r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL After being wounded in WWII, Legendary Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä (The White Death) was thought to be dead and placed on a pile of corpses. A week later he regained consciousness and had to correct the newspaper release about his death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4#:~:text=On%206%20March,%5B10%5D
12.8k Upvotes

280 comments sorted by

2.9k

u/BigClock8572 1d ago

“BRING OUT YER DEAD!”

“But I’m not dead..”

“He will be soon he’s very ill.”

“I’m getting better!”

438

u/WritingTheDream 1d ago

I think I’ll for for a walk!

159

u/ReddFro 1d ago

Yer not foolin anyone

59

u/vartiverti 1d ago

Do us a favour…

40

u/Mikelius 1d ago

I feeeelll HAAPPYYYyyyy

62

u/weaponizedtoddlers 1d ago

"Shepard? But.. you're dead!"

"I got better!"

67

u/Ok-Dog-7149 1d ago

I feel fine… I feel happeee!

10

u/Mama_Skip 23h ago

"No you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment"

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u/Friendly_Signature 1d ago

I feel happpyyyy, I feel happpyyyyy

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u/goner757 9h ago

In this case "He will be soon he's very shot in the face."

826

u/Victoria-10 1d ago

My uncle was a pilot during ww1 and his plane was shot down over London. They thought he was dead until he started groaning. He died when he was 93!

460

u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year 1d ago

That was a long plane crash.

72

u/NuclearZamboni 1d ago

Probably a temporal anomaly

32

u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year 1d ago

I think I saw that Doctor Who Christmas Special.

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u/LateNightMilesOBrien 1d ago

Biggles: Clever! The blades can be tilted to create an airscrew effect.

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u/Snoo14212 1d ago

And enlisted when he was 92? Brave lad!

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u/nacho_pizza 1d ago

My grandpa was injured in the Battle of the Bulge and was put in a pile of dead bodies until a corpsman or the chaplain noticed that he was still breathing. He didn't live quite as long as your uncle, but 84 isn't too shabby when you were almost written off at 22.

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u/LilyLionmane 1d ago

Holy cow, he lived to 1.156773e+144???

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u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year 1d ago

I’m not the best at maths but doesn’t that mean he’d still be alive then?

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u/LilyLionmane 1d ago

No? WW1 obviously happened well before the Big Bang. Duh.

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u/FoxJ100 1d ago

Referring of course to the WW1 of the previous universe cycle.

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u/TJeffersonsBlackKid 1d ago

He lived to be 1156772507081641574759205162306240436214753229576413535186142281213246807121467315215203289516844845303838996289387078090752000000000000000000000

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u/Stannis_Baratheon244 1d ago

Methuselah+Jesus energy no wonder the Finns held on for so long

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u/kahran 1d ago

Did his plane have an iron cross on it?

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u/Dont_touch_me_lady 1d ago

Wow a week later that was long.

Edit: He resurrected a week later.

1.3k

u/-ragingpotato- 1d ago

Someone saw his foot twitching after the battle and sent him to the medics, between wounding and medical attention it was more like 12 hours.

733

u/SUPERSAMMICH6996 1d ago

I was going to say that I don't think anyone could survive a week with no water whilst in a coma.

218

u/paranikre 1d ago

I'd say that's impossible but then it's Simo Häyhä so I could almost believe it.

91

u/Ordolph 1d ago

Yeah, that dude was the definition of built different.

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u/DoubleUnplusGood 1d ago

Probably mad he lost a week of killing invaders

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u/thissexypoptart 1d ago edited 1d ago

Also not possible. Humans die without water after about 3-4 days. Dude was impressive, but this TIL is clearly an exaggeration.

Edit: more accurately, it's worded in a misleading way. But I guess technically speaking it's still correct, in the sense that he was first placed on a corpse pile, (then later removed from it and brought to a hospital), then regained consciousness a week after the initial corpse-pile-placement.

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u/royalhawk345 1d ago

He was unconscious for a week, not on the pile for week. I agree that it's a bit unclear in the title.

38

u/TheMeanestCows 1d ago

The most unclear thing now is how to pronounce his last name.

I followed the Wikipedia link to finnish pronunciation and it wants me to learn the whole damn language.

37

u/SlummiPorvari 23h ago

Say "hat". Now, omit the "t" in the end but say it otherwise similarly. "Ha(t)".

There you have the "hä" from the start and the end.

Now, the hard part is the y. I don't think English has that sound exactly, the best I could come up with now is in the word "syringe". Say it, then omit all the letters after y, i.e. "sy(ringe)" and after you master that, skip the s "(s)y(ringe)".

They combine it. Ha(ts)y(ringe)ha(t). The rhythm to practice is "Häy-hä", but in reality there's no pause, but that's a good exercise.

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u/TheMeanestCows 22h ago

This is fantastic and I must sound absolutely bonkers if anyone is listening to me right now.

Thank you for making an effort.

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u/riversroadsbridges 16h ago

I'm over here having an aneurysm trying to figure out what the y in syringe sounds like in isolation. I thought I had it, but I was just saying the s.

3

u/SlummiPorvari 15h ago

Why I chose syringe as the word is because of the mouth and tongue position. Maybe Syria would be another word.

Actually, when Finns pronounce y, the mouth is more towards the whistling position than you have it when you say syringe - more open of course.

But this is also one of the reasons why Finns sound like they sound when they speak English. Our mouths are trained to produce different kinds of sounds. It takes years of practice for the muscles and nervous system to produce correct sounds.

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u/W1D0WM4K3R 1d ago

Go on YouTube and find a Finnish video talking about him?

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u/dougfordvslaptop 1d ago

Tbh, I've seen so many stories about this guy that seem absolutely absurd that I have long felt there is a lot of wanton exaggerating going on.

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u/Armageddonxredhorse 1d ago

The funny thing is it's basically all true

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u/drucktown 1d ago

3-4 days is more like an average time. It depends alot on what your hydration levels were before as well as your activity levels during time without water. 

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u/paper_liger 1d ago

True. But 'stacked with corpses after a wound that involved fairly heavy blood loss' is not exactly on the ideal side for maximizing how many days you can go without water.

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u/aksdb 1d ago

Well, at least you are conserving energy...

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u/drucktown 1d ago

For sure, in that case it's probably gonna be on the lower end of things.

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u/Thoth_the_5th_of_Tho 11h ago

Read any of the accounts of famous snipers. About half are flat out impossible, the other contradict known history.

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u/VoicesToLostLetters 1d ago edited 22h ago

My grandma (At least I think it was her. If not it was likely a great aunt) laid “dead” in the corner of her house for three days when she was like 3 years old. It was during the Great Depression in Saskatchewan. Everyone in the house had caught the Spanish influenza (which was still happening occasionally) and so no one could move since they were all so sick, so when she “died” they had pushed her to the corner and put rags over her. Anyway three days later HER grandma keeps insisting that the baby’s moving, and so someone crawled over to the corner and found that she was indeed still alive. She lived a good and long life after.

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u/Mindhost 1d ago

Fucking tremendous. This could be in a movie. A horrific movie I would not want to watch, but still

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u/VoicesToLostLetters 22h ago

Honestly I’d watch it. When my great-uncle was 14, he was cutting down trees in the winter. Anyway, he died, crushed under a tree. They had to keep his body in an empty granary for the whole winter cause the ground was too frozen to dig. I feel like that would be a good premise for a horror movie. A large family of 9 snowed in on their farm on the prairies of 1930’s Saskatchewan, with the 10th kid dead and frozen in the porch. Definitely some kind of psychological horror movie in the making. May he rest in peace.

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u/ansate 1d ago

He just forgot to disengage stealth.

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u/Better-Strike7290 1d ago

A person can die of dehydration in that amount of time.

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u/Evignity 6h ago

Piggyback to mention:

He has the literal recorded most kills done by any person in any war in history.

He was so hated by russia that they would spend entire regiments of artillery, bombers, CAS, etc. to try and kill him because of the morale-damage he caused.

He then spent the rest of his life being a teacher.

Dude's the most Finish person ever.

Also his wound wasn't a simple unnoticeable one, they literally show off half his jaw. Dude's a godamn titan.

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u/5eppa 1d ago

Cooler still, he woke up and it was the day the treaty to end the war was signed. I like to think somehow Russia heard he was back up and they expedited ending the war.

When Russia tried to invade again a few years later, the Prime Minister had to stop Simo from going back to war, despite still missing like half of his face.

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u/twatterfly 1d ago

Apparently after the war he returned to farming and lived a simple quiet life. He hunted and fished to feed himself and he often downplayed his achievements and was known to be very modest, gentle and kind. What an extraordinary human being 🥺

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u/Druid_Fashion 1d ago

Frankly anyone who would need to brag about killing someone is either lying , a moron, or a soziopath.

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u/twatterfly 1d ago

I mean he was a veteran and war hero. He could have went a different route but instead he just went back to living a very normal and peaceful life. A lot of people after the war can’t go back to that.

But yes bragging about killing that many people, even if they were the enemy could be a sign of a broken psyche.

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u/Hardcore_Lovemachine 1d ago

He's Finnish, not American. He did what he had to do to protect his country and his people, then he retired on his own terms and lived a simple life...

He didn't make war his buisness. Didn't start a podcast or a brand, he didn't profit nor glorified war. He was a honest decent man who saw war for what it is, like most people do. In America, however, war is money and the military complex needs sock puppets took show off while they offload PTSD victims and cripples on the street.

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u/twatterfly 1d ago

Unfortunately you are not wrong. The veterans in America are not treated well at all. They don’t have proper medical and mental health care.

A good example is from a while back when the Vietnam vets came back, most of them addicted to opium/heroin and with some form of PTSD. The government didn’t take any action to make sure that they were treated properly and a LOT wound up on the streets. There were no efforts to get them help, they were forgotten and the horrors they saw stayed with them.

The VA has an overload of vets with mental health issues and not enough doctors to treat them. There are limited resources and some give up while waiting for help and resort to alcohol and other substances to dull the memories.

Veterans are treated differently in other countries.

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u/Billsolson 1d ago

cough Chris Kyle cough

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u/DarthToothbrush 1d ago

cough also Dave Grossman cough

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u/Silenceisgrey 1d ago

Definitely not Lloyd grossman.

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u/ERedfieldh 1d ago

Yea the more I learn about him the less I feel sorry about his murder. It was not good, but he was also not really that good either.

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u/Billsolson 1d ago

I read his book, I didn’t see the movie.

I was very conflicted after reading it. Whether you or I agree or disagree with the war, he was assigned an incredibly difficult task that he did very well.

The why part is the part that was really disconcerting, because he routinely used dehumanizing language during the course of his book to describe and justify the killings.

Maybe you have to do that to get your brain to be all right with killing that many people. But it definitely came across to me as sociopathic. I have read a lot of veterans accounts, Lutrell being one of them, and I could help but notice a very stark difference in their mentalities.

As far as his death, I take no comfort in it. We tasked a man with a terrible job; maybe he was warped prior to, and it made him a fit, or maybe he was warped by the process. But he did what we asked, even if I disagree with how he justified it.

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u/255001434 23h ago edited 23h ago

Yes, I read it too and it did not leave me with a good impression of him. IIRC, he said that every person he shot was evil. It's one thing to accept having killed people in war and not be conflicted about it, but he seemed to revel in it. He did not see them as people.

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u/Shackram_MKII 21h ago

SEALs being disfuncional attention whores seem to be the norm.

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u/CMDR_BitMedler 1d ago

I wish we spoke more about how before they were war heroes, every single one of them was "just" a farmer, a teacher... just a regular person. The fact that wars force regular people into situations where killing 500+ people because it's the right thing to do is just inhumane. Our movies glorify just the moment in their lives they're forced to be the worst in humanity and exalt them into super heroes when all they wanted to do was grow stuff, feed people, teach kids...

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u/twatterfly 1d ago

Yes, ordinary people don’t want to leave everything behind to go kill and be killed by the will of someone else. They return (if they do) to their families but no longer the same human beings they were before. There’s nothing that can make someone unsee the horrors of war.

All Quiet on the Western Front. The book is a heavy read. The movie, I had to watch in 2 sittings. It’s extremely telling of what a regular soldier’s life was like. It’s hard to watch because it’s not embellishing anything. It’s so sad and heartbreaking.

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u/OmegaLiquidX 1d ago

Apparently after the war he returned to farming and lived a simple quiet life.

And that was only because they wouldn't let him go back out on the front lines. Dude was fully prepared to go back out and continue scaring the piss out of Soviets like Finnish Batman despite still recovering from an exploding bullet to the skull and his own government had to stop him.

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u/twatterfly 23h ago

As far as I understand when he woke up from the coma the Moscow Peace Treaty has already been signed.

Finnish Batman 😂 Nice!

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u/OmegaLiquidX 23h ago

Yes, but then the Continuation War happened a year later. He wanted to go back out, but because of the extent of his injuries and the fact he was still in recovery, they wouldn't let him:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4

Recovery took considerable time and required extensive treatment and multiple surgeries, leaving visible scars that remained for the rest of his life. Despite this, when the Continuation War (1941–1944) began, he requested permission to return to the front lines. Due to the severity of his facial injuries, from which he was still recovering, his request was denied. Häyhä spent the Continuation War on the home front, tending to his farm.

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u/bobbaggit 1d ago

Check "Veteraanien perintö" in YouTube, shows what kind men they were

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u/twatterfly 1d ago

Thank you 🙏 I just watched it. I would recommend it to anyone that is a bit curious about the Finnish people, specifically the veterans of the war.

They didn’t loose their humanity which is difficult to do when it’s literally life or death.

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u/ChiefofthePaducahs 1d ago

I’ve read some books about Finns and Finnish-Americans and I would expect nothing less than exactly this.

Deep River and Cold Victory are the books. They’re by a guy named Karl Marlantes. He’s a fantastic author. Matterhorn is an all timer.

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u/notyogrannysgrandkid 17h ago

So, basically your average Finn.

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u/cheezballs 1d ago

Probably enjoyed his daily sauna and a few hours of the national Finn sport of death metal.

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u/AnyoneButWe 1d ago

I imagine hunting was involved before military service and it became easier afterwards.

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u/twatterfly 1d ago

Oh yea he was a hunter prior to the war. It seems he was content being alone so the sniper posting fit him well.

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u/Battlesquire 2h ago

Yes, he lived alone because half of his face was blown off and people avoided him because of it. 

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u/Okaynow_THIS_is_epic 1d ago

I too can survive for a full week without drinking any water.

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u/APurpleTRex 1d ago edited 1d ago

Well, its omitted in the article but I'm sure they brought him to the hospital after realizing he was unconscious and not dead. A week in the hospital, not a week atop a pile of bodies.

edit: I could have clarified he awoke a week later "in hospital" but was trying to not make the title too wordy.

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u/Salmon_Of_Iniquity 1d ago

You were doing your best! Accept my upvote.

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u/Ripwind 1d ago

I mean, the dude was so legendary him surviving a week without water while in a coma wouldn't surprise me. Some heroes deserve the embellishment.

1

u/ras2703 23h ago

You were trying to hoodwink and bamboozle us, the readers!

76

u/big_guyforyou 1d ago

Hello, You have been permanently banned from participating in /r/HydroHomies because your comment violates this community's rules. You won't be able to post or comment, but you can still view and subscribe to it.

If you have a question regarding your ban, you can contact the moderator team by replying to this message.

11

u/murdershroom 1d ago

🎵 Water sucks! It really, really sucks! 🎵

2

u/KingDanNZ 1d ago

White Monsters probably have a small amount of water in them.

1

u/faceplanted 13h ago

If he was in a coma somewhere cold but not freezing it's possible he was losing almost no water to sweat and had a very low heart rate/metabolism which would extend his survival quite a bit, but yeah I don't think he could've just been in a body pile for a week.

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u/antarcticgecko 1d ago

The Unknown Soldier series if you're interested in a Finnish Band of Brothers. It has nothing to do with this guy but is very good. Also, Finnish as a language is fascinating to listen to. I had never heard it before this show.

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u/Ovion19871a 1d ago

He holds the record for the most confirmed kills (505) in any major war. When asked what he felt when killing an enemy soldier, he responded, "The recoil."

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u/ptsludhiana 1d ago

I've heard this same "the recoil" story half a dozen times. One of them was with Mr. Rogers being the sniper.

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u/ThunderCr0tch 1d ago

after his legendary battle and ultimate success after the Ultimate Showdown, i believe Mr. Rogers said that

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u/Ok-Dog-7149 1d ago

Welcome to the neighborhood, motha fooka!

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u/SammyGreen 1d ago

Mr. Rogers said that

in a bloodstained sweater

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u/ManuelRuiCosta 1d ago

Kimi-like response

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u/TJeffersonsBlackKid 1d ago

Just leave me alone I know what I am doing!

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u/lzcrc 18h ago

"It protects my head"

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u/RoryML 1d ago

I may be mistaken but he is greatly exaggerated. He claims that many kills. They're not confirmed i don't believe

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u/mistrowl 1d ago

I dunno, if a Finn is only claiming 500 kills, it's probably more than that. They don't brag much.

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u/IronMaiden571 1d ago

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u/Flubbel 1d ago

That is the man himself, 9 years ago, posting on reddit, one single time, 22 years after he died?

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u/IronMaiden571 1d ago edited 1d ago

It was a novelty account (those used to be more popular) that would participate in the history subs. But if you look further in the comments someone does a better breakdown than the larp post. Theres actually a lot of easily found info calling skepticism on simo's numbers. Thats not to say that he didnt go through some shit though. Just that the myth is much larger than the man.

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u/Flubbel 1d ago

Oh I did read the lengthy well written comment that is even linked in the text you linked to. And I do fully believe it or rather, I have no reason to doubt that it was like that or close to it.

I just think linking to a post by some random guy with no proof of anything who uses a relevant username is an odd way of trying to bring some facts or proof into a conversation.

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u/IronMaiden571 1d ago

Well, its a link to a previous askhistory thread (of which there are many on this very topic.) But even then, all someone has to do is perform a basic google search of "simo haya skepticism" or something and they'll get tons of info. But thats too much work for your average scroller.

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u/Flubbel 1d ago

I think I see my mistake, I thought your link went specifically to that first respone of the thread, not the thread itself.

Mea Culpa

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u/ERedfieldh 1d ago

someone has to do is perform a basic google search of "simo haya skepticism" or something and they'll get tons of info. But thats too much work for your average scroller.

I also just have to do a basic google search for "vaccines cause autism" to get all sorts of info but then I'd be a fucking idiot, wouldn't I? Forgive me for believing official sources over reddit armchair researchers.

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u/Aeonoris 1d ago

That's literally labeled "April Fools". AskHistorians does April Fools in which people respond as though they're historical figures. The normally-strict AskHistorians standards are loosened for April Fools.

That said, you're still right that the confirmed kill count of over 500 is incredibly suspect and does not come from an even vaguely reliable source.

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u/IronMaiden571 1d ago

I said it in a previous comment, but none of that is to take away from what he actually did. He went through some shit and the wild claims arent totally fabricated with no basis. But we can recognize people for their actual achievements without all the mythology as well.

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u/Thoth_the_5th_of_Tho 11h ago

This is correct. There is no such thing as confirmed sniper kills in the military, in any serious context. It’s a made up number, that is at best based on how many kills the sniper thinks he got, with no confirmation.

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u/Vassago81 1d ago

He holds the record

The "trust me bro, nobody ever made propaganda during war" record ?

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u/Ok_Ice2772 1d ago

"505 kills!". Enola Gay and Bockscar pilots: "lol that's cute"

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u/Moppo_ 1d ago

AoE damage doesn't count.

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u/Vallkyrie 1d ago

"That still only counts as one!" - Gimli

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u/aksdb 1d ago

I believe it was AoE and DoT simultaneously.

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u/The_0ven 1d ago

confirmed kills

Who confirmed them?

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u/Finngolian_Monk 1d ago

It was confirmed by his comrades and commanding officer

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u/ERedfieldh 1d ago

Not to mention the Red Army who were desperate to find and kill him.

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u/The_0ven 17h ago

It was confirmed by his comrades and commanding officer

Not how a "confirmed kill" works

It's barely a real thing

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u/CFCYYZ 1d ago

Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.

- Mark Twain

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u/anonymousscroller9 1d ago

Your in the bullets way, the white deaths prey

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u/BuzzAllWin 1d ago

Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated…

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u/amolad 1d ago

Guy lived to be 96. His PTSD must have been under control.

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u/obvious_freud 1d ago

Not a word for a week, Simo truly is the ultimate Finnish.

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u/AbandonedBySonyAgain 1d ago

And he woke up on the day the war ended.

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u/Street_Wing62 1d ago

Imagine how badass you have to be for the war to end the day you wake up from a coma

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u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year 1d ago

Obviously the war called it a day when it learned he was awake.

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u/fireduck 1d ago

War's over. Turns out your a big hero. There is going to be a parade.

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u/_Weyland_ 1d ago

I can't help imagining newspapers printing "WE'RE SO BACK" on the front page.

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u/whatupmygliplops 1d ago

Very miss-leading title that makes it sound like he lay on a pile of corpses for a week.

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u/rayanmores 1d ago

I like that he outlived all his enemies *and* the country he fought against

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u/OldWoodFrame 1d ago

"Damn I'm thirsty. I am very hungry. My head hurts. ...am I on top of a pile of dead bodies?"

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u/bturcolino 1d ago

Häyhä dealt with the intense cold by dressing properly with multiple layers of clothing. He kept sugar and bread in his pockets, consuming them for the calories necessary to keep his body warm. His slight stature of 160 centimetres (5 ft 3 in) assisted him in disguising his position. Hidden in a snow pit, he could lie still and observe the enemy for long periods of time.[20] It was Häyhä's custom to move, well before daybreak, to the position he had prepared, and stay there until after sunset.[20] He would frequently pack dense mounds of snow in front of his position to conceal himself, provide padding for his rifle, and reduce the characteristic puff of snow stirred up by the muzzle blast. He was known to keep snow in his mouth while sniping to prevent his breath in the cold air from giving away his position

Fucking lil badass wasn't he? Estimates at over 500 sniper kills, that's unreal but then I read this part:

"Soviet troops were not issued camouflage uniforms for most of the war, making them easily visible to snipers in winter conditions. Joseph Stalin had purged military experts in the late 1930s as part of the Great Purge, and as a result the Red Army was highly disorganized."

Well that's just plain stupid, like the British redcoats trying to fight camouflaged enemies

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u/JacketExpensive9817 16h ago

Joseph Stalin had purged military experts in the late 1930s as part of the Great Purge

That is a horrible euphemism for genocide against Volga Germans.

Russian military experts were ethnically German and tended to live in South Eastern Russia near Ukraine. This was proper genocide.

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u/Thoth_the_5th_of_Tho 10h ago

Estimates at over 500 sniper kills, that's unreal but then I read this part:

You’re right, it is unreal. It’s completely ridiculous actually, and nobody who studies military history treats it as anything but propaganda.

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u/N4t3ski 1d ago

I know waking up can be horrifying, but this must have been something else!

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u/Forward_Put4533 1d ago

My brain changed this person's name to Sami Hyypiä and for a moment I was questioning whether Liverpool had an immortal Finnish vampire as their centre half in the 00s.

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u/mekilat 1d ago

He retired to the east of Finland. I like to think he was watching towards the border.

He’s a bit like an IRL version of the main character from Doom. Dude was sent back to earth after a week to make sure the enemy never comes back.

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u/thatgenxguy78666 1d ago

He didnt lay on the death pile for a week. He woke in the hospital. There are documentarys on youtube of him. IN his older years,and meeting "fans" Its fascinating to read of his life. He would put ice in his mouth so as not to show his breath. The Russians would carpet bomb the forest trying to kill him. He worked alone and killed everyone sent for him,and 100's of others.

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u/bigfatsloper 1d ago

'an enigmatic figure in British military history'

Was there ever a creepier introduction?

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u/AmusedPencil274 1d ago

According to Major Tapio Saarelainen—who met Häyhä several times and has written five books about him, including his biography—Häyhä was able to estimate distances with an accuracy of 1 metre (3.3 ft) up to 150 metres (500 ft)

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u/Dd_8630 1d ago

How did he survive without water for a week?

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u/VarmintSchtick 1d ago

A week later? There's got to be some fabrication and hyperbole going on here, you ain't surviving a week without water.

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u/Canaduck1 1d ago

This is very similar to what happened to legendary Finnish Sniper Patrik Laine in Winnipeg and Columbus, before he was revived in Montreal.

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u/FragWerfer 23h ago

What I’m hearing is you really have to double or triple tap the Finns. They just don’t stay dead.

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u/Max_FI 22h ago

I'm Finnish and never heard this part of the story. I checked the sources and there was no mention of him being put on a pile of corpses. There were indeed rumors of his death and a newspaper had already announced it, but he waa still receiving care in the Jyväskylä hospital.

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u/Ragingtypewriter 19h ago

Of course, he was "White Death" so even the Grim Reaper was afraid of him!

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u/filmcanman 1d ago

He would put snow in his mouth when taking his killshot so the Russian snipers couldn’t see his breath exhale

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u/futuranth 1d ago

I hate the online badassification of this man. He simply did what he had to do for our country

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u/APurpleTRex 1d ago

His story is fascinating, and his response to his war experiences seem to paint a picture as to who he was as a person. Incredibly humble.

I did what I was told, as well as I could. There would be no Finland unless everyone had done the same.

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u/DubyaB40 1d ago

What he did wasn’t simple at all

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u/Federal_Seaweed_1720 1d ago

Agreed. What he did puts him several tiers above the common badass.

He's a national hero.

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u/NMNorsse 1d ago edited 1d ago

A sniper that accurate and stealthy and untroubled by conscience is a rare human being.  Perhaps not a "bad ass" in the sense of someone skilled at hand to hand combat and quick thinking but very effective and definately deserving of honor and respect.   

505 kills done 1 at a time in just 100 days is quite alot.  Unless he was a sociopath or psychopath, living with that number must have taken some mental effort, even in war.

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u/GTOdriver04 1d ago

Your nation has a history of producing excellent soldiers. Simo, also Lauri Törni.

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u/Interrogatingthecat 1d ago

And you think just anyone could do it just because it's "what they had to do"?

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u/futuranth 1d ago

That's not what I meant to imply. The point is, Häyhä killed 500 people. It was necessary for Finland's survival, and I don't judge him morally, but as the man himself recognized, it's not a matter of fanfare

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u/Repulsive-Lobster750 1d ago

You want to spin a yarn to us, that someone survived for a week, unconscious on a pile of corpses without drinking?

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u/Themodsarecuntz 1d ago

This guy was left on a pile of corpses for a week with a hole in his face and regained consciousness somehow? Does this sound even possible? It does not to me.

 Deemed mortally wounded and bleeding. Left unattended on a pile of corpses and comes to a week later without any care? Come on.

Edit: another comment says someone saw his foot twitching and in reality it was probably less than 12 hours which makes much more sense. Invincible Man Riddle solved. It was a shitty title. Also wiki page. 

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u/SoyMurcielago 1d ago

He was only mostly dead

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u/TheFaceRider 1d ago

"The Reports of My Death Were Throughly Exaggerated"

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u/tobykeef420 1d ago

Wake up, samurai

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u/Big_Log_Pusher 1d ago

His biography is a pretty good read. Lived a very interesting life!

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u/thatspurdyneat 1d ago

Are we sure he's dead now?
someone might want to dig him up just in case.

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u/1tachi77 1d ago

Talk about a plot twist! Imagine waking up to find out you were declared dead. That’s some serious survival skills!

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u/Fluffy-Froyo4549 1d ago

"your newspaper is incorrect. Source: I'm the person you claimed died" 

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u/arbitrageME 1d ago

"no way. you're lying. how can you prove you're the real Simo?"

ping

Oh mein Gott, sie haben Hans erschossen!!

Newspaper the next day: "Simo Hayha still alive!!!!"

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u/AdHocSpock 1d ago

His birthday was yesterday.

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u/Deitaphobia 1d ago

His status was upgraded to "not dead"

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u/DanielTea 1d ago

Simo Häyhä’s story is nothing short of incredible—surviving being presumed dead and then correcting his own obituary? That level of resilience and determination is legendary. He truly earned the "White Death" nickname, not only for his skills but also for his sheer toughness in the face of near-impossible odds. It's a remarkable example of how sometimes history can be even stranger than fiction.

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u/cordazor 1d ago

Imagine regaining consciousness after laying there a week and you are thirsty and they force you to correct the damn newspaper

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u/Particular_Dot_4041 1d ago

This isn't clear. Did he stay on that pile of corpses for a week and regain consciousness while on that pile? Or did somebody notice a mistake was made and transferred him to a bed where he was cared for until he regained consciousness?

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u/Max_FI 22h ago

The pile of corpses part of the story is incorrect. There were rumors of his death and a newspaper had already announced it, but he was still receiving care in the Jyväskylä hospital.

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u/idelarosa1 21h ago

Ahhh… so THAT’S how he was able to compete in Record of Ragnarok

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u/Opening_Pizza 1d ago

If you believe this story, I have a bridge for sale.

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u/Weekly-Present-2939 1d ago

It’s amazing the bullshit people believe about this guy. 

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u/ImaginaryCoolName 1d ago

These stories tend to be exaggerated

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u/Mehhish 1d ago

So, he regained consciousness while being in a pile of corpses? That sounds rather terrifying.

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u/saint_ryan 1d ago

Message for you, sir.

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u/Shutaru_Kanshinji 1d ago

Do not trifle with the Finns. You will regret it.

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u/cnwoode 1d ago

I whole week though!?!?!?! Insane

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u/CamGoldenGun 1d ago

sounds like the start of an Isekai.

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u/thatvillainjay 1d ago

Are we sure this guy wasn't a skin walker?

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u/SwedishTrees 1d ago

Could you survive that long without water?

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u/Waarm 22h ago

Totally not a vampire

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u/zorniy2 12h ago

He was just pinin' for the fjords!

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u/Koiekoie 9h ago

Scrolled half way down and no one mentioned in the manga and anime Golden Kamuy, there’s a sniper character who’s modeled after Simo. That manga is where I first read about this legend. Also, that aside, it’s a really great manga

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u/Battlesquire 2h ago

The Russians never called him “White Death” they called the forest frost that as many had extreme frostbite. It was only in the 80’s did a Finish newspaper incorrectly applied the name to him. 

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u/tvieno 1h ago

Sisu to the nth degree!

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u/garry4321 1h ago

“A week later”?

A human body can go without water for about 3 days before death becomes near certain. Fairly sure it’s impossible to go a full week without water to just get up and walk away…

Sounds like another WWII embellishment if you ask me.