Notable People of WW2, Hero's, veterans, leaders, the famous and alike. Options

[FeezyWeezy]

Ok, time for another chapter of hostory facts. I'll start with some WW2 Aces.

Erich Hartmann





The highest scoring ace of all time was the great German Luftwaffe experte Erich Hartmann with 352 aerial kills. Flying Bf 109s (Me-109s) against the overmatched Soviet MiGs and Yaks for almost three years, he accumulated his unrivalled score. Hartmann claimed, that of all his accomplishments, he was proudest of the fact that he never lost a wingman. He is also reputed to have said. "Get close .. when he fills the entire windscreen ... then you can't possibly miss." Hartmann was born in 1922, in Weissach, Wurttemberg. At age 19 (1941), he joined the Luftwaffe and was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) on the Eastern Front in October, 1942. He scored his first kill in November, and only achieved his second three months later. In the first half of 1943, he worked out some of the tactics which would prove so successful later on. If he was attacked from behind, he would send his wingman down low and out in front. Then he would get behind the enemy and fire a short, quick accurate burst, waiting "until the enemy aircraft filled the windscreen." He would normally content himself with one victory; he was willing to wait for another day. His natural talents began to tell: excellent eyesight, lightning reflexes, an aggressive spirit, and an ability to stay cool while in combat.


A Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6


Kursk


As JG 52 retreated along with German ground forces in 1943, Hartmann's score began to mount. The great Kursk offensive, Operation Zitadelle, began on July 5. The Luftwaffe planned to screen the Wehrmacht's panzers from the Soviet Il-2 Sturmoviks, armored tank-busting aircraft, armed with twin 37mm cannon. Hartmann's Staffel 7 of JG 52 moved up to Ugrim, only 14 kilometers behind the front. As the Panther and Tiger tanks moved up, Junkers Ju.52 transports flew in supplies. On the morning of the 5th, four of Staffel 7's pilots did not return, apparently their compasses misled them, due to extraordinary iron ore deposits in the area. Hartmann was promoted to Staffelkapitan on the spot. The offensive ground forward slowly on the 6th and 7th; obviously the Russians had dug in and prepared defensive lines in depth.
July 7, 1943


On the morning of July 7, 1943, sun rose over Ugrim in the northern Ukraine about 3AM. Staffel 7's Me.109 G10's lay scattered around, in the deep grass of the Ugrim airfield. Hartmann's personal plane, decorated with a large Roman numeral 'I' and the name Usch in a red heart. (Usch Paetch was his fiancee, whom he wrote to daily.) In the comfortable summer weather, the pilots slept in tents. On waking, Hartmann dressed in a gray shirt, blue-gray trousers, and gray shoes. He washed up and shaved in a small stream and ate breakfast, two eggs, cooked by a couple of Russian girls. He and the other three pilots in his Schwarm were assigned to cover an F.W.189 on a dawn reconnaissance mission.

Erich joked with his crew chief, 'Bimel' Merten, and strapped himself into the cockpit. At 3:04, the recon plane started and Hartmann set Messerschmitt's flaps and checked the fuel while Merten cranked the starter. The DB 605's twelve cylinders coughed, belched smoke, and then caught smoothly. His three comrades followed him to the take-off spot. He gunned the engine while stomping on the brakes. When he released them, his 109 shot forward and quickly reached 160 km/hour. He gently pulled back on the stick and was airborne; the other three followed him closely. They all banked left as they went through post-take-off routines: retract landing gear, close radiator flaps, ease back on the throttle, and check gauges, guns, and gunsight. They climbed to 1300 meters as they flew northeast and then swung southward, with the Fw 189 in view. The flight proceeded uneventfully and the recon plane headed for Ugrim. Hartmann's radio crackled with a report from Adler, the German forward spotting post; a group of ten to twenty Russian planes were headed west. Hartmann throttled up a bit, gained altitude, and turned his Schwarm toward the east without sighting anything for several minutes.


Drawing of Hartmann's Bf-109G Messerschmitt "Gustav" 6


Sturmoviks
Soon enough, many large Il-2's came into view. With its armor and rear gunner, the Sturmovik was a tough target. With the Sturmoviks closing head-on, Hartmann unhesitatingly ordered an attack. He dived down below them, picking up airspeed, then banked around and came up behind and beneath them, aiming for his target's vulnerable ventral oil radiator. The Il-2's flew straight on.



Hartmann's Bf 109 roared along, doing over 400 MPH; Hartmann streaked into a Sturmovik's blind spot. At 200 yards, its wingspan filled his gunsight ring; still he closed in to 150, then 100 yards before firing. He briefly triggered his 20mm cannon and his two 12mm machine guns, for about one and a half seconds, before his speed carried him in front of them. As other Bf 109s struck their targets, Hartmann glanced back and saw blue flames and black sooty smoke streaming from the Sturmovik's radiator. His twenty-second victory of the war.

Under the deadly attack of the Messerschmitts, the formation of Russian airplanes began to break up. Having regained altitude, Hartmann again zoomed down below the tail of an Il-2. He checked his own rear and stabilized his aircraft. This Russian pilot, alerted to the danger, spotted him and turned sharply to evade. The young blond ace matched the turn and instantly estimated the lead needed for a deflection shot. At 150 meters, he opened fire, and his bullets tore into the side of the Russian tank-buster. More blue flame and black smoke poured from his twenty-third victim's oil radiator.

As the remaining scattered Russian planes fled eastward, Hartmann radioed his Staffel to return to Ugrim. About 4AM, as they approached the field, Hartmann waggled his wings twice, indicating his two victories. On landing, Mertem and other ground crew gathered around him, offering congratulations. Hartmann walked to the operations tent to file his Gefechtsbericht, his after-action report. Early reports from the Adler posts already showed more Russian air activity than on the 5th or 6th. Four pilots sat in their planes, ready to take-off in less than a minute. Hartmann soon fell asleep by his own machine. But only briefly.
Two More Sorties


By 5:50, he was back in the air, leading a flight of 109s on a frei chase, and he soon found more Il-2s, escorted by fighters. The Messerchmitts attacked successfully, with Hartmann downing another Il-2 and an LaGG-3 fighter. Within an hour, he was back on the ground, with four victories for the day. Late that afternoon, he led the Staffel up again, to the northeast. They found a group of Soviet LaGG-3 fighters, which they engaged in a sprawling dogfight. It was over quickly and Hartmann had shot down three enemy fighters, making it seven for the day, his largest score so far.




Experte


He reached 50 by August of 1943. Within the month, he had reached 80, and was promoted to lead 9./JG52. Earlier in the war, 25 or 50 victories would have earned a German fighter pilot the Knight's Cross. By late 1943, Hartmann had to down 148 before he earned his Knight's Cross. By March 2, 1944, he had reached a total of 202, earning him the Oak Leaves. He was the fourth Luftwaffe fighter pilot to reach 250, the first to reach 300, and the only one to reach 350.

The Diamonds




He was awarded the Third Reich's highest regularly awarded military decoration: The Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

To be accurate, the highest military decoration was "The Grand Cross to the Iron Cross." It was only awarded once to Hermann Göring. The second highest military decoration was "The Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds" and was also awarded only once to the Stuka ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Thus, Hartmann's medal, "The Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds," was, to be precise, the third highest German military decoration through WW2, was awarded to 27 soldiers, 12 of whom were Luftwaffe pilots.

Near the end of WWII, in early May 1945, the Luftwaffe command ordered Hartmann, then Gruppenkommandeur of famous Jagdgeschwader 52, and his Commodore, Hermann Graf (another pilot, who had earned the "diamonds" to the Knight's Cross) to fly to the British sector. Both officers disregarded this order, because they felt responsible for Jagdgeschwader 52's pilots, ground crew, family members, and other civilians, who had joined the squadron, seeking protection against fierce aggression by the Czechs. The officers ordered the destruction of the unit's aircraft, and then the unit moved west in direction of territory already occupied by US troops. On May 8th, 1945, the soldiers and civilans surrendered to US troops in the region between Bavaria (German provence) and Czech border. But on May 17th, the US Army delivered all of these German troops and civilians to the Red Army. Like all others, Hartmann was then deported to Siberia, where he was sentenced to 50 years of hard labor. (Hartmann has since been rehabitated by Russian justice, which declared those sentences illegal in 1995.) The Soviets pressured him to support a build-up of an East German air force and tried to turn him into an undercover agent against the West. Hartmann refused, even though the Soviets threatened to kidnap and kill his wife and daughter, living in West Germany. Hartmann did not return to Germany until 1955, when the last German POWs were released along with the establishing of diplomatic relations between West Germany and the Soviet Union. In 1956, Hartmann joined the newly established West German Luftwaffe and contributed to the build-up of new fighter units. In 1959, he became the first commodore of Jagdgeschwader 71 "Richthofen." Erich Hartmann died in 1993.



http://wernerhartenstein.tripod.com/hartma...9;s%20grave.jpg
Hartmann's grave, Weil im Schönbuch near Stuttgart

[FeezyWeezy]

Simo Häyhä
"Valkoinen Kuolema"

December 17, 1905 – April 1, 2002

He was born in the small town of Rautjärvi near the present-day border with Russia. His parents where Juho and Katriina Häyhä. Häyhä was a small man, only 160 cm tall. He went to a public school and even though he had the smarts for further education, he decided to become a farmer like his father.

In 1925, Häyhä started his compulsory military training in the Finnish Army from which he received an honorable discharge as a corporal. As a civilian again, he was transferred into the "suojeluskunta" in his hometown. This was the Finnish equivalent of the National Guard or Militia, established for the country's protection after Finland had gained independence from Russia on Dec. 6th, 1917. Here Häyhä underwent extensive training and target shooting, and also participated in many rifle competitions. His rifle was an old Russian Mosin-Nagant bolt action in 7.62x53R, the M91.
In the end of the 1920's he found himself placed fifth in a sharpshooting competition. That prompted him to start seriously practicing the art. His friends decided to see what he can do: he placed 16 shots in a small target 150 meters away in one minute. Word started to spread of the farmer boy and his phenomenal ability.

In autumn 1939, as tension between Finland and the Soviet Union grew, Finnish reservists were called up for an extra period of training. This was when Häyhä was introduced to his main weapon, an originally Russian Mosin-Nagant M28. He was also an accurate shot with the Suomi K31 Submachine gun .

As the Winter War began, Simo Häyhä was called upon to go to war, and he knew that he would be fighting for a good cause - to try to stop the Russians from taking his farm, hometown, and country. At the beginning of the war, the Russians mounted massive attacks. But it turned out that most of their troops were very inexperienced. Coming from different parts of the large USSR, they often spoke different languages, a fact that added to the confusion. Their attacks were mostly along roads, while the Finns were spread out in the surrounding terrain.



Häyhä was stationed in the Kollaa area north of Lake Ladoga with 34 Infantry Regiment. The winter of 1939-40 was to become a very cold one with a lot of snow and temperatures mostly between -20 to -40 Celsius. Dressed in a white snow camouflage suit, Häyhä would disappear into the snowy surroundings. Just before Christmas, on December 21st, Häyhä made a personal record by killing 25 enemies in one day. By Christmas evening 1939, Häyhä had 138 confirmed kills.

Häyhä's equipment for a day in the field was his warm winter uniform, white snowsuit, large mitts, 50 to 60 rounds of ammo, rifle, knife, a few hand-grenades, and some dry food and sugar cubes.

After Christmas 1939, as the number of confirmed kills started to mount, a Russian sniper killed several Finnish soldiers, among them 3 officers. Häyha was send out and hunt the sniper. So started Häyhä's first sniper duel. The Russian belonged to the Red Army's 56 Infantry Division, and was even a Communist Party member. He was equipped with a Mosin-Nagant M91 rifle with a 3x scope. Häyha prevered a scopeless riffle as that would make his small frame a advantage. A scope forced the sniper to lift his head up too much, providing a good target, and Häyhä was more than happy with his good old Spitz.

The Russian sniper had made one sure kill that day, and now he was waiting for another target to show itself. The sun was setting, he was tired and rose to his knees. Häyhä, who had been waiting patiently, saw the sun reflecting in the Russian's scope lens. The distance was about 450 meters. Häyhä had been ordered to try to eliminate the Russian sniper, and he did not fail. His bullet struck the Russian in the head, killing him instantly. Häyhä could have used a scope-equipped rifle, but he liked the open sights because he was used to them and he was able to keep his head lower and present a lower profile and target.

In February 1940 a Swedish businessman decided to donate to the Finnish army a special edition of the SAKO infantry rifle M/28-30, nicknamed Pystykorva, the Spitz, after the shape of its iron sight. It was to be given to the best sniper of the IV Army Corps. In a ceremony at the local military headquarters the freshly promoted Sergeant Major Häyhä, with 216 kills, was awarded the weapon.



The Russians sustained heavy losses during the Winter War. The Finns often used what was called "Motti"-tactics. This meant that on certain stretches of the front they would evade the attacking Russians and let them through the lines. Then the Finns would join from opposite sides and attack the enemy from the back. In the so-called "General Motti" action in late February 1940, the Russians lost 310 officers and several thousand men. During the battles, Russian soldiers being turned around by Finnish gunfire, were seen running, incoherently screaming "Belaja smert" (= "White Death"). The war had now been drawing attention abroad, and volunteers were arriving from several countries.

In early March Häyhä was assigned to a partisan unit that was to take back an important position at Ulismaajärvi from the enemy. But on March 2, 1940, the Russians started a large offensive with enormous firepower of artillery, tanks, infantry, and aircraft. It continued for several days. On March 6, by noontime, the Finns had sustained heavy losses. While covering his fleeing fellow soldiers, after 40 kills by his own count, Häyhä was shot from 20 meter square in the jaw, and lost consciousness. He was evacuated from the area by a Finnish patrol and was taken to hospital by train. Häyhä's war had ended. He woke up from a coma on March 13th, 1940, the day peace was declared. It was concluded that the bullet that struck Häyhä was explosive. Large quantities of this ammunition were later found in enemy possession.

March 13th the war was over. Nobody had heard from Häyhä until a notice that Simo Häyhä had died from his injuries. One of his relatives, Aarre Häyhä, was fetching the post, when he met a friend who condolenced him over the loss. Aarre replied:
"Nonsense, I just got a letter from him from the hospital. There he is, growing fat."
"That can't be, I read it in the paper!"
"So did Simo, that's why he wrote me. 'Call off the funeral, there's no corpse!'"

In April a medal of honour was conceived, one that would be awarded to the most achieved people who had served on the front, the Kollaa Cross. The first cross was given to Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, the second to President Kallio, the third to a Colonel Antero Svensson. The fourth went to Simo Häyhä.

In August 28th 1940 Häyhä was, by an order of Mannerheim, promoted from Sergeant Major to Second Lieutenant in a jump unheard of before or after in Finnish military history.

In 1941 he wanted to join in on the Continuation War, but his injury was deemed too serious to allow him to fight. His head count would never increase from the over 500 confirmed ones he had scored over those three winter months. Häyhä killed at least 505 Red Army soldiers by sniping them one by one.The unofficial Finnish frontline figure from the battle field of Kollaa places the number of Häyhä's sniper kills at 542.
But his kill where made up by both Sniper and Submachine Gun kills, as he had over a 100 confirmed SMG kills.

It's the largest count recorded in military history, and even the runner-ups with over 400 kills scored theirs over a much longer period than three months. For all intents and purposes, Simo Häyhä is the greatest sniper to have ever lived.

Simo Häyhä passed away the 1st of April, 2002 in Hamina at the age of 96.




Simo Häyhä signing his book in 2000.

In 1998 Häyhä wrote a book. The book "Valkoinen Kuolema" (=White Death) is a non-fiction work about one man's struggle to protect his home and country against an outside aggressor. It is also a book about self-determination and the bravery of one small nation against incredible odds. It describes a young man's road to becoming one of the major snipers of World War II. The book (ISBN 952-5170-05-5), published by Revontuli of Finland, is written in a casual, easy to read style. Unfortunately for most readers, it is written in Finnish and, unless translated, unavailable.



When being asked how he had become such a good shot, his answer was short:
"Practice."

About his record he has been noted to say:
"I did what I was told to as well as I could."



7,62 mm Military Rifle M/28-30, "Suojeluskuntain Pystykorva"

Nickname "Suojeluskuntain pystykorva" ("Spitz of Civil Guard") came from same origin as with infantry rifle M/27 of Finnish military. Shape of upwards pointing protective brackets located both sides of front sight blade reminded ears of popular Finnish dog breed. The same nickname was also used from M/28 rifle.


The Finnish stand at Kollaa is often referred to as "The miracle of Kollaa," as the Finnish action here was most heroic. The Finnish forces in the region were under the command of Major General Uiluo Tuompo and they faced the 9th and 14th Soviet Armies. At one point the Finns at Kollaa were facing 12 divisions, some 160,000 men. The Red Army losses in this arena were staggering as the brave Finns took their toll on the communist invaders. There have been those that called the Finnish defense of this key region "fanatical", and it was in the Kollaa area were the famous battle of "Killer Hill" took place with 32 Finns battling 4,000 Soviet soldiers. These were the hunting grounds of Simo Häyhä and it should be noted that even against massive odds the Kollaa positions were still in Finnish hands at the end of the war (March 1940).

Mattila, Häyhä's farm, ended up 1.5km on the wrong side of the border. 430 000 people in Finland were left without a home, among them Häyhä and his family. Although the Russians had gained 10% of the Finnish territory, it came at a high price. They had lost one million men in the short conflict. "We gained 22,000 square miles of territory. Just enough land to bury our dead", a Russian General later remarked.

The Soviet army which invaded Finland in late 1939, massed approximately 1,500,000 troops. By the time peace was declared in March of 1940, Russia had managed to steal 22,000 square miles of Finnish territory. For it they paid an extraordinarily high price. The Soviets lost 1,000,000 of those men, killed by Finn soldiers or by the harsh winter. They also lost 1000 aircraft and 2,300 tanks. For their efforts they managed to wrest away the homes and property of some 420,000 Finnish nationals, but at a price of 40 Russian soldiers killed for every Finnish soldier killed. 25,000 Finns died as a result of this conflict with another 55,000 wounded. The message is clear. Large aggressors may win the war, but they generally lose the battle. This war cost them dearly. Hitler, seeing how "small" Finland stood up to the Russian bear, decided to invade the Soviet Union as a result of the failing of her Army. In a twist of fate, Death on a major scale was then visited upon Russia for her transgressions, and likewise on Germany for hers.

http://www.mosinnagant.net/finland/simohayha.asp
http://guns.connect.fi/gow/hayha.html

Personal note: Häyhä is the best sniper of the second world war. Some might point to the all famous Vasili Zaitsev or Major König. Häyha made over 500 kills during 3 winter months, while Zaitsev took out killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 snipers.
The duel between Zaitsev and Major Heinz Thorvald Major is depicted in the fictionalized film Enemy at the Gates. There is a substancial chance that the duel was pure propaganda. Some sources claim that Zaitsev's performance was not unique and that an unknown Soviet soldier, identified only as Zikan, also killed 224 German soldiers by 20 November.

http://notesofasniper.com/ Book about Zaitsev.

There is alot of rumors and myths around Mr. Zaitsev and the fact that Häyhä used a non-scoped M/28-30, made over 500 kills in 3 months and stayed so shy after this all... makes him a true hero.
The best sniper that ever walked earths soil.


If there are any flaws in the text that I have to be credited personaly. The complete piece is a gathering of a total of 6 pieces. Parts have been totaly retypt and parts can be wrong.

- FeezyWeezy, 22 march, 2006, 04:00