Table of Contents

Foreword Part I Simo Häyhä’s Official Record Farmer, Hunter and Civil Guard Member The Magic Sniper of the Winter War Simo Gets Wounded Life after the Winter War Part II The Secrets of Simo Häyhä’s Success Simo Häyhä’s Rifle Using Simo Häyhä’s Experiences for the Finnish Army An Example for Future Generations Epilogue Appendix 1 The Basics of Shooting Appendix 2 The Impact of Fire on the Battlefield Appendix 3 The Battles on the Kollaa Front during the Winter War Appendix 4 Ranked Snipers of the World Acknowledgements Bibliography

About the Author

Tapio Saarelainen is a career officer in the Finnish Army. He has spent two decades training snipers for the Finnish Army and contributed to the Finnish Army’s manual for snipers. In his youth he competed in rifle shooting. The author has spent much time investigating Simo Häyhä’s life and accomplishments and he interviewed Simo dozens of times between 1997 and 2002.

Reviews

"Anyone who wants to learn more about sniping needs this book in their library."-- "Infantry Magazine"

" The author takes us into a landscape and a conflict often ignored in the wider world of military history."-- "War History Online"

"The author spent two decades training snipers in the Finnish Army and helping create their sniper training manual. He conducted extensive research on Simo, including his character and training techniques. The famed sniper's rifle is also given attention. A quartet of appendices provides extensive background information that nicely rounds out the story."-- "WWII History"

"This is a remarkable story of a remarkable man. No matter how many books on sniping you have read, this must be added to you list if you are serious about shooting."-- "GunMart"

"This is a very useful and informative biography of the Finnish sniper Simo Hayha, written by Tapio Saaerlainen who is also a sniper in the Finnish Army. Anyone who wants to learn more about sniping needs this book in their library... The reason to buy this book is that he also shares what he learned with us in chapters titled, The Secrets of Simo H�yh�'s Success and Using Simo H�yh�'s Experiences."-- "Snipercraft"

"We have had a number of books and movies recently about the exploits of snipers. None of the others even come close to Simo H�yh�. .. The book is what we have come to expect from Casemate. It is well made and is liberally supplied with photos, maps, and some diagrams."-- "A Wargamers Needful Things"