Honoring the fallen…
On December 24, 1944, the SS Leopoldville left the Southampton pier around 9:00 a.m. The passenger liner, turned troopship, was carrying approximately 2000 American soldiers of the 66th Infantry Division. The troops were headed to replace the weary soldiers fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. However, shortly before 6:00 p.m, the ship was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat. The torpedo tore through the ship and mass chaos ensued. Only one ship came to assist in the evacuation (although, no formal directions or orders were given). Several troops tried to jump onto the other ship…some made it…some were crushed between the two vessels…while others jumped into the frigid waters to escape the fire raging onboard the SS Leopoldville.
Over 175 men of Co. F 262 Regiment were instantly killed when the torpedo ripped through their sleeping compartment…only 19 survived from this unit. 793 soldiers were killed ages 18-31 and 493 were never recovered – over 1200 men lost their life in this tragedy.
It is an unspeakable tragedy for many reasons:
- No other ships came to help for over an hour which led to many more deaths. Many of the men died in the icy waters.
- The survivors were given strict orders not to discuss this event. In fact, families of the fallen were told their sons were missing in action. It was not until around 50 years later that the stories of that terrible night were known.
Of the over 1200 men that lost their lives in this horrific event – two were from Tate County, Mississippi.
For more information about this tragedy, click the on the following link: