Léo Major

The One-Eyed Soldier Who Liberated a City Alone

Some war stories sound too extraordinary to be true. Léo Major’s story is one of them.

Imagine a single soldier entering an enemy-occupied city alone in the dead of night, launching a relentless assault so aggressive and unpredictable that an entire German garrison believed a massive Allied force had arrived—and fled. That soldier was Léo Major, one of the most fearless and unconventional warriors in Canadian military history.

Armed with extraordinary courage and a refusal to surrender, Léo Major earned a reputation that bordered on mythical. He remains one of the very few Canadian soldiers ever awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal twice, a feat that placed him among the most decorated combat soldiers of his generation.

Born on January 23, 1921, in Montreal, Léo Major grew up during a difficult period in Canada marked by economic hardship and social tension. Fiercely independent from a young age, he developed a stubborn resilience that would later define him in combat.

When World War II engulfed Europe, Major enlisted in the Canadian Army, joining the Le Régiment de la Chaudière, a French-Canadian infantry regiment. From the moment he entered combat, he displayed unusual aggressiveness, tactical instinct, and fearlessness under fire.

During the Normandy Campaign after D-Day, Major performed one of his first legendary acts. He single-handedly captured a German armored vehicle filled with communications equipment and prisoners—an intelligence windfall for Allied command. But shortly afterward, a phosphorus grenade explosion destroyed sight in one eye.

Doctors declared him unfit for frontline service.

Léo Major refused evacuation.

His response became legendary: he reportedly told his superiors that a soldier only needed one eye to aim a rifle.

And he returned to combat. Normandy landings

His most famous exploit came in April 1945 during the liberation of the Dutch city of Zwolle. Sent on a reconnaissance mission with a fellow soldier, Major encountered heavy German resistance. After his comrade was killed, he continued alone.

What happened next became military legend.

Throughout the night, Major attacked German positions, threw grenades, opened fire at multiple locations, and deliberately created chaos across the city. He captured enemy soldiers, extracted intelligence, and convinced German forces they were facing a full-scale Canadian assault.

By morning, the Germans had withdrawn.

A single soldier had helped liberate an entire city.

For his extraordinary gallantry, Major received the Distinguished Conduct Medal, one of the British Commonwealth’s highest awards for battlefield bravery.

Yet his story did not end with World War II.

When the Korean War erupted, Major returned to service with the Royal 22e Régiment. Once again, he displayed astonishing bravery. During fierce fighting at Hill 355, he led a small group in a bold assault that successfully recaptured and held a strategically vital position against repeated Chinese attacks.

For his actions in Korea, he was awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Conduct Medal, becoming one of the very few Canadians to receive the decoration twice. Korean War

What made Léo Major extraordinary was not just courage—it was his complete disregard for conventional limits. He fought with a combination of aggression, improvisation, and psychological warfare that often left enemies confused and overwhelmed.

Léo Major passed away on October 12, 2008, but his legend only grew stronger. Léo Major In both Canada and the Netherlands, he is remembered as a symbol of fearless determination and battlefield brilliance.

Léo Major’s story endures because it challenges our understanding of what one individual can accomplish.

He fought with one eye. He liberated a city alone. He earned one of Canada’s rarest military distinctions—twice.

That is why Léo Major remains one of the most extraordinary soldiers in Canadian military history.