes durante um período de cinco anos.

Essa é uma boa parte do que faz o White Sniper uma leitura tão interessante é que ela é tirada em grande parte de relatos em primeira mão de um homem que foi referido como o atirador mais mortal da história, mas também daqueles que moravam ao lado, brigavam ao lado e conheciam o homem pessoalmente. Como tal, lança insights sobre o homem não conhecido no Ocidente. Como o fato de ele ter usado seu próprio rifle Mosin M / 28-30, fabricado na Finlândia, pelo qual pagou com seus próprios fundos. Que seus companheiros em número menor de finlandeses, lutando ao lado dele na região gelada de Kollaa durante aquele inverno rigoroso, o chamaram de "Taika-ampuja", que se traduz aproximadamente como "atirador mágico". Que ele levou quase tantos alces e raposas em sua vida quanto ele fez com os russos. Que ele era despretensioso na vida adulta, passando a maior parte do tempo chamando velhos amigos em seu VW Bettle amarelo.

O livro está dividido em três seções.

O primeiro inclui uma recontagem seca de datas e antecedentes da vida de Hayha (por exemplo, que ele foi promovido a cabo durante seu período de recrutamento em 1º de junho de 1926, que ele era um dos sete indivíduos premiados com a Cruz de Kollaa em prata pura, et.al.), bem como seu período como atirador de competição antes da guerra, capaz de fazer 16 tiros certeiros no alvo de uma metralhadora Mosin em menos de um minuto. A seção continua com a história de suas feridas em tempos de guerra - levadas na cara nos últimos dias do conflito - e recuperação.
O trabalho inclui muitas imagens raras do franco-atirador finlandês ao longo de sua vida e inclui visitas pós-guerra aos campos de batalha reais de 1939-40 nos quais ele serviu.

A segunda seção trata dos segredos do sucesso de Hayha. Suas táticas, caráter e treinamento. Enquanto ele não era um atirador de longo alcance extremo - a maioria de seus tiros estava em alvos a menos de 150 metros de distância - sua arte de campo e perseguição, aprendida com centenas de dias passados ​​na floresta como um caçador de alimentos, apoiado por sua escolha de posições de tiro cobertas de neve entre as linhas finlandesa e soviética, levou o dia. Por isso, Saarelainen revisitou os mesmos campos de batalha com o famoso franco-atirador décadas depois do fato e esclareceu exatamente como e por que esses ninhos funcionavam.

Além de cobrir a história de Hayha, o livro investiga o combate na região de Kollaa como parte da Guerra de Inverno.

Por fim, Saarelainen aborda a mecânica das armas pequenas finlandesas usadas entre 1918 e 1940, um excelente manual para quem estiver interessado no uso de Mosin, Suomi e Mauser no país. (Como nota de rodapé, ficaríamos indiferentes se não mencionássemos que os Saarelainen descobriram Mosin emitido por Hayha durante seu serviço inicial no Exército na década de 1920, era um M.91 fabricado pela Westinghouse nos EUA, marcado por czaristas.)

O livro termina com o impacto que Hayha teve no exército finlandês moderno e seu programa de atiradores, destacando um curso muito interessante e útil de fogo desenvolvido a partir de suas lições.

O curso de tiro "Simo Hayhan Kilpailu" também é abordado para que o leitor possa ver se eles têm o que é preciso para ser um franco-atirador finlandês

Ao todo, se você está curioso sobre a história de um dos maiores atiradores de elite, ou mais obliquamente sobre a história militar finlandesa, o uso de rifle Mosin ou a Guerra de Inverno em geral, essa é uma obrigação para sua estante de livros.

PS: Livro didático no qual são discutidos vários aspectos dessa guerra.

Uma grande homenagem a um homem, uma época e um país. Gostei muito. Aborda uma ampla gama de assuntos relacionados à sua vida. Acho que pessoas com formação em história militar e tiro ao alvo irão apreciar este livro.

Os eventos ocorridos entre a Finlândia e a União Soviética na década de 1940 são pouco conhecidos, e este livro é historicamente importante. Infelizmente, a primeira parte é escrita de forma um tanto enfadonha, embora isso não prejudique a abrangência das informações apresentadas.

A tradução para o inglês parece um pouco estranha em alguns trechos, e há algumas repetições. Mas o autor compilou seus dados a partir de muitas entrevistas pessoais com o Sr. Hayha e com seus colegas remanescentes. As falhas do livro não o impedem de ser lido. A história que se destaca é a de um homem incrível, um caçador excepcional em áreas remotas, um patriota e herói, que encerra sua carreira e retorna ao trabalho simples na lavoura.

Trabalho Único.

[Raro de Concurso · Rating 1 out of 5]

La historia real del protagonista indiscutible de este libro, Simo Häyhä, un francotirador finlandés que hizo estragos entre los rusos en la guerra Ruso-Finlandesa de 1940, es interesante. Pero no da para más de 30 páginas. Si encima lo escribe un militar, no un escritor solvente, que pretende convertir una historia humana en un alegato ultranacionalista con héroes que resisten y que mueren por su patria, pues la cosa se convierte en algo infumable.
Como he dicho, el libro está horriblemente escrito. Repite los mismos hechos constantemente, añade apéndices técnicos como "Los fundamentos del tiro" que a un lector normal se la trae al pairo y te deja un sabor amargo, porque con todas las entrevistas y conversaciones con el famoso tirador, te da la impresión que se ha dejado una gran historia en el tintero.
Al menos es cortito y no pierdes demasiado el tiempo.
Las fotos que acompañan al libro si merecen la pena.
Y ya está. Me retiro a mi foso de tirador con mi mejor traje de camuflaje, que el autor es un profesional y querrá cazarme como un conejo tras esta crítica.

[Augusto Bernardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strongly disagree with the general rating this book has received on Goodreads. I thought this boy went beyond just telling the story or biography of Simo but also really have me an understanding and appreciation of the skills and complexity of a sniper.
Besides the insane sniper run that simo had in the war between Finland in the Soviet union, he had a fairly uneventful and quiet long life as he does in the early 2000s already in his nineties. So it's quite difficult to write a perfect or even standard biography on him while at the same time being enjoyable for the reader and also have a appreciation and understanding of what he has done. And I think that the author Tapio Saarelainen had done exactly this. It did often seen like this book was constantly starting then ending again and then having more to talk about, so the structure might have been a little messy. Having said that i thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a ton. Tapio's book also stands out apparently from other bios of the white sniper as he interviews Simo himself, despite his difficulty to speak, his disinterest to elaborate on his stories and also some signs of senility.
I'm fascinated in the qualities, or rather the details that are required that make up a great sniper.
Simo had a rather normal early 1900s Finnish farm boy upbringing. In fact it seemed that Simo as a person isn't very unusual at all. I guess when you read a biography of a great person, you tend to read the opposite actually but what makes a good sniper might be exactly this. A quiet simple guy with some hunting experience, healthy (probably from his Scandinavian background) and young and willing to learn and follow. Reminds me a lot of Chris Kyle on a personal level. It was apparently reasonably early on his proficiency and skill in his marksmanship. There was a memorable story of him reloading his bolt action rifle 16 times and hitting the target all 16 times in one minute. I don't know anything about shooting but apparently that's very good. Simos rifle of choice was a m28 30. Simos handling of this weapon, this tool, needed to be as familiar as the back of your hand. Not just the type of rifle but the individual model itself has its slightest variations that needed to be known. According to him, he liked this type of rifle because it was first and foremost reliable. Because he took care of it and cleaned it frequently, it never jammed on him. It's interesting that many of these slightest details are the difference between success and failure and failure could and often did lead to your death. So i guess there is a much larger number of unknown snipers that simply made a mistake once or maybe twice and played the ultimate price for it. Back to his rifle, it is a well known fun fact that Simo did not use a scope on his rifle. Tapio explains multiple times that there are a number of reasons for this with the biggest reason being that the finish army simply didn't have enough scopes to go around. The little money that the Finnish military was spent too even supply the general troops. The far more exciting answer is that he chose not to have a scope as it came with several crucial disadvantages for his style of sniping like the score had a flare against the sun which exposed ones position, it required more time to locate your target through the scope, and you exposed more of your body lifting your head to put your eye to the scope. There several other tactics that Simo used to blend into the landscape. Controlling his breath so enemies would not see his cold breath. He would spread water around the snow of his gun so that when he fired, there wouldn't be a puff of snow. Never hiding in trees in case he needs to retreat and also always aiming for the centre of the target so that there is a larger change to hit the target, regardless of where and having a much stronger stance of killing the target. Most importantly though might be his ability to instinctively understand the landscape well in order to judge distance better than your opponent. Tapio explains very well how complex the mathematics of sniping is and how understanding all the different factors of distance, wind, pressure, etc is necessary in order to hit the target. But these factors might not be conscious but rather instinctively applied on the field. The last quintessential quality of a great sniper is being calm and collected when under pressure. The human error element of Sniping far out ways any mathematics required. Tapio explains the seemingly simple task of pulling the trigger is a skill in it of itself. Taking into consideration that Simo's entire military career was fought in his land is also I think a factor in his success he would know the terrain better than the Russians. Despite the Russians having far more men and far better equipment, they had a very hard time invading Finland and had to eventually make a peace treaty during the war. The Finnish troops would have brilliant surprise attacks that were very successful. The book has one number but it does seem to be debatable what the actual number of kills that Simo had in total. Regardless of what the actual number is, it was certainly more than 500 which is far beyond the next best sniper ever. His proficiency was well known by the Soviets too and they tried to kill him with their own snipers and plenty of artillery to no success. Shortly before the war for the Finish had ended, Simo was brutally wounded by an exploding bullet in the face from an infantry man that would have gotten really close. This wound retired him from his millitary career and kept him in hospital with dozens of surgeries for years to come. This injury left him terribly disfigured and the recovery for him would have been long, painful and lonely. Simo never married or had kids and had a rather lonely life. He spent the reset of his life in Finnland, mainly as a farmer and, moose hunter, hunting dog breeder (Finnish Spitz) and I guess he did some lumberjack work too because he later had another terrible accident which he needed to retire from. He spent his last years in a retirement home for veterans as the government could or would not pay for a caretaker anymore for him. Despite it being well known of his kill streak and his amazing skills, he was not a man that ever boasted about his achievements or time in the war. A quiet man through and through before, during and after the war. It's a rather sad end to his life and a sad end to the personal side of the book. Puts into perspective that some heroes don't really get the appreciation or happy life that the fairy tales have. In a very real sense did Simo literally fight to protect his homeland from invading forces and yet he did not live happily ever after regardless on how successful he was or regardless how great the country he lived in. The book unfortunately carries on a bit AFTER all of this with intricacies of Finnish and Soviet battle positions and phases which is a little out of place.

Over all it was a fitting book that encapsulates well who Simo was and where he stands in history.

[Cody Bumpus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The white sniper. The white death. A humble, unassuming man who was deadly but not violent. A man who had a job to do and carried it out diligently and “magically”.

The author of this book is Finnish, and it was later translated to English, so there are some grammatical mistakes, but nothing that impedes the communication of the main message. Also, there are numerous photos and documents included in the book. The original documents are referred to, but not translated, so you don’t get a full understanding of everything.

The author also had the daunting task of recording the story of a man that didn’t particularly want to share it. The composition is definitely lacking in completion, however you can tell the author did Yeoman’s work both in collecting the information as well as putting together what he had.

While there was some information I was left feeling like I was missing, it ironically added to the depth of personality attributed to Simo Hayha, as that was just the kind of person he was! There are secrets he took with him to the grave that nobody else ever has or ever will know.

All in all, I still gave this book 5 stars. It is a book I have been wanting to read for a few years now. I find it to be an intriguing story. A man that amassed more than three times the number of kills as Chris Kyle, did it in 3 months time, and with open sights, took an exploding bullet to the face and survived to live a long and full life. The intrigue of the man known as The White Death more than makes up for any gaps I feel the book may have, and that I may critique more heavily if it were on another topic or another person. An interesting and very quick and easy read to learn about a man that will do more than I will ever be capable of, and did it humbly.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was described as a biography, which to some extent it is. I expected it to be like other similar military biographies which give accounts of what the subject did. If that is what you are after, do not buy this book. Very early on, the writer tells us that the subject, Simo, would not discuss personal experiences. This leads to very generalized descriptions of campaigns and the like rather than stories of his exploits. The author also continually makes statements of how brave, fit and strong Simo was. This may be the case, but it becomes repetitive and is frankly like schoolboy hero worship rather than providing an objective account. The latter part of the book deals with weapons used by the Finnish military, sniper tactics (not enough to be interesting or informative) and training. All of this is interspersed with references to Simo, normally with yet another fawning statement about how good, fit, brave and strong he was. This later material came across as padding rather than being relevant to the subject. Really disappointing.

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 4 out of 5]

all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu

About the Book: During many years author has questioned this idol of his, a man who spoke little, and was hard to understand due to an explosive bullet he took to the face. Asked him about life before war, training as sniper, war, strategies, numbers, weapons. And then, what was life like after the war.

My Opinion: Author is clearly very invested into the topic, so at times the reader is led a bit astray as there’s details to be waded through, of cover spots, of weapons, strategies, or just random memories. Generally an interesting and a very informative read, but I see why some people might feel it was a bit much. As for Simo Häyhä, he’s a respectful sort, despite what he does, and seems to be a positive person. Definitely learned a lot.

[Casey Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book out of respect to Simo, but this had to be one of the most poorly written biographies I’ve read. The writer clearly had an immense amount of respect for Simo and wanted his story to be told, but the product only left me feeling bad for Simo, having his biography told this way.

There is no coherent format or structure for the book, even though it’s somewhat broken down into sections. Things are repeated multiple times in odd ways, the book is filled with distracting errors, and the writer really spends no time diving into what the reader really wants, which is an in-depth story of Simo’s exploits in the war. So much time is spent on Simo’s upbringing and post-war life that I got the feeling he was too worried about not capturing who Simo was as a human and mostly overlooked why we care about Simo.

2 / 5 because the author clearly respected Simo so highly.

[Dal Cecil Runo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part biography, part history, part military guide.

This is not an epic memoir. This is what it is. A good example of Finnish culture: here are the facts, this is what happened. Finns aren't drawn to impress and appear bigger than they are. It's not their thing.

Mr. Häyhä killed hundreds, but he just did his job, and wanted a quiet life. That's what you'll get from this book. Mr. Saarelainen is knowledgeable and straightforward. I've learned things from this book and I'm very happy to find a legit recount of what happened during the winter war. No exaggerations, no delirium of grandeur.

Bonus comment: I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did quite a good job with all the Finnish names. Thank you for the efforts in putting this book together.

[Kacper Havemeister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simo Häyhä, czyli fiński strzelec wyborowy z czasów wojny zimowej.

Odczułem mitologizację jego postaci, aby w pełni ukazać etos fińskiego żołnierza podczas konfliktu z ZSRR. Dość mało jest samego Simo w książce o nim, ale autor zaznacza, że Simo był bardzo małomównym i skromnym człowiek, dlatego tak mało jest szczególów o jego życiu po wojnie. Jednak ta luka została uzupełniona przez profesjonalne podejście autora do tematu wojny zimowej, sposobu szkolenia fińskich strzelców wyborowych, czy opisu broni używanej przez Simo. Dodatkowo książka zawiera wiele zdjęć i ilustracji, które stanowią świetne źródło dla czytelnika.

Jeśli chcesz poznać pełną historię Simo Häyhä, warto przeczytać tą książkę (chociaż pierwszą jej część).

[Martin Lember · Rating 2 out of 5]

The topic and story of Simo Häyho is interesting taking into account the historic background. Unfortunately the book itself has many repeats, storytelling is flat and it is difficult not to lose focus. When reading the book you can feel what were the circumstances during IIWW and what that war meant for Finland, but the book lacks of personal stories and gives more of an overall picture of the events. Maybe the reason was that Simo didn't up so much in his interviews, but you can feel that author had personal relationship with Simo. Can't underestimate the importance of the book for Finland, but the book is average at the best (if you are true fan of the topic)

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive life. Incredible courage and daring in the face of overwhelming odds. It truly must have been an uncertain time full of fear. this seems to be a well researched and written book. I am still new to the non fiction side of WWII. I am slowly becoming braver to read more about overcoming adversary. I admire this character greatly for his eternal humbleness about his actions during such a horrible time... I have no hesitation in recommending this book to others. Just have a patient mind would be my only advice.

[Jonas Short · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes that were sadly dashed by this poorly written book. Highly repetitive and wholly uninspired, it contains too little information from interviews and primary sources to be valuable to those interested in Simo Häyhä, this strange chapter of history, or even military strategy and history in general.

Instead, it substitutes self aggrandizement and unflinching patriotism (yes beating the Soviet army is an achievement, but who were your allies in that fight and did they rhyme with “Yahtzees”?) for substance leaving at least this reader disappointed.

[Jonathan Wilkes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is good for someone doing a report on this man. Honestly it is the perfect book for this. It is very detailed and has a lot of information. My issue with the book is that it feels like an essay almost and it also repeats itself a lot. I would read something and then two paragraphs later read it again with two words changed. Another thing is the actual fighting and sniping aspect is not really a lot of what this book has in it. You learn a lot about his life, but that’s not what i was wanting from this book.

Overall it is a great study book but not a fun read.

[Stephen Watt · Rating 2 out of 5]

You probably don't want to read this book. "Meagee" is the first word that comes to mind. Skim the TOC, and/or read any preview pages that are available, first. You will see what I'm talking about, immediately. This is something only somebody with an extremely particular fascination with Hayha or Finnish military history would find worthwhile. And only then, maybe; it would amount to panning for scintillae of interesting facts.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The Finnish war against the Soviets during WWII was the fight of fights and Simo Häyyhä was the sniper of snipers, but this is not the book of books nor is Tapio Saarelainen the writer of writers. The research is underwhelming and the prose hilariously bad and boring. Tapio should stick to training snipers. If his students shoot better than he can bother to tell a story, they’ll be at least halfway to decent.

[Gary Ozard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The white sniper

Enjoyed the book learned lots of info that I hadn't picked up before but was slightly disappointed in the amount of actual battle content .as you read through the book one understand s why ,a very brave private man who went through untold horrors one can understand not wanting to relive them constantly a different breed of man totally honourable unfortunately not many exist today rip soon

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

 

Główny bohater tej książki to człowiek, Fin, który podczas wojny zabił jako snajper kilkuset radzieckich żołnierzy. Uważany jest za najbardziej wybitnego snajpera wszechczasów. Przez Rosjan nazywany "białą śmiercią". Dzięki książce dowiedziałem się również sporo o historii Finlandii. Ten kraj miał pecha i dwuktornie musiał odpierać atak wojsk radzieckich podczas Drugiej Wojny Światowej. Z powodzeniem.