My granddad spanked Hitler: Incredible story of weightlifter who beat Adolf with a belt until he begged for mercy then fled to Canada when the future Fuhrer put a price on his head

Although Pamela was always curious about her roots, she knew very little about her biological family’s history until she started looking into it further during the pandemic.

The adopted Canadian former journalist, who only wants to be identified by her first name, approached her search like a puzzle, analyzing documents, photos and DNA matches.

In a newspaper clipping from 1940, she made a shocking and unexpected discovery about her grandfather.

Stefan ‘Steve’ Zakall was a Hungarian-born weightlifter who, to her surprise, was also the man who struck Adolf Hitler with a belt during a fateful fight.

He was part of a local vigilante group that traveled from town to town taking action against the rising fascism in Europe.

And on January 30, 1927, Steve found himself in the middle of a violent brawl between Nazis and socialists in the small town of Schattendorf, Austria.

Although it was the only weapon available at the time, Steve said he hit Hitler so hard with his belt that he ran away, begged for mercy and hid in a wheat field.

It was a skirmish the future Führer would never forget. Two years later, Steve was forced to flee to Canada after a price was placed on his head.

Steve was born in an area of ​​Hungary that became Austria in 1904 and quickly developed a passion for weightlifting.

As an athlete he joined the Schutzbund, a paramilitary wing of the left-wing Social Workers’ Democratic Party (SDAP).

The group was founded in 1923 as in response to increasing political violence and as a counterbalance to the well-funded military groups of the far right.

Pamela, a former journalist, described how her grandfather was directly involved in the fighting on January 30, 1927.

“He hit Hitler with a belt,” Pamela explained.

“It was a chaotic moment, but he made contact immediately.”

This incident, later known as ‘The Shots of Schattendorf’, became a defining moment in Austrian history.

During the conflict, two people were killed, including a young child. The men responsible for their deaths were later acquitted in a controversial trial.

This statement sparked anger within the socialist movement and led directly to the July Uprising in Vienna later that year.

Violence broke out in the city and Austria’s political structure changed irrevocably.

The incident is remembered as a turning point that paved the way for the eventual rise of fascism in the country.

Steve’s involvement with the Schutzbund made him a target, and once the fighting was over, news of his clash with Hitler spread quickly.

“He had to run,” Pamela explained. “There was a price on his head for that fight, and he had no choice but to leave the country.”

With the help of two Allied war veterans, Steve was smuggled out of Austria, eventually reaching Canada in 1929.

Shortly thereafter his family followed and they settled in British Columbia, where Steve began a new life as an orchard manager in the heart of Canada’s Okanagan Valley.

But even though he left Europe behind, the memory of the fight never left him. Years later, when he applied for Canadian citizenship, Steve’s story came up again.

During the trial, he was asked by a judge if he was willing to defend his new adopted homeland.

Without hesitation, Steve replied, “I would love to have the chance to do it again,” referring to his previous fight against the Nazis.

Pamela explains: ‘That bold statement caught the attention of a court reporter and the story quickly spread.’

It was picked up by newspapers across Canada, including The Montreal Gazette and The Vancouver Sun.

A report in the Tacoma Times of January 18, 1940 stated: “A man who claims he beat Adolf Hitler with a belt until he bled and begged for mercy has become a Canadian citizen here, it was announced today.

“He is Stephen Zakall, a Hungarian-born cattle farmer.”

The article also included the following quote: “I took off my belt, caught up with Hitler and believe me, I soaked the guy until he bled and then ran off with the rest of the gang and hid in a wheat field.”

Another story published in The Vancouver Sun on January 20 included a photo of Steve lifting weights.

It said Stephen Zakall had an ‘international reputation as the man who beat up Hitler’.

It was through these reports, which were accessible through the MyHeritage OldNews collection, in which Pamela discovered the shocking story of her grandfather.

“It was surreal to read that and think that was my grandfather,” she said.

Pamela was also surprised that so few family members knew about Steve’s incredible story and explained how it has brought them closer together.

“They knew he was a strong man and a weightlifter, some family members knew he had been involved in some form of resistance, but they didn’t know with whom, to what extent or how big the scale of it was,” she revealed.

Steve married three times and had twelve children: eight daughters and four sons.

While continuing to pursue his love of weightlifting, he became an avid orchard manager and worked hard at his craft until he died of a heart attack on January 19, 1986 at the age of 81.