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There are actually two reliable wartime books telling about Winter War's Kollaa front and Simo Hyh, known by many older Finns: 1) 1940: Erkki Palolampi: "Kollaa kest"; 2) 1942: Antti J. Rantamaa: "Parlamentin palkeilta Kollaanjoen kaltahille".

The both books are diary type memoirs of the Winter War in this tiny part of the front (where thousands of Russians were killed)written by persons who were there with Hayha. Hayha was an exceptional fellow but not the only hero. This part of the front was a real meat mill!

The second of these books descripes how corporal Hayha repaired himself for the sniping:

First, night before the sniping, Hayha chose a suitable shooting position and made a snow wall with a shooting hole so high that a laying man could not be seen. Sometimes even the edges of the snow wall were freezen to ice in able to avoid snow whirling when shooting. Early in the next morning he had a heavy breakfast, took with himself only 50-60 cartridges, perhaps few hand granades, some sugar and dry food. During the twilight he went warmly and heavily clad to his position and started the waiting.
He had told himself that he let the Russians fist calm down and then become too "brave". After that he shot. He didn't want to scare the Russians away too early.

Simo Hayha was wounded seriously by a Russian explosive bullet (which went through his right side upper jaw and destroyed his left side upper and lower jaw) which was shooted at only 20 meters distance on the 6th of March at 1400 hours. There were heavy near combats and Hayha just couldn't shoot (with his rifle m/28-30 number 60974) all the Russians attacking. However, during this last day of his "career" he made his personal record: 40 sure kills. Before that he had made with the same rifle 259 sure kills and about as much with submachine gun and light machine gun.
The total amount of the sure kills (after they started to calculate them) was 542. It wasn't all "just" sniping, however. There was a lot of near distant man to man combat etc. Mr. Hayha is now 95 years old veteran.

I believe myself that there in the Russian Carelia there cannot be much items which one could call "Simo Hayha artefacts". Hayha's shooting positions were made from snow and ice and they're gone over 60 years ago. Is somebody making business by selling some "holy artefacts"?

Bosun