@erinkshiddenstories: He was a one-eyed Canadian sniper who walked alone into a German-held Dutch city and convinced an entire garrison to flee. His name was Leo Major. In April 1945 his best friend was killed at the edge of Zwolle. That night Major decided to enter the city by himself. Armed with two submachine guns and a bag of grenades, he moved through the dark streets, firing, throwing grenades, and making as much noise as possible. He wanted the Germans to believe a large Canadian force had launched a full assault. For six hours he kept up the deception, linking up with local Dutch resistance and continuing to create chaos. By dawn the German garrison of roughly a thousand men had withdrawn. The planned Allied artillery bombardment of the city was cancelled. Fifty thousand civilians were spared the destruction that would have followed. Major had already lost the use of one eye earlier in the war and had refused evacuation, insisting a sniper only needed one good eye. He survived the war and lived quietly afterward. The people of Zwolle never forgot the solitary Canadian who had walked into their city in the middle of the night and, through sheer audacity, forced the enemy to leave. #fyp #HistoryTime

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Monday 05 October 2026 17:49:00 GMT