S.S. LEOPOLDVILLE DISASTER
DECEMBER 24TH 1944
CHRISTMAS EVE 1944
ENGLISH CHANNEL
A Survivor of the Troopship S.S. Leopoldville
My father was a member of the
66th Infantry Division Panthers
262nd Regiment - Company L
Marksman, M-1 Rifle who was
aboard the S.S. Leopoldville on
December 24th 1944 when the
ship was torpedoed by a German
Submarine in the English Channel.
Photo taken 1945 at Nantes, France.
I will start with a question to my blog readers,
how does a person tell of a story that happened
long ago that no one wants to remember?
I grew up thinking my father was an ordinary
man who happened to serve in WW II in Europe.
He was a reserved man who hid a secret behind
his deep brown eyes. He never spoke of the fateful
night in detail to anyone because he was told not to.
There were occasions when after watching a wartime
movie, I would ask questions about the movie and
asked if the movie actually depicted his experiences
in the army. He would talk then and he told me he
was on a ship that was torpedoed in the English
Channel, that he had been hurt slightly, and the
water was cold. He did not come forward with a
ships name, a date, or any other exact information.
I didn't press him about what happened, thinking
that someday he would tell me more and wondered
if the English Channel story was just a tall tale.
Unfortunately my father passed away in 1993,
and the story was lost forever, so I thought.
My family was contacted by the local veterans
service, and received a flag and the contents of
his military folder which contained the letter
describing the events of Christmas Eve 1944
on the S.S. Leopoldville and the subsequent
sinking of the S.S. Leopoldville in the English
Channel. There was the proof that 'the story'
was not just a tall tale, and I finally knew why
and how my father had received his Purple
Heart medal. My father had kept the secret
for his entire life and it was not until 50 years
after the unfortunate event that the United
States Military finally acknowledged the major
loss of life and the sinking of the S.S. Leopoldville.
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Photo of Congo Transport Ship S.S. Leopoldville
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Very little was known by the general public
about the S.S. Leopoldville Troopship disaster
and 764 known men who lost their lives that
night were considered missing in action and
families were not told. Sometimes the families
were never told and sometimes they were told
at a much later date about how their loved ones
life was lost. Mostly due to the U.S. Military's
security concerns and the embarrassment of the
immense loss of life to our troops.
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To learn more about the
sinking of the S.S. Leopoldville on
December 24th 1944, told by servicemen
who survived the sinking and came
forward to bid their brave troops goodbye.
Here are links to their stories:
Leopoldville Survivor I
Leopoldville Survivor II
Leopoldville Survivor III
Leopoldville Survivor IV
FOR MORE COG DISASTER
STORIES VISIT;
Miriam at AnceStories
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
THE GANGSTER LODGE AT "LITTLE BOHEMIA"
"LITTLE BOHEMIA LODGE"
at MANITOWISH WATERS, WISCONSIN
Northern hideout for Chicago Gangster
John Dillinger and scene of a shootout
by the FBI. The film "Public Enemies"
starring Johnny Depp will be released
on July 1st 2009. In April of 1934, the
gang needed a place to hide out. One of
them suggested a summer resort in
northern Wisconsin called Little Bohemia.
The lovely lodge had been built a few
years earlier by Emil Wanatka, an
emigrant of Bohemia, who had become
friendly with gangsters during Prohibition.
MAY 2009 at 1934 shootout scene, "Little Bohemia Lodge"
May 2009 at John Dillinger's 1934 hideout, "Little Bohemia Lodge"
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Please Note:
I personally do not have a connection to Little Bohemia
Lodge. My grandmothers family did however own a
resort near this area in Northern Wisconsin.
There were many stories and here say about
John Dillinger and the resort areas he used as hideouts.
I have always been fascinated by the family stories and
wanted to visit, "Little Bohemia". I am looking forward
to seeing the movie starring Johnny Depp as John
Dillinger due July 1st 2009 in theaters. :)
