Leo Major
Leo Major
Corporal
Le Régiment de la Chaudière
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Leo Major, born in 1921 in New Bedford, Massachusetts to French-Canadian parents, grew up in Montreal and enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1940. At just 19 years old, he joined Le Régiment de la Chaudière and was deployed to Europe, where he earned a reputation for fearless, unorthodox courage.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Major landed on Juno Beach and was severely injured by a German grenade, losing the sight in one eye. He refused evacuation, insisting he could still shoot with his remaining eye. He continued to fight in France and the Netherlands, displaying daring leadership that earned him the Distinguished Conduct Medal. His most legendary act took place on April 13, 1945, in Zwolle.
Ordered to reconnoiter the Dutch city, which was heavily occupied by German forces, Major and fellow soldier Willie Arsenault entered under cover of darkness. Arsenault was tragically killed, but Major pressed on alone. Using stealth, speed, and deception—throwing grenades and taking prisoners in different parts of the city—he created the illusion of a full-scale Canadian assault. By dawn, German forces had abandoned Zwolle. Leo had liberated an entire city single-handedly.
After the war, Major returned to Montreal but later re-enlisted to serve in the Korean War, where he once again distinguished himself. His second Distinguished Conduct Medal was awarded for leading a bold nighttime assault that retook a strategic hill and rescued a surrounded American platoon.
Leo Major remained modest throughout his life. The people of Zwolle never forgot him. He returned to the Netherlands many times, forging deep friendships and speaking to children about peace and sacrifice. When he passed away in Montreal in 2008 at age 87, the city of Zwolle flew its flag at half-mast. To this day, Leo Major is honored in Zwolle as a symbol of courage and liberation. Streets, murals, and even a bridge bear his name—a tribute to the one-eyed soldier who gave an entire city its freedom.
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Montreal
Photo & Story: Timothy Young, Faces to Graves
