Holy shit this guy was a badass

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_Häyhä

Häyhä was born in the municipality of Rautjärvi near the present-day border of Finland and Russia, and started his military service in 1925. Before entering combat, Häyhä was a farmer and a hunter. His farmhouse was reportedly full of trophies for marksmanship.[3] It was during the Winter War (1939–1940), between Finland and the Soviet Union, that he began his duty as a sniper and fought for the Finnish Army against the Red Army.

In temperatures between −20 and −40 degrees Celsius (−4 and −40 degrees Fahrenheit), dressed completely in white camouflage, Häyhä was credited with 505 confirmed kills of Soviet soldiers,[2][4] and 542 if including the unconfirmed deaths.[4] The unofficial Finnish frontline figure from the battlefield of Kollaa places the number of Häyhä's sniper kills over 800.[5] A daily account of the kills at Kollaa was conducted for the Finnish snipers. Besides his sniper kills, Häyhä was also credited with over two hundred kills with a Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun, thus bringing his credited kills to at least 705.[4] Remarkably, all of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in fewer than 100 days.

Häyhä used a Finnish variant, M/28, of the Soviet Mosin-Nagant rifle

...

Now I've got to get my own Finnish Mosin to match his.

[davann]

Ah, stories of the Winter War. Good stuff. The Winter War was the second time the U.S. and Germany both gave arms to the same country. Some of those Fins were incredible in using the home turf to their advantage. Although, it was the lack of infrastructure and the extreme enviroment that beat the Russians in the end. The fins were just to out numbered and out gunned.

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

Ah, stories of the Winter War. Good stuff. The Winter War was the second time the U.S. and Germany both gave arms to the same country.

At least according to the novel The Eagle has Flown (sequel to The Eagle has Landed), there was an American Volunteer Group of fighter pilots sent to aid the Finns much as was later done under Claire Chennault in China with the famous Flying Tigers.

[NightFlight]

I'd find a Swedish Mauser in 6.5mm. I dealt guns for many years and this was the most accurate WWII bolt action I had ever fired. I could consistently put bullets through the same holes with open sights at 100 yds. Much better than the Swedish in 7mm or Argentine and sometimes I wondered how the Germans could hit anything with the 8mm (7.92). The sniper must of found a good Moisin Nagant.

We also had a volunteer group that flew for the British during the Battle of Britain. They flew P-40's and Spitfires and did pretty well.

[TimeLady Victorious]

The Finns were actually at war with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the same time.. And they were still able to preserve their independence.

Live Free Or Die, indeed.

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

The Finns were actually at war with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the same time.. And they were still able to preserve their independence.

Live Free Or Die, indeed.

Exactly.  That's why they are so badass.  My next rifle is definitely going to be a Finnish one.  Damn, I keep getting set back on my AK and CETME's...  


Edit: Nevermind, for the price I think I'd rather have an AK or a CETME first: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SearchResults.aspx?Keywords=M28

[Diogenes The Cynic]

The Finns were actually at war with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the same time.. And they were still able to preserve their independence.

Live Free Or Die, indeed.

Exactly.  That's why they are so badass.  My next rifle is definitely going to be a Finnish one.  Damn, I keep getting set back on my AK and CETME's... 

Mosins were used by the Finnish during the winter war. In the same war, they also made the "original" Molotov cocktail.

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

The Finns were actually at war with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the same time.. And they were still able to preserve their independence.

Live Free Or Die, indeed.

Exactly.  That's why they are so badass.  My next rifle is definitely going to be a Finnish one.  Damn, I keep getting set back on my AK and CETME's... 

Mosins were used by the Finnish during the winter war. In the same war, they also made the "original" Molotov cocktail.

That's exactly the rifle this guy used.  A Finnish M28.

[Rusty Nut]

FINLAND STRONG

[blackie]

War is gay.

[Rusty Nut]

The Finns didn't really have a choice.

[davann]

The Finns were actually at war with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the same time.. And they were still able to preserve their independence.

Live Free Or Die, indeed.

Nope, Finland was never at war with Germany during this time. In fact they moved to improve relations with Germany right after the Winter War. It was at the top of each country's agenda in fact. For Germany it meant opening another front against Russia during Operation Barbarosa. For Finland it would be the Continuation War. Finland's goal was to reclaim seceded territory lost during the Winter War.

[TimeLady Victorious]

The Finns were actually at war with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the same time.. And they were still able to preserve their independence.

Live Free Or Die, indeed.

Nope, Finland was never at war with Germany during this time. In fact they moved to improve relations with Germany right after the Winter War. It was at the top of each country's agenda in fact. For Germany it meant opening another front against Russia during Operation Barbarosa. For Finland it would be the Continuation War. Finland's goal was to reclaim seceded territory lost during the Winter War.

Actually after the Continuation War effectively stopped, the Greater German Reich refused to clear their troops out of Finland. Finland was ordered by the Soviet Union to expel the German troops from Finnish soil by force - all while the Finnish Army was demobilizing.