Sulo Kolkka

Sulo Onni Kolkka (born December 20, 1904 in Säkkijärvi, died August 21 1988 in Kangasala, Finland) was a probably fictional Finnish sniper who allegedly served in the Winter War (1939-1940) between Finland and Soviet Union which formed part of World War II.

During 105 days of combat Kolkka was credited with more than 400 enemy kills as a sniper in the Winter War. He is alleged to have used an iron sighted Mosin-Nagant rifle. He is alleged to have often taken the war to the rear of the Soviet lines, causing much fear and frustration as this area was supposedly safe. In addition to the kills he made as a sniper, Kolkka also was apparently quite fond of the submachine gun as he made an additional 200 kills with it during this same time frame. Hunted often by the Soviets, he outlasted them all, killing the sniper sent to hunt him at 550 m (600 yards) with a single shot after a running duel of several days.

Nevertheless, no mention of Kolkka or his alleged deeds have ever been found in Finnish records, who kept meticulous records on their sniper personnel. Indeed, most of the details of Kolkka's exploits greatly resemble those attributed to real-life sniper and legend Simo Häyhä. It is probable that Kolkka the master-sniper never existed, but is a kind of urban legend, as was the German sniper Erwin König, who also is not recorded in any official records.

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