He was a Finnish sniper, a hero of Finland for his action during the war between his country and the Soviet Union in the period 1939 to 1940. Called by the Soviets as ‘White Death’.
He was born in 1905.
In 1925 he enlisted in the Finnish army in which he served until 1940. His rank was that of lieutenant. Before that he was a farmer and hunter.
He has the most confirmed number of successful shots in history. He used a simple M/28 rifle without a riflescope. He executed 505 Soviets confirmed and another 542 unconfirmed. He is also estimated to have killed another 200 with a machine gun. All this in 100 days. He acted in polar temperatures wearing a white suit.
In 1940 he was injured in the jaw. His fellow soldiers reported that half of his head was missing. He was taken to a hospital where he remained unconscious for 1 week. It took many years to revive.
For his achievements he received 3 honorary awards.
He passed away in 2002.
[Source: el.wikipedia.org]
