Achievements as a sniper
All of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in fewer than 100 days, an average of five per day at a time of year with very few daylight hours.Häyhä's kill count as a sniper was based on Häyhä himself, with the confirmation of his comrades, and only those who were killed for certain were considered. No count was taken when several snipers shot at the same target. Men killed with a submachine gun as a group leader were not counted.
Häyhä in Kollaa on 17 February 1940, right after being awarded the honorary rifle.
Häyhä's division commander Antero Svensson credited him with 219 confirmed sniper kills and an equal number of kills by submachine gun, when he awarded him an honorary rifle on 17 February 1940. On 21 December 1939, he achieved his highest daily count of 25 kills.In his diary, military chaplain Antti Rantama reported 259 confirmed sniper kills and an equal number of kills by submachine gun from the beginning of the war until 7 March 1940, one day after Häyhä was seriously wounded. Later in his book, Rantamaa credited Simo with a total of 542 kills.
Some of Häyhä's figures are from a Finnish Army document, counted from the beginning of the war, 30 November 1939:
22 December 1939: 138 sniper kills in 22 days
26 January 1940: 199 sniper kills (61 in 35 days)
17 February 1940: 219 sniper kills (20 in 22 days)
7 March 1940 (one day after Häyhä was seriously wounded): total of 259 sniper kills (40 in 18 days)
Häyhä never discussed it publicly but his own private diary, discovered in 2017, shares a figure. He begins by stating that "this is his sin list", and estimates the total number shot by him to be around 500.
Historian Risto Marjomaa questions the large number, as confirmation of casualties was difficult due to the absence of the body. Complicating matters further is the use of Häyhä's achievements as a tool of propaganda: the Finnish press built a hero's myth around Häyhä at an early stage of war.
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