In November 1939, the massive Soviet Red Army invaded Finland. The Soviets expected a swift victory, outnumbering the Finns in men, tanks, and aircraft. But the Finns possessed something the Soviets did not: a fierce determination to protect their homeland and a complete mastery of the frozen terrain.

Before the war, Simo Häyhä lived a peaceful, quiet life in the small Finnish town of Rautjärvi. He was a farmer and a passionate hunter who loved the vast, snowy wilderness. Standing at just five feet tall, he was a soft-spoken man of few words. However, his years of hunting had gifted him with master-level marksmanship, incredible patience, and an intimate knowledge of how to survive in the brutal Finnish winter. The Winter War Begins

Day after day, in temperatures plunging to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, Simo lay motionless for hours, waiting for the enemy. The Soviet soldiers began to whisper terrified stories of an invisible ghost picking them off one by one. They gave him the nickname "Belaya Smert"—the .