A few days ago, I learned the remarkable story of Lieutenant Marcus McDilda, who saved hundreds of thousands of American and allied troops lives by fabricating a story about America having "100 more atom bombs" soon to be dropped on Japanese cities, devastating them.
Today, I learned about Simo Hayha, a Finnish sniper who quit school after fourth grade to work on his farm. He had 542 confirmed kills of Soviet soldiers in the 98 day war the USSR started in 1939. His is a world record that almost certainly never be broken. It is all the more remarkable considering that he achieved it with iron sights zeroed in at 150 yards.
Soviet soldiers first nicknamed him "The Magic Shooter" and later, "The White Death."
In the winter, snow blanked Finland and Simo wore white as camouflage, top to bottom.
Simo died in 2002 at the age of 96.
