Häyhä served in the Winter War. The Unknown Soldier movie is about the Continuation War, which followed the Winter War. Sabaton has made songs about the Winter War and Häyhä and also about Lauri Törni/Larry Thorne. Sabaton History has covered also his life's events in a three part series, since, he was the Soldier of Three Armies.
Häyhä was the real deal and tells something about them finnish mentality that you hear about our heroes from swedish and not us. Lauri Törni is a spectacular story but depending on source has outgrown quite a bit what can be proven.
@@nicksykes4575 Impressive but he was hired and fought basically for the brittish and their allies under all wars, British, Spanish, Portugal and Greece. Lauri Fought in Finnish, German and American armies. The only common theme was his hatred for the russians. And Lauri entered all armies as enlisted and earned the ranks instead of an admiral hired in to the other armies. So You have been called and your hand was a bit weaker but still good.
As a Finn im happy that you show this. My grandma lost her home too because it became Russian. Simo is credited with as many as 542 confirmed sniper kills. Simo is also said to have gunned down a few hundred people with a Suomi 9mm machine gun, bringing his speculated total kill count to around 800.
Finland fought 2 wars against the USSR during WW2. Simo served during the winter war 1939-1940 while the movie Unknown Soldier is about the continuation war 1941-1944.
So happy you showed this! I was born in Ruokolahti, where Simo Häyhä lived the rest of his life and when I visit, I visit his grave every time. My family was also from Karelia and had to leave their home behind when Russia invaded, it's the story of many many Finns. Häyhä is an incredible hero!
Simo was a man with few words. Also, he had very dark and dry humour. Like mentioned in this video he was asked what's his secret being as good as he is and he just answered : "practice". Another time someone was thinking that it must be mentally hard to kill so much people so he asked "what do you feel when you kill those people". He answered : "recoil". Well - he did give more thorough answers too - about that he only did what he was told to do (and did it as well he could) and that he only did what had to be done. That he did not feel anything towards enemy - he just shot every time he saw one and kept shooting until there were no enemies. Apparently he distanced himself emotionally quite well on his job as he claimed that he always slept well, without nightmares, even during war. Most finnish veterans, including those I've known personally, were not so lucky.
2019 there was one japanese 72 year old fella, who flew to helsinki-vantaa airport and walked to rautjärvi where simo häyhä museum is. Thats about 300km or 180miles
In Japan, there is an anime character whose roots are in Finland's Simo Häyhä. This Japanese gentleman wanted to know and respect the great warrior and visited the Häyhä museum. On foot!
Lauri Allan Törni (Larry A. Thorne) 1919 - 1965. Another Finnish hero (in my opinion) who fought the war in Finland, Germany and U.S.A from private to Major. He's a relative to my good friend Kjell Törner who served as commodore in the Finnish fleet.
Häyhä was not in the movie Unknown Soldier coz he didn’t get permission to participate to Continuation war 1941-1944 due his injury. The character that kicks ass in the movie is Corporal Antero Rokka, a farmer who was also in winter war. He was a fictional character but according to Väinö Linna's own testimony, (he wrote the book Unknown Soldier) Rokka's role model was Viljam Pylkäs, Linna's comrade-in-arms during the war.
When I first saw a video on Simo, and they showed a picture of the rifle he used, it immediately struck me as familiar. While I was growing up in Northern Minn. My dad had a hunting rifle, which I was told was an old Finnish military rifle. A bit of digging and I concluded that Dad's rifle was the same model as Simo used. Dad's gone now, so I can't ask him, but I'm now wondering how he got it. Our family left Finland before it was in use, so he wouldn't have inherited it. The only possible answer I could come up with was that it was given to my dad by one of my Great-Uncles, who was a gun collector.
As finnishculturalchannel stated, the movie is about the later war vs. Soviet Union. There is also The Lapland War after Finland made peace with Soviet Union, in which Finland had to fight the Germans who were in Finland, mostly in the north. So there were three different wars for Finland during WWII, The Winter War, The Continuation War and The Lapland War.
Simo Hayha was an absolute legend of a man. The deadliest sniper of WW2 if i recall. And very very smart on the battlefield. He looked like he did after shrapnel injury from Soviet artillery. He was a hunter and thats why he was such a great shot. Edit: I was incorrect on the shrapnel, it appears it was a Russian explosive bullet
@@kessu27 he was shelled by the Russians during the winter war. That much I know. I could be wrong. I'll go back and check. Simo has been a kinda hero of mine a while.
That movie is about the Continuation War and the man you have in mind is called Antero Rokka. Antero was a veteran of the Finnish Winter War and he had lost his farm after that war. Simo did not participate in the Continuation War due to his injuries.
Simo Häyhä was trained since childhood for the winters, skiing and hunting, as he said; practice. Beside him there is a lot of men and women in the world being heroes in war or for saving others. But I think Häyhä stand out due to his personality. He seems to have been a very calm and nice person and I am sure that he never felt joy over killing the enemies, it was just what he had to do for saving his country. War is so bad...
Did you change the audio in the portions where they play some of the song about him? That is very clearly NOT White Death by Sabaton! Just so you know, you do not have to worry in the slightest about copyright claims from Sabaton, they have wholheartedly embraced the reaction community and will often share videos of people reacting to their stuff!
Ah, one of my favorite bands, Sabaton. :) They are from Sweden, and almost all of their songs are about wars, battles and heroes that once existed. They have their own history channel where they tell the background of their songs, just like this one about White Death. They have two other songs about Finland, Talvisota (Winter War) and Soldier of 3 Armies which tells the story of Lauri Törni, later known as Larry Thorn. The main character of book (and movie) Green Beret was based on him. :) You could do more Sabaton History channel reactions, or even music video reactions. They have plenty of good stuff. You could check e.g. Bismarck (awesome video) or Christmas Truce.
Viljam Pylkäs fougth in heavy battles during the Winter War but mostly he is known for his deeds during the Continuation War. Once a captain who didn't know Viljam Pylkäs asked him why he didn't salute, Pylkäs replied:" I'm here not to salute, I'm here to fight". Later Pylkäs killed 83 Soviet soldiers with a submachine gun in a short skirmish. From Wikipedia:"Antero "Antti" Rokka is a fictional character in Väinö Linna's 1954 war novel The Unknown Soldier. Antero Rokka is a well-known figure in the story, and he has taken on an almost archetypal role in Finnish culture. According to Väinö Linna's own testimony, Rokka's character is based on Linna's comrade-in-arms, Viljam Pylkäs."
Every December 6th, I pour myself a few drinks and raise my glass to Simo and all the other veterans in thanks for their sacrifices, so that i and my kids can live in a free country
Simo Häyhä. The Ultimate Sniper. Some Finnish movie producer really should make a movie about him. Remind Russia just what happens when you F*** with a tough little country---like the Ukraine. By comparison, my friends and I LOVE the hell out of the Finnish movie _Sisu._ It's violent as anything you can imagine, even getting cartoonish, but it's entertaining as hell. If that can be popular in the U.S.A., maybe a movie about Simo Häyhä could be.
About the Soviet Union (and nowadays Russia) wanting to overpower smaller countries - you are totally right! If you think about Finland vs. SU the relation was 1:50 in population, and probably even worse for Finland when it comes to industrial output. The Winter War really was a miracle that shouldn't have happened, but luckily did. Fortunately for Ukraine, Russia only has a superiority of one to three/four. Let us see how far Russia can sustain its casualties there. Their tactics don't seem to have changed a lot...
It's not him in the movie, the movie character Antti Rokka is based on Viljam Pylkäs and he wasn't a sniper. Simo Häyhä fought in the Winter War and the movie is about the Continuation War. The famous scene of the Unknown Soldier, where Rokka kills about 50 enemies, was modeled after the 83 enemy soldiers destroyed by Viljam Pylkäs's machine gun in Pertjärvi.
Mr. Häyhä was hospitalized after receiving a bullet to his face. Hence the looks. I met him a few times when I was younger. Only when I served in the army I realized I had met a legend. Very down to earth gentleman.
The movie Unknown soldier is NOT about Simo nor is he featured in the movie, it's not even about the same conflict, Simo werved in the winter war -39-40, Unknown soldier is about the continuation war -41-44!
Legend. Side note: That's a Swedish band called Sabaton. You should do a reaction to a good live gig with them. They're available in Swedish with subs here on CZcams and in English. But they're better in Swedish IMO.
Hmm, i got my comment deleted. 1:08 Reason he look like that is because he got a HE shot to the face and still lived. Check out Aimo Allan Koivunen, that is a crazy story too. Sabaton is what you could call History Metal, focusing on military history.
My girls grandfather was Finnish, he served in ww2. He was a guard at a camp with pow, one run away but he didn't shoot. He said that that man who run away have a family and friends that loves him and he is just like everyone else
The person in "Tuntematon sotilas" -movie is Antti Rokka. Every single Finn knows Antti Rokka and Simo Häyhä. Rokka is fictional character, Häyhä is a real legend.
PRACTICE! As 'simple' as that...He lived in the forest where he had to take care of himself, so was basically a marksman for decades whenever hunting! And also - he LIVED in this environment for most of his life! So - he was basically very much in his element !
8:31 Real photo but some context to it. Soldiers sometimes propped the fallen Sovier soldiers corpses that were frozen stiff upright like that to instill fear and utter terror to the advancing forces. Was it a nice thing to do? No. Did it work? Yes.
Sabaton is a swedish metal band whose whole "thing" is that pretty much all their songs are about military history, they are one of my all time favourite bands, I've seen them live 9 times and counting, and the amount of history I've learned because of their music is INSANE!
Some Britt general came to visit Finland and asked how many soviet troups are in here and where. Finnish general ansvered that about 300 000, about 3 feet fellow.
This is where you recognize person who isn't from Finland. Even in 20 years they pronounce words wrong. One german who have been living here 30 years. He has written books with perfect finnish ans with dialects but when he talks...yea foreigner. So häyhä, ä isn't a or ae. i'm keen to try to and always do try to say at least thank you and niceties with their own language. I'm good with london, swedish, german. those are languages i really understand. niin ja suomi
Simo Häyhä actually used mostly one spot where he shot the enemies and he didn´t relocate after every shot as it is used by snipers. He preferred to sit down instead of laying down because that position fitted him well. He dug a little pit where he sat down and he usually shot at the torso and not the head. A head can move a little and then you miss your shot.
When I went to Finland to my conscript in 1997 we had -34C. Even in a 18-man tent with a red glowing heater it was -11 inside the tent. I became so sick in pneumonia they had to send me to the hospital in the morning. 🥶
Simo is the definition of ´´ Suomalainen sisu´´ and that is not a translateable word to english but its resilience and never giving up and thats something we all finnish people is proud of we also have a fun saying of its all cool and games untill the trees speak finnish
He got shot in the face during winter war. That picture was taken after many face surgeries. He was also promoted to Corporal to 2nd Lieutenant for his bravery only soldier in Finnish history.
The movie unknown soldier you said you watched was based on continuition war and Simo häyhä was only in Winter war. Finland was two times in a row in war with soviet union
Simo lived a long life and did some cool stuff after the war like winning every marksmanship contest he signed up for or going out hunting with the president of Finland and one of his greatest achievements he outlived the soviet union
6:40 No, in the movie "Tuntematon sotilas" the sniper is not Häyhä but film character Antti Rokka who too has a real life example (and also that killing of whole russian company did happen). His name is Viljam Pylkäs, unfortunately not much english readings available. Another fun thing to follow would be word "kaukopartiomies" - also here one must use translators since material is only in Finnish and Swedish.
Sabaton don't claim copyrights on their songs, you can play the music. there are dozens if not hundreds of videos with 10+ hours of sabaton and for example chainbrain who plays whole albums of their songs in one video which is easily an hour and no copyright claim so the videos are still on youtube.
The movie Tuntematon sotilas is about the Continuation war witch is differend from winter war. Winter war first and then Continuation war. Simo was active only at the winter war
I think you need to read up on Fins and WW2 and the continued war . My grandfather was a veteran hero of higher rank. He never ever spoke about those atrocities. He had a Russian trophy at home , a Russian gun that he took from his lay down
Soldier of 3 armies is another song from Sabaton, and it tells a tale of Finnish soldier Lauri Allan Törni (And later: Larry Alan Thorne). Search the song and some info about it, it is wild.
In Finnish documentary it was said that Häyhä joined Suojeluskunta for their firing range... and I'd like to add, that Häyhä was before anything else a farmer, and that's probably why he was so "athletic"... our ground is mostly solid rock, weren't easy to be farmer here (still isn't, nowadays not because the granite but because the European Union).
They are 2 separate men. Inspiration for Rokka is Viljami Pylkäs. I did my service in Guard Karelian Brigade in anti tanks, it was 27th infantry regiment during the WW II, same regiment the Tuntematon Sotilas is about. Simo didnt wear a mask, thats a mistake.
You should listen to Sabaton - Talvisota. The bands singer is that other guy with the tattoos that is the "metal" singer. The band is from Sweden. The song is a tribute to the Winter War (Talvisota in Finnish).
they say the it was the worst winter... -30c.... but in reality it was near -50c at some spots........... there is rumors that shot russian troops were frozen almost instantly afterk killing them
Great reaction!🤘 Sabaton songs are all about military history. An amazing band and of course, my favourite band! On this channel you get the back story of their songs. Check out their episode AND their official music video for Christmas Truce. As a Brit you obviously know about the event itself taking place during the first year of WW1. Sabatons take on it is epic! Greetings from Sweden! 🇸🇪
"Freedom fighter Born in Kaukola, whose unique and even imaginative military service press have been written during the war has fallen during last days of the war. As we remember he got pretty "neat" and donated by swedish "sniper riffle" as a reward that he managed already over 2000 enemies, not to speak other firearms. there's more but can't translate it bc it's really old school finnish. Not that old that finnish ppl wouldn't understand but. That was the newspaper announcement...
Dwayne, The Winter War was never about fighting bc "not wanting to die". It was all about "over my dead body". Literally. And even to this day, it pertains in our genes. Nobody invades our way of life -- from the outside or inside. Anyone trying will be dealt with, with or without governmental approval.
Nope! The unkown soldier is based upon a novel about a platoon in the Continuation war. You are referring to a fictional character called Antero Rokka.
Antero "Antti" Rokka was the main character of the movie unknown soldier. I don't know if Häyhä was a model for that, but I started thinking about it myself. I don't know how widely the film has been distributed, comment below if you have seen it and the country. what you thought about his face at the beginning was because it was hit, which was evident in the video. there is a saying in Finland that a Finn is equal to 10 rysas. the same seems to be true in Ukraine as well. the idea for the next video could be the Molotov cocktail and its history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail
I'm pretty sure that many have pointed this out, but the picture in 6:12 is NOT Häyhä. It keeps popping out every now and then, but it's not. Oh and if you want to learn how to pronounce his name it's "h"ello, d"a"d, n"ew" "h"ello d"a"d. Finnish A is like A in father, and Ä a in as or dad. Simo is like "Salt" "Immobile" "More" "Opera". Thanks for the video :)
Heck, Check out the movie SISU. Dont Ever Give In! Cheers for the Finns! ❤ I'm proud just to be their neighbour! Greetings from viking Jonas, Gothenburg Sweden.
The name Unknown soldier is not about Häyhä. It's about the one and all portrayed in the book/film. They all depict every soldier fighting for their freedom, home and values against aggressors. Many have and many will fall doing exactly that, many will remain unknown when found. There are many monuments around the world for unknown soldiers. Regarding Finland and Finnish people, the unknown soldier is inside every Finn. It's the grit, the sisu, the inexplicable that rises inside when sh1t needs to get done.
You dont know about Sabaton? You are missing out. If watching their live version of "En livstid i krig" remember to enable subtitles (many reactors do miss that). Also their animated colabs with Yarnhub are amazing. And lets not forget about the track "1916" very moving, especially for a northern Brit.
Regarding Russian casualties in various wars: Since the Middle Ages, Western countries have viewed Russians either as primitive barbarians, or as a despised enemy. Since the Mongol invasions, when the Golden Horde occupied the Rus lands, they've also been seen as semi-Mongols, e.i. as a threatening "horde". The Russians kept winning their battles, in spite of being considered both morally, mentally, and culturally inferior, among other things crushing Napoleon and defeating both the British and Ottoman empires in the Crimean War. This obviously presented a bit of a puzzle to the West, and an explanation became necessary. They went for the traditional approach withing enemy-slandering. They're are faceless horde, with overwhelming numbers! They care nothing for human life! They have no strategy or tactics, but just keep coming, sacrificing themselves in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, until they overwhelm their enemy! This view of Russians have been there for centuries, and it still hasn't gone away. Because of it, Western estimates of Russian losses have always been much too high, regardless which war we're talking about. Worth noting is that, as a matter of pure fact, easily confirmed by speaking with any military historian, having overwhelming numbers doesn't increase losses, but decreases them. It's intuitive enough. All else being equal, if a fistfight is three against three, both teams run a serious risk of having at least one of their number seriously beaten. However, if the fight is nine against three, there's a likelihood that none of the nine will be hurt, while all of the tree will spend the next week in hospital. Having superior numbers reduces your own losses, and to believe that this works different for Russians is a very peculiar thing. Specifically about the Finnish Winter War: There's no doubt that the Soviets chose a bad strategy for invading Finland. They should've used troops familiar with such conditions and/or invaded in a different season. They relied too much on heavy equipment and superior numbers. All else being equal, these will secure a win, but all else wasn't equal. The Finns had terrain and season in their favor. Finnish soldiers had inferior training and equipment, by most measures, but their training and equipment were fully adapted to the conditions. They also had better morale. Morale is both overrated and underrated; if the morale on one side is below a certain point, it can be the singularly most significant factor; if both sides have a necessary minimum morale, one side having superior morale will have limited effect on who wins, but will still have a significant effect on the cost of that victory, and provide a strong motivation for negotiations, rather than fighting to the finish. There's also no doubt that the Soviets suffered heavy casualties in Finland, nor that Simo Häyhä was an outstanding soldier, nor that the Finish are a tough and brave people. A final thing worth noting, to properly understand the geopolitics of this war, and also to piss off Finns, is that the Soviet aim was to create a secure buffer around Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), in part because Finland was getting a bit to cozy with Germany, with which the Soviets expected to be at war with very soon. Their worries were vindicated when the Finns joined the Nazis and became instrumental in the siege of Leningrad, in which 640,000 civilians starved to death (Vladimir Putin's older brother being one of them) and 400,000 were murdered while trying to flee; it's one of the worst war crimes in history. Some people give the Finns a pass, because the Soviets attacked first, and the Finns were a plucky underdog that beat expectations. However, I find myself unable to give a pass, when >1,000,000 civilians have been deliberately killed. Shockingly, Stalin is among those who have given the Finns a free pass.
Here is some of the best Finnish war movies. Tali Ihantala. Framom främsta linjen. Rukajärven tie. Talvisota. Tuntematon sotilas made in 2017 Tuntematon sotilas made in 1985 Tuntematon sotilas made in 1955
'it's all fun and games until forest starts to speak finnish' 😁
*the snow
😂
I wonder if a hidden speaking device could scare Russians.
👍🇸🇪🇫🇮
Or the trees start speaking Vietnamese.
There's a joke that the Soviets made peace because Simo woke up in the hospital and he would have killed them all if the war continued.
hahahhahha - this is probably true!
he was in military hospiltal.and went back to war
Häyhä served in the Winter War. The Unknown Soldier movie is about the Continuation War, which followed the Winter War. Sabaton has made songs about the Winter War and Häyhä and also about Lauri Törni/Larry Thorne. Sabaton History has covered also his life's events in a three part series, since, he was the Soldier of Three Armies.
I'll see your soldier of three armies Lauri Torni, and raise you the Admiral of four navies, Thomas Cochrane.
Häyhä was the real deal and tells something about them finnish mentality that you hear about our heroes from swedish and not us. Lauri Törni is a spectacular story but depending on source has outgrown quite a bit what can be proven.
🤘
Winter war. Sun pitäis tietää tämä.
@@nicksykes4575 Impressive but he was hired and fought basically for the brittish and their allies under all wars, British, Spanish, Portugal and Greece. Lauri Fought in Finnish, German and American armies. The only common theme was his hatred for the russians. And Lauri entered all armies as enlisted and earned the ranks instead of an admiral hired in to the other armies. So You have been called and your hand was a bit weaker but still good.
Simo Häyhä is an embodiment of Finnish sisu (resilience, never giving up, not boastful but doing what is required).
Me Simot ollaan aika sinnikkäitä. Siitähän se sanontaki tulee "ihan simona".
@@SimoExMachina2 Simona voin vahvistaa 😅.
As a Finn im happy that you show this. My grandma lost her home too because it became Russian. Simo is credited with as many as 542 confirmed sniper kills. Simo is also said to have gunned down a few hundred people with a Suomi 9mm machine gun, bringing his speculated total kill count to around 800.
submachine gun*
Finland fought 2 wars against the USSR during WW2. Simo served during the winter war 1939-1940 while the movie Unknown Soldier is about the continuation war 1941-1944.
So happy you showed this! I was born in Ruokolahti, where Simo Häyhä lived the rest of his life and when I visit, I visit his grave every time. My family was also from Karelia and had to leave their home behind when Russia invaded, it's the story of many many Finns. Häyhä is an incredible hero!
in The Unknown Soldier that man "Rokka" who cuts off Soviet flanking operation is based on Viljam Pylkäs.
Simo was a man with few words. Also, he had very dark and dry humour. Like mentioned in this video he was asked what's his secret being as good as he is and he just answered : "practice". Another time someone was thinking that it must be mentally hard to kill so much people so he asked "what do you feel when you kill those people". He answered : "recoil". Well - he did give more thorough answers too - about that he only did what he was told to do (and did it as well he could) and that he only did what had to be done. That he did not feel anything towards enemy - he just shot every time he saw one and kept shooting until there were no enemies. Apparently he distanced himself emotionally quite well on his job as he claimed that he always slept well, without nightmares, even during war. Most finnish veterans, including those I've known personally, were not so lucky.
"Recoil"! 😂
2019 there was one japanese 72 year old fella, who flew to helsinki-vantaa airport and walked to rautjärvi where simo häyhä museum is. Thats about 300km or 180miles
In Japan, there is an anime character whose roots are in Finland's Simo Häyhä. This Japanese gentleman wanted to know and respect the great warrior and visited the Häyhä museum. On foot!
@@pvahanenThere's also a genderbender manga that's been translated to finnish 😅
Lauri Allan Törni (Larry A. Thorne) 1919 - 1965. Another Finnish hero (in my opinion) who fought the war in Finland, Germany and U.S.A from private to Major. He's a relative to my good friend Kjell Törner who served as commodore in the Finnish fleet.
He also said when someone asked what did you feel when you killed the soldiers he said ”recoil”😂
Häyhä was not in the movie Unknown Soldier coz he didn’t get permission to participate to Continuation war 1941-1944 due his injury. The character that kicks ass in the movie is Corporal Antero Rokka, a farmer who was also in winter war. He was a fictional character but according to Väinö Linna's own testimony, (he wrote the book Unknown Soldier) Rokka's role model was Viljam Pylkäs, Linna's comrade-in-arms during the war.
When I first saw a video on Simo, and they showed a picture of the rifle he used, it immediately struck me as familiar. While I was growing up in Northern Minn. My dad had a hunting rifle, which I was told was an old Finnish military rifle. A bit of digging and I concluded that Dad's rifle was the same model as Simo used. Dad's gone now, so I can't ask him, but I'm now wondering how he got it. Our family left Finland before it was in use, so he wouldn't have inherited it. The only possible answer I could come up with was that it was given to my dad by one of my Great-Uncles, who was a gun collector.
US gun importers bought whole Arsenals from countries when the rifles became obsolete
As finnishculturalchannel stated, the movie is about the later war vs. Soviet Union. There is also The Lapland War after Finland made peace with Soviet Union, in which Finland had to fight the Germans who were in Finland, mostly in the north. So there were three different wars for Finland during WWII, The Winter War, The Continuation War and The Lapland War.
The real number of kills of Simo, is about 700 because he killed 500 with his rifle and 200 with his submachine gun.
Simo Hayha was an absolute legend of a man. The deadliest sniper of WW2 if i recall. And very very smart on the battlefield. He looked like he did after shrapnel injury from Soviet artillery. He was a hunter and thats why he was such a great shot.
Edit: I was incorrect on the shrapnel, it appears it was a Russian explosive bullet
The deadliest sniper of history! Wasnt a shrapnel!
@@kessu27 he was shelled by the Russians during the winter war. That much I know. I could be wrong. I'll go back and check. Simo has been a kinda hero of mine a while.
@budgetpcgaming and yeah, legit the best sniper of all time
@@kessu27 he was shot with an explosive bullet. Still carried on fighting with the wound. That's badass
That movie is about the Continuation War and the man you have in mind is called Antero Rokka. Antero was a veteran of the Finnish Winter War and he had lost his farm after that war. Simo did not participate in the Continuation War due to his injuries.
Simo Häyhä was trained since childhood for the winters, skiing and hunting, as he said; practice. Beside him there is a lot of men and women in the world being heroes in war or for saving others. But I think Häyhä stand out due to his personality. He seems to have been a very calm and nice person and I am sure that he never felt joy over killing the enemies, it was just what he had to do for saving his country. War is so bad...
Have a look at Lauri Törni. John Wayne playd him in green barrets. He is a hero, too. Died in vietnam.
Did you change the audio in the portions where they play some of the song about him? That is very clearly NOT White Death by Sabaton! Just so you know, you do not have to worry in the slightest about copyright claims from Sabaton, they have wholheartedly embraced the reaction community and will often share videos of people reacting to their stuff!
Ah, one of my favorite bands, Sabaton. :) They are from Sweden, and almost all of their songs are about wars, battles and heroes that once existed. They have their own history channel where they tell the background of their songs, just like this one about White Death. They have two other songs about Finland, Talvisota (Winter War) and Soldier of 3 Armies which tells the story of Lauri Törni, later known as Larry Thorn. The main character of book (and movie) Green Beret was based on him. :)
You could do more Sabaton History channel reactions, or even music video reactions. They have plenty of good stuff. You could check e.g. Bismarck (awesome video) or Christmas Truce.
Tuntematon sotilas is about a different war.
Viljam Pylkäs fougth in heavy battles during the Winter War but mostly he is known for his deeds during the Continuation War.
Once a captain who didn't know Viljam Pylkäs asked him why he didn't salute, Pylkäs replied:" I'm here not to salute, I'm here to fight". Later Pylkäs killed 83 Soviet soldiers with a submachine gun in a short skirmish.
From Wikipedia:"Antero "Antti" Rokka is a fictional character in Väinö Linna's 1954 war novel The Unknown Soldier. Antero Rokka is a well-known figure in the story, and he has taken on an almost archetypal role in Finnish culture. According to Väinö Linna's own testimony, Rokka's character is based on Linna's comrade-in-arms, Viljam Pylkäs."
Emil Pasanen is another badass like Pylkäs, but for some reasons much less known.
Kiitos taas muistutuksesta aina unohdan ketä Rokka kuvaa, kun muistan että ei ole oikea henkilö. Viljam Pylkäs oli kova äijä.
How have you lived your entire life without hearing of this man. The original gangster :D
Simo is not portrayed in Unknown Soldier. Simo didn't fight in the Continuation War, of which Unknown Soldier is about.
Every December 6th, I pour myself a few drinks and raise my glass to Simo and all the other veterans in thanks for their sacrifices, so that i and my kids can live in a free country
🤍💙
And all that is gone now, as we are the slaves of USA and EU.
Simo Häyhä. The Ultimate Sniper. Some Finnish movie producer really should make a movie about him. Remind Russia just what happens when you F*** with a tough little country---like the Ukraine. By comparison, my friends and I LOVE the hell out of the Finnish movie _Sisu._ It's violent as anything you can imagine, even getting cartoonish, but it's entertaining as hell. If that can be popular in the U.S.A., maybe a movie about Simo Häyhä could be.
About the Soviet Union (and nowadays Russia) wanting to overpower smaller countries - you are totally right! If you think about Finland vs. SU the relation was 1:50 in population, and probably even worse for Finland when it comes to industrial output. The Winter War really was a miracle that shouldn't have happened, but luckily did.
Fortunately for Ukraine, Russia only has a superiority of one to three/four. Let us see how far Russia can sustain its casualties there. Their tactics don't seem to have changed a lot...
It's not him in the movie, the movie character Antti Rokka is based on Viljam Pylkäs and he wasn't a sniper.
Simo Häyhä fought in the Winter War and the movie is about the Continuation War.
The famous scene of the Unknown Soldier, where Rokka kills about 50 enemies, was modeled after the 83 enemy soldiers destroyed by Viljam Pylkäs's machine gun in Pertjärvi.
Mr. Häyhä was hospitalized after receiving a bullet to his face. Hence the looks. I met him a few times when I was younger. Only when I served in the army I realized I had met a legend. Very down to earth gentleman.
The movie Unknown soldier is NOT about Simo nor is he featured in the movie, it's not even about the same conflict, Simo werved in the winter war -39-40, Unknown soldier is about the continuation war -41-44!
Your impression when you saw Simo's pic the first time - priceless!! Thanks for the video.
Legend.
Side note: That's a Swedish band called Sabaton. You should do a reaction to a good live gig with them. They're available in Swedish with subs here on CZcams and in English. But they're better in Swedish IMO.
Hmm, i got my comment deleted. 1:08 Reason he look like that is because he got a HE shot to the face and still lived. Check out Aimo Allan Koivunen, that is a crazy story too. Sabaton is what you could call History Metal, focusing on military history.
Rautjärvi Simo Häyhäs home town translates to Ironlake to those who are interested.
My girls grandfather was Finnish, he served in ww2. He was a guard at a camp with pow, one run away but he didn't shoot. He said that that man who run away have a family and friends that loves him and he is just like everyone else
Lauri Törni,,Lars Thorn,green baret,soldier of threen army
The person in "Tuntematon sotilas" -movie is Antti Rokka. Every single Finn knows Antti Rokka and Simo Häyhä. Rokka is fictional character, Häyhä is a real legend.
Another Channel of yours I didn’t knew about! Subbed- even though Iam German a know your German themed Channel.
Snow snipers are the perfect camo literally impossible to spot them
PRACTICE! As 'simple' as that...He lived in the forest where he had to take care of himself, so was basically a marksman for decades whenever hunting! And also - he LIVED in this environment for most of his life!
So - he was basically very much in his element !
8:31 Real photo but some context to it. Soldiers sometimes propped the fallen Sovier soldiers corpses that were frozen stiff upright like that to instill fear and utter terror to the advancing forces. Was it a nice thing to do? No. Did it work? Yes.
always like vids of Simo, I was trained as a jaeger/sniper in Finnish armed forces, holding a rank of sergeant.
Sabaton is a swedish metal band whose whole "thing" is that pretty much all their songs are about military history, they are one of my all time favourite bands, I've seen them live 9 times and counting, and the amount of history I've learned because of their music is INSANE!
Laughed when I saw the thumbnail for the vid. Häyhä never used a scope let alone a modern helmet. 😂😂
Some Britt general came to visit Finland and asked how many soviet troups are in here and where. Finnish general ansvered that about 300 000, about 3 feet fellow.
This is where you recognize person who isn't from Finland. Even in 20 years they pronounce words wrong. One german who have been living here 30 years. He has written books with perfect finnish ans with dialects but when he talks...yea foreigner. So häyhä, ä isn't a or ae. i'm keen to try to and always do try to say at least thank you and niceties with their own language. I'm good with london, swedish, german. those are languages i really understand.
niin ja suomi
Simo Häyhä actually used mostly one spot where he shot the enemies and he didn´t relocate after every shot as it is used by snipers. He preferred to sit down instead of laying down because that position fitted him well. He dug a little pit where he sat down and he usually shot at the torso and not the head. A head can move a little and then you miss your shot.
When I went to Finland to my conscript in 1997 we had -34C. Even in a 18-man tent with a red glowing heater it was -11 inside the tent.
I became so sick in pneumonia they had to send me to the hospital in the morning. 🥶
Ouch. Hardly ever gets to zero where I am. Sometimes like -2c. Crazy Temps in some places
the shot to his face was the closest they EVER got to taking him down. he was also able to kill the sniper because he saw the glint on his scope.
You should check out the unbelievable story of Aimo Koivunen. Finnish soldier who fought in winter war and became absolut tweaker legend 😂
Simo is the definition of ´´ Suomalainen sisu´´ and that is not a translateable word to english but its resilience and never giving up and thats something we all finnish people is proud of we also have a fun saying of its all cool and games untill the trees speak finnish
Almost all of Sabatons music is about history. They are very well versed in it.
"puukko/leuku" is traditional finnish knife...not only army thing...
He got shot in the face during winter war. That picture was taken after many face surgeries. He was also promoted to Corporal to 2nd Lieutenant for his bravery only soldier in Finnish history.
The movie unknown soldier you said you watched was based on continuition war and Simo häyhä was only in Winter war. Finland was two times in a row in war with soviet union
Simo lived a long life and did some cool stuff after the war like winning every marksmanship contest he signed up for or going out hunting with the president of Finland and one of his greatest achievements he outlived the soviet union
6:40 No, in the movie "Tuntematon sotilas" the sniper is not Häyhä but film character Antti Rokka who too has a real life example (and also that killing of whole russian company did happen). His name is Viljam Pylkäs, unfortunately not much english readings available. Another fun thing to follow would be word "kaukopartiomies" - also here one must use translators since material is only in Finnish and Swedish.
Sabaton don't claim copyrights on their songs, you can play the music. there are dozens if not hundreds of videos with 10+ hours of sabaton and for example chainbrain who plays whole albums of their songs in one video which is easily an hour and no copyright claim so the videos are still on youtube.
This man was something else. He refused to use sights.
The movie Tuntematon sotilas is about the Continuation war witch is differend from winter war. Winter war first and then Continuation war.
Simo was active only at the winter war
When the snow starts whispering to you in Finnish, you're in serious trouble.
I think you need to read up on Fins and WW2 and the continued war . My grandfather was a veteran hero of higher rank. He never ever spoke about those atrocities. He had a Russian trophy at home , a Russian gun that he took from his lay down
The Unknown Soldier is based on the Continuation war and not on a real person. Simo fought during the Winter War
Soldier of 3 armies is another song from Sabaton, and it tells a tale of Finnish soldier Lauri Allan Törni (And later: Larry Alan Thorne). Search the song and some info about it, it is wild.
It's called Snowpers! Change my mind.
In Finnish documentary it was said that Häyhä joined Suojeluskunta for their firing range... and I'd like to add, that Häyhä was before anything else a farmer, and that's probably why he was so "athletic"... our ground is mostly solid rock, weren't easy to be farmer here (still isn't, nowadays not because the granite but because the European Union).
Every Finn knows who Simo Häyhä is... so does every Russian.....😉
💯
They are 2 separate men. Inspiration for Rokka is Viljami Pylkäs. I did my service in Guard Karelian Brigade in anti tanks, it was 27th infantry regiment during the WW II, same regiment the Tuntematon Sotilas is about. Simo didnt wear a mask, thats a mistake.
The actual nickname for Häyhä was "Taika-ampuja" "the Magic Shooter". "The White Death" is much later nickname for him.
You should listen to Sabaton - Talvisota. The bands singer is that other guy with the tattoos that is the "metal" singer. The band is from Sweden.
The song is a tribute to the Winter War (Talvisota in Finnish).
they say the it was the worst winter... -30c.... but in reality it was near -50c at some spots........... there is rumors that shot russian troops were frozen almost instantly afterk killing them
not long ago ( this year ) fins won EU sniper competition :)
Pylkäs, Häyhä and Törni. Thats all you need.
"I did what I had to, as well as I could", or closely that, said Simo.
Simo is the ultimate endboss. Freaking legend.
Great reaction!🤘 Sabaton songs are all about military history. An amazing band and of course, my favourite band! On this channel you get the back story of their songs. Check out their episode AND their official music video for Christmas Truce. As a Brit you obviously know about the event itself taking place during the first year of WW1. Sabatons take on it is epic! Greetings from Sweden! 🇸🇪
"Freedom fighter Born in Kaukola, whose unique and even imaginative military service press have been written during the war has fallen during last days of the war. As we remember he got pretty "neat" and donated by swedish "sniper riffle" as a reward that he managed already over 2000 enemies, not to speak other firearms. there's more but can't translate it bc it's really old school finnish. Not that old that finnish ppl wouldn't understand but. That was the newspaper announcement...
Dwayne, The Winter War was never about fighting bc "not wanting to die". It was all about "over my dead body". Literally.
And even to this day, it pertains in our genes. Nobody invades our way of life -- from the outside or inside. Anyone trying will be dealt with, with or without governmental approval.
Kiitos . Simo oli vaan hyvä ihminen.
Russia has never cared about its own losses, as a Finn I know these stories.
1:15 That's after he served in the Winter War and got hit in the face with an exploding bullet.
Nope! The unkown soldier is based upon a novel about a platoon in the Continuation war. You are referring to a fictional character called Antero Rokka.
in a first picture Simo looks bit rough, That is because he got hit by exploding bullet into face , 6th march in 1940. But that did not stop him.
Antero "Antti" Rokka was the main character of the movie unknown soldier. I don't know if Häyhä was a model for that, but I started thinking about it myself.
I don't know how widely the film has been distributed, comment below if you have seen it and the country.
what you thought about his face at the beginning was because it was hit, which was evident in the video.
there is a saying in Finland that a Finn is equal to 10 rysas. the same seems to be true in Ukraine as well.
the idea for the next video could be the Molotov cocktail and its history.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail
I'm pretty sure that many have pointed this out, but the picture in 6:12 is NOT Häyhä. It keeps popping out every now and then, but it's not.
Oh and if you want to learn how to pronounce his name it's "h"ello, d"a"d, n"ew" "h"ello d"a"d. Finnish A is like A in father, and Ä a in as or dad. Simo is like "Salt" "Immobile" "More" "Opera". Thanks for the video :)
How about man who fought three armies, Lauri Törni aka Larry Thorne
Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes consistent.
Yeah, working alone describes 99.99% of ALL Finns!
Simo Häyhä was not in the Unknown soldier movie. Soldier in the movie was Antero Rokka who is not sniper.
I recommend watching the movie Talvisota if you can somehow watch it, good description of the winter war
Heck, Check out the movie SISU. Dont Ever Give In! Cheers for the Finns! ❤ I'm proud just to be their neighbour! Greetings from viking Jonas, Gothenburg Sweden.
There is Antero Rokka in unknown soldier, who is totally different from Simo Häyhä.
In Tuntematon Sotilas Rokka killed soviets with Suomi. Real Rokka was Viljalm Pylkäs and he really killed 80 enemies.
The name Unknown soldier is not about Häyhä. It's about the one and all portrayed in the book/film. They all depict every soldier fighting for their freedom, home and values against aggressors. Many have and many will fall doing exactly that, many will remain unknown when found. There are many monuments around the world for unknown soldiers. Regarding Finland and Finnish people, the unknown soldier is inside every Finn. It's the grit, the sisu, the inexplicable that rises inside when sh1t needs to get done.
You dont know about Sabaton? You are missing out. If watching their live version of "En livstid i krig" remember to enable subtitles (many reactors do miss that). Also their animated colabs with Yarnhub are amazing. And lets not forget about the track "1916" very moving, especially for a northern Brit.
Pronunciation is closer to 'How-ha'
Regarding Russian casualties in various wars:
Since the Middle Ages, Western countries have viewed Russians either as primitive barbarians, or as a despised enemy. Since the Mongol invasions, when the Golden Horde occupied the Rus lands, they've also been seen as semi-Mongols, e.i. as a threatening "horde". The Russians kept winning their battles, in spite of being considered both morally, mentally, and culturally inferior, among other things crushing Napoleon and defeating both the British and Ottoman empires in the Crimean War. This obviously presented a bit of a puzzle to the West, and an explanation became necessary. They went for the traditional approach withing enemy-slandering. They're are faceless horde, with overwhelming numbers! They care nothing for human life! They have no strategy or tactics, but just keep coming, sacrificing themselves in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, until they overwhelm their enemy! This view of Russians have been there for centuries, and it still hasn't gone away. Because of it, Western estimates of Russian losses have always been much too high, regardless which war we're talking about.
Worth noting is that, as a matter of pure fact, easily confirmed by speaking with any military historian, having overwhelming numbers doesn't increase losses, but decreases them. It's intuitive enough. All else being equal, if a fistfight is three against three, both teams run a serious risk of having at least one of their number seriously beaten. However, if the fight is nine against three, there's a likelihood that none of the nine will be hurt, while all of the tree will spend the next week in hospital. Having superior numbers reduces your own losses, and to believe that this works different for Russians is a very peculiar thing.
Specifically about the Finnish Winter War:
There's no doubt that the Soviets chose a bad strategy for invading Finland. They should've used troops familiar with such conditions and/or invaded in a different season. They relied too much on heavy equipment and superior numbers. All else being equal, these will secure a win, but all else wasn't equal. The Finns had terrain and season in their favor. Finnish soldiers had inferior training and equipment, by most measures, but their training and equipment were fully adapted to the conditions. They also had better morale. Morale is both overrated and underrated; if the morale on one side is below a certain point, it can be the singularly most significant factor; if both sides have a necessary minimum morale, one side having superior morale will have limited effect on who wins, but will still have a significant effect on the cost of that victory, and provide a strong motivation for negotiations, rather than fighting to the finish.
There's also no doubt that the Soviets suffered heavy casualties in Finland, nor that Simo Häyhä was an outstanding soldier, nor that the Finish are a tough and brave people.
A final thing worth noting, to properly understand the geopolitics of this war, and also to piss off Finns, is that the Soviet aim was to create a secure buffer around Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), in part because Finland was getting a bit to cozy with Germany, with which the Soviets expected to be at war with very soon. Their worries were vindicated when the Finns joined the Nazis and became instrumental in the siege of Leningrad, in which 640,000 civilians starved to death (Vladimir Putin's older brother being one of them) and 400,000 were murdered while trying to flee; it's one of the worst war crimes in history. Some people give the Finns a pass, because the Soviets attacked first, and the Finns were a plucky underdog that beat expectations. However, I find myself unable to give a pass, when >1,000,000 civilians have been deliberately killed. Shockingly, Stalin is among those who have given the Finns a free pass.
WHAT!? i thought u reacted to simo häyhä years ago :;DD
Here is some of the best Finnish war movies.
Tali Ihantala.
Framom främsta linjen.
Rukajärven tie.
Talvisota.
Tuntematon sotilas made in 2017
Tuntematon sotilas made in 1985
Tuntematon sotilas made in 1955