On Christmas Eve 1944, a disaster happened in the Channel Sea not far away from Cherbourg. More than 2,000 American service members from the 262nd and 264th Regiments, 66th Infantry Division were aboard the troopship SS Leopoldville when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank in the cold waters.

Approximately 800 service members were killed that day and almost 500 were never recovered. They are remembered on Normandy American Cemetery’s tablets of the missing. Normandy American Cemetery also contains 77 graves of service members from the 66th Division.

Among them is Pfc. Byron E. Babb Jr. Babb from Wichita, Kansas, married his high school and college sweetheart, Louise, March 4, 1944. In October 1944, the couple went to New-York City before Babb shipped overseas. They enjoyed their time there and went out for dinner. They also decided to have a child. Babb lost his life later that year in December 1944. Byra – named after her late father, the daughter Babb never knew, was born July 30, 1945.

Another of these men was Cpl. Reginald J. Clark Jr. Clark was from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He had three sisters. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Feb. 17, 1943. Clark trained throughout the U.S. and was shipped to Europe in December 1944 to complete his training in the U.K. He lost his life Dec. 24, 1944, before he could reach the frontlines of the Battle of the Bulge. His remains were never recovered.

Normandy American Cemetery has the honor of recognizing the service and sacrifice of more than 9,300 U.S. service members interred there, and more than 1,500 names inscribed on the Walls of the Missing, including the men who were on the SS Leopoldville.

The American Battle Monuments Commission’s mission is to honor the service of the U.S. armed forces by creating and maintaining memorial sites, offering commemorative services, and facilitating the education of their legacy to future generations. It was founded in 1923 following World War I and its 26 cemeteries and 31 monuments honor the service men and women who fought and perished during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, as well as some who fought during the Mexican-American War and other conflicts.

Those sites are a constant reminder of Gen. John J. Pershing’s promise that “time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”

Sources: 

Leopoldville – Leopoldville Troopship Disaster

Normandy American Cemetery’s team

Historical Services