Hi everyone,
I learned about Leo Major's story last month and it sure is surprising. I would like to know if such a story as the liberation of Zwolle is believable, and if there is any other source than Leo Major himself? I would be interested in German sources, in particular. He did get decorated for this action (and for another crazy action in Korea), but still... it's hard to believe:
He decided to continue his mission alone. He entered Zwolle near Sassenport and came upon a staff car. He ambushed and captured the German driver, and then led him to a bar where an officer was taking a drink. Inside he found that they could both speak French (the officer was from Alsace), and Major told him that at 6:00 am Canadian artillery would begin firing at the city, causing numerous casualties among both the German troops and the civilians. As a sign of good faith, he gave the German his gun back. Major then proceeded to run throughout the city firing his machine gun, throwing grenades and making so much noise that he fooled the Germans into thinking that the Canadian Army was storming the city in earnest
... eventually, the German garnison retreated from the city. Did they really believe that the army was raiding during the night, or did they already plan to leave anyway?
As he was doing this, he would attack and capture German troops. About 10 times during the night he captured groups of 8 to 10 German soldiers, escorted them out of the city and gave them to the French-Canadian troops that were waiting in the vicinity. After transferring his prisoners to the troops, he would return to Zwolle to continue his assault.
Incredible. Would people just cheer "keep going Leo" from the sidelines as he delivered prisonners 8-10 times?
Input very appreciated.
I checked some Dutch sources and they confirm this, but they do also mention the involvement of resistance fighters. There was confusion as some Germans started dressing as resistance fighters. I did also find a movie about it. http://youtu.be/vXlLrGbSR2M
I googled around and his obituary in the Dutch newspaper Trouw, see here, tells a slightly different story.
Regarding Zwolle it doesn't mention him capturing German soldiers or running through the streets shooting his gun and throwing grenades. In fact it claims these 'Rambo' stories were made up later. There were confrontations with the Germans at the outskirts of the city, during which his best friend and fellow scout Willy Arsenault lost his life, but not after that. What Leo Major did was scout out the city, didn't find anyone, eventually made contact with the resistance and then returned to his battalion to inform them that the Germans had retreated from the city.
He was mythologised in part because Zwolle, decades later, discovered his actions and wanting someone to personify their liberation brought him in as the liberator of Zwolle.
It does say Leo Major heroically captured almost a hundred German troops by himself. But he did it earlier, around the Battle of the Scheldt. And he was able to do this because he met a Canadian tank division who helped keep the Germans at gunpoint. According to the obituary it is this action for which he received the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Whether or not the obituary is more correct than other sources I can't say. But I take it you wanted contradictory sources, so this is one.