
Standing at just over five-foot tall and with a ready grin, Simo Häyhä might not look like a killing machine.

But the former farmer from Rautjärvi, southern Finland, was just that - racking up 505 confirmed sniper kills for his country in its battle against the Soviet Union during the now largely forgotten Winter War of 1939-40.

Häyhä, who died 15 years ago aged 96, played an instrumental role in the conflict, during which 25,900 Finns died to protect their new-found independence against the Soviets, who lost 126,900 soldiers.

Simo Häyhä was born on December 17, 1905 in Karelia, then eastern Finland, where he grew up enjoying hobbies including hunting and snow-skiing. When the Soviets invaded his country in 1939, he joined the Army and rapidly acquired a reputation as a legendary sniper, chalking a total of 505 confirmed kills during the largely forgotten Winter War. He is pictured after being awarded with a new rifle during the conflict

Häyhä, who died 15 years ago aged 96, played an instrumental role in the conflict, during which 25,900 Finns died to protect their new-found independence against the Soviets, who lost 126,900. Aged 33 when the war broke out, he quickly acquired a fearsome reputation, striking the enemy unseen and unheard from hidden positions up to 300 yards from his target. He is pictured during the war in this undated image

Nicknamed The White Death, Häyhä was a prime target for the Soviets, who struck him with mortars and heavy artillery to halt his killing spree, which once claimed 25 men in one day. This image, in which Häyhä poses with an M/28-30 in his winter camouflage, shows how he was able to blend into the icy terrain of eastern Finland

Despite the perils of his situation, Häyhä professed to never feel fear, and would obsessively clean his weapon to make sure it worked in -20C temperatures and visit 'favourite' firing positions at night to prepare. After the war he continued his life as a farmer, in his new home in Ruokolahti, by the Finnish-Russian border, where he is pictured in this undated photograph

Häyhä was an avid hunter both before and after the war, and he once stalked animals alongside Finnish president Urho Kekkonen. He is pictured standing over the body of an elk he shot alongside his dog, Kite. Stalking and shooting remains popular in Finland to this day, with around 300,000 people, or six per cent of the population, owning hunting licenses

Other tricks Häyhä used included freezing the snow around his hideout, so it would not fly up in the air when firing with an M/28-30 rifle, and covering his mouth to stop the steam rising from his breath. These photographs show in posing in military uniform in the 1940s, with the wound to his left jaw clearly visible

Simo Häyhä: A life on the frontlines Häyhä was born on December 17, 1905 to Juho and Katriina Häyhä in Karelia, which used to be Finland but is now Russia. Before serving in the Army he was a farmer and enjoyed hobbies including hunting and snow-skiing. He joined the White Guard, a voluntary Finnish militia, aged 20, and 6th Company of JR 34 during the Battle of Kollaa during the 1939-40 Winter War. On March 6, 1940, he was hit in the left lower jaw but a bullet, leaving 'half his face missing', according to comrades. After two years recovering he returned to shooting Moose, once joining Finnish president Urho Kekkonen for a day of hunting, before dying in a nursing home in 2002, aged 96. Source: BBC History Magazine Advertisement

Aged 33 when the war broke out, Häyhä quickly acquired a fearsome reputation, striking the enemy unseen and unheard from hidden positions up to 300 yards from his target.

Nicknamed The White Death, Häyhä was a prime target for the Soviets, who struck him with mortars and heavy artillery to halt his killing spree, which once claimed 25 men in one day.

Despite the perils of his situation, Häyhä professed to never feel fear, and would obsessively clean his weapon to make sure it worked in -20C temperatures and visit 'favourite' firing positions at night to prepare.

Other tricks included freezing the snow around his hideout, so it would not fly up in the air when firing with an M/28-30 rifle, and covering his mouth to stop the steam rising from his breath.

With his white hood and a long jacket Häyhä was perfectly camouflaged inside the covered foxholes he dug into the icy landscape of eastern Finland, which the USSR invaded on November 30 1939.

The Soviets wanted to push their border westwards in an attempt to make Leningrad (St Petersburg) safer from German attack.

Häyhä and his compatriots fought bravely against the Red Army, which was one-million strong and advancing along several fronts.

With his white hood and a long jacket(similar to these other Finnish soldiers, pictured on outpost duty during the Winter War) Häyhä was perfectly camouflaged against the icy landscape of eastern Finland, which the USSR invaded on November 30 1939. The USSR wanted to push their border westwards to make Leningrad (St Petersburg) safer from German attack

Häyhä and his compatriots fought bravely against the Red Army, which was one-million strong and advancing along several fronts. Pictured is a unit of Finnish troops wearing gas masks during the Winter War, circa 1940. The conflict lasted for three months, one week and five days until the Peace of Moscow

Häyhä's his luck ran out after 98 days, when he was hit in the jaw and spent a week unconscious in hospital before waking up on the precise day countrymen signed the Peace of Moscow on March 12, 1940. Pictured are Finnish troops at the ready on the Russo-Finnish border on October 12, 1939

The Peace of Moscow ended the conflict on Soviet terms, with the Finns agreeing to hand over western Karelia and part of the Hanko Peninsula for a Soviet naval base. Häyhä survived the Second World War and became a successful Moose hunter and dog breeder, before dying in a war veterans' home in Hamina, southern Finland. Pictured is a troop of Finnish skiers in an undated image

When asked in 1998 about how he had become such a good shooter, Häyhä answered, 'practice.' And when questioned whether he regretted ending so many lives, he said: 'I only did my duty, and what I was told to do, as well as I could.' Pictured: A Finnish soldier hauling a machine gun on a toboggan in February 1940

Although the Finns(including these two anti-aircraft machine gunners) were vastly outnumbered, they benefitted from a poorly-organised Red Army, which had been purged of its military experts by Joseph Stalin. On paper, the war was a disaster for Finland, which was forced to cede 11% of its land area and 13% of its economy to the Soviet Union

This is a Mosin-Nagant M28/30 Finnish sniper rifle, similar to the one that Häyhä would have used during combat. It was one of the most popular bolt-action rifles in history, with over 37million units made since its inception in 1891

Häyhä's luck ran out after 98 days, when he was hit in the jaw and spent a week unconscious in hospital before waking up on the precise day his countrymen signed the Peace of Moscow on March 12, 1940.

This ended the conflict on Soviet terms, with the Finns agreeing to hand over western Karelia and part of the Hanko Peninsula for a naval base.

Häyhä survived the Second World War and became a successful moose hunter and dog breeder, before dying in a war veterans' home in Hamina, southern Finland.

When asked in 1998 about how he had become such a good shooter, Häyhä answered, 'practice.'

And when questioned about whether he regretted ending so many lives, he said: 'I only did my duty, and what I was told to do, as well as I could.'

The USSR suffered heavy losses during the Winter War, but the amount of territory gained exceeded its pre-war demands. Conversely, its international reputation suffered while that of Finland - which gained independence from the Russian Empire in 1917 - was enhanced. Pictured: Soviet infantry attacking Finnish forces in an undated photograph taken during the conflict

The winter of 1939-40 was exceptionally cold, and while most Soviet soldiers wore proper cold-weather clothes, some were lacking. This led to many Soviet soldiers dying from frostbite, with some units losing 10 per cent of their soldiers to the extreme cold. Pictured: Soviet ski troops advancing during the conflict

During World War Two, Finland fought alongside the Germans against the USSR to regain its lost territories. But it was forced into a peace treaty with the Soviets in 1944, which included the condition that all German soldiers be expelled from the country. This led to a Finnish offensive against the Nazis which continued until all enemy troops were expelled in April 1945. Pictured: Soviet machine gunners attack across a frozen lake in an undated photograph

The poor performance of the Red Army during the Winter War was said to have been one of the key reasons why Hitler was persuaded to invade the Soviet Union in June 1941. Pictured: A Soviet patrol watching for Soviet forces in Petsamo on the northern border between Finland and the USSR in 1940