The sharpest sniper of the Winter war, Simo Hayha (Simo Häyhä) had to deal with a reverse side of heroism — death threats and, as a consequence, the fear.
Although since the Winter war decades passed, the reputation of the sniper Simo Hauhe in Finland and around the world remains very high.
For the three months of the Winter war Hayha shot 500 red army soldiers. Already during the war about Hauge print large article.
When the 6 March 1940 — just a week before the end of the Winter war, Simo Hayha was severely wounded at the battle of Colle, all over the world spread rumors of his death.
The Simo Jauhi kept the newspaper clipping with the headline: “Simo Hayha killed”. The article reported that “a freedom Fighter, born in the village of Kaukola (now Sevastianova approx. TRANS.), about the extraordinary success which the war the Newspapers told extraordinary stories, died in the last battle when the call”.
However, Simo Hayha had not died. He lived a long life after the war in his small house in Ruokolahti. The last years he spent in the house of veterans in Hamina, where he died in the spring of 2002.
Fear has overshadowed Jauhi
After being wounded Simo Hayha would like to participate in the War-the sequel (the Soviet-Finnish war of 1941-1944). However, the war was not picked up because the injury of the person was very serious.
Hayha received land in Ruokolahti, on which he built a small humble home. But he really did not like.
A resident of the city of Tonder, Harri (Harri Tonder) is often met with Hayha and knew him very well. According to Tonder, Hayha was lonely.
“He liked to work, but at night became lonely and scary,” says Harry Tonder.
From Simo Jauhi had enemies who did not approve of his actions in the years of the Winter war.
“He was frequently threatened, he was told straight to your face if you’re not gone, we will come to you.”
Chaohu knew everything. Injured in the war greatly distorted his face, and it was easy to learn.
“Simo Hayha every summer I went fishing in the river Tenojoki. He convinced his friend Michael Hallikainen (Mikael Hallikainen) not to fish in crowded places”.
According to Tonder, now everything would be different.
“Then after the war we had people who openly hated him. Gauge it was necessary to it to adapt”.
Fear of being alone has led to the fact that after the war Hayha sometimes lived with his parents ten miles from his home.
The home is on the other side of the border
Simo Hayha, born December 17, 1905 in Rautjärvi. Because he grew up in the countryside, loved nature and hunting.
Major Tapio Saarelainen (Tapio Saarelainen), who wrote a biography of Simo Hauhe, says that Hayha used in the sniper shooting skills, which he received in hunting. It should be easy to trap a moving beast.
Harry Tonder said that in his youth, Simo Hayha was the best shooter.
“He pretty much gave the workout and it came in handy during war.”
According to the major of Saarelainen Tapio (Tapio Saarelainen), methods of shooting Simo Jauhi continue to be used in the preparation of the snipers of the Finnish defence Forces.
“Methods Hayuhi — how to act at the firing position, select a target, estimate the range to make a shot, change firing positions and so on — all of this is used in the modern rifle the science,” said major Tapio Saarelainen.
Simo Hayha was the civil guards in 17 years. According to Harry Tonder, Hayha was very fond of home and native land.
“This is our land,” said Hayha his fellow villagers when he went to the front during the Winter war.
After the transfer of the territories at the end of the Winter war, the house of Simo Jauhi remained on the other side of the border. It is located in the former village Mattila (now — Varicella) two kilometers from the border in Russia.
At the firing position found more than 500 bullet casings
Simo Hayha participated in the battle of Colle. The front line ran along the river Kolosjoki, a width of a few meters. This firing position he held for many weeks, starting in December 1939.
A resident of Imatra Pertti, Saukkonen (Pertti Saukkonen) together with a search team of four people sought in the fall of 2000, the year the place where Simo Hayha was shot at enemies. Hayha showed them the exact coordinates.
“He gave us the drawing on which it would be possible to find a place,” says Saukkonen.
The group quickly found this place in the picture — the bridge over the river Kolosjoki. According to Saukkonen, it seems that after Hauhe in this place no one has gone before.
The group decided to explore the place with a metal detector. There were a huge number of cartridges.
“A strange feeling. Simo shot 542 of the enemy, and we found that number of shell casings”.
In a suit and tie
After the Winter war, Simo Hayha was very popular, and he was even invited to different cities of Finland. He received invitations to the activities of organizations of veterans of war and persons with disabilities. Hayha visited the Parliament and went hunting with the President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (Urho Kekkonen).
Injuries to the individuals who received Hayha, and was treated in Denmark, which thus offered Finland’s assistance.
On the photos you can see another feature of Simo Hayuhi: he is always in the front row dressed in a suit.
“Simo was short in stature and always wanted to stand in the front row. Other people also wanted Simo to be seen in the pictures,” says Harry Tonder.
After the war, Simo Hayha spent in Ruokolahti 57 years. Recent years he lived in the house of veterans in Hamina, where he died in 2002.
Tomb Simo Hauhe is in a cemetery in Ruokolahti.
