European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Torp doing of Texe Leopold Vine stripes a Christmas eve tragedy by Funk Stoh writer Christmas eve was Heck of i i time to be aboard a crowded troop ship but Thia we Karume 1m4 and the american soldiers aboard the Leopold could Only Gripe and Bear nine Boura the battered belgian Rowel had left ruining units of the Mth div to Cher under a Cloud of bad now on the Battle of the it we nearly dark and the ship smaller than the troops help general Simon a frequent visitor to Bremerhaven these was pitching through heavy swells with the Aughta of Cherbourg Only five Miles despite freezing some seasick of were on seeking Relief in the open air from the queasiness a lieutenant bad lint lurched to the rail when be saw a wave and a slender Silvery form in the seconds the torpedo blasted a through the Bull of the Leo on its starboard Side of the least ill near lives in the next few thus began an ordeal at sea for  was to last for More than  the snip went Down and to cause modd More tale by that ensued was accompanied by ban incredible snafu that even information is not fully a Lable on what on Board the troop ship a Tab fido owed the Leopold Vule from Southampton under escort of three destroyers and a Wen More users of the nth div tone of them was Kemno Sanders and what be saw that night he could never Sanders investigated the tragedy on his own Lor two examining of Usa records where they were made interviewing the nun who had a Dart in the events that transpired and corresponding with More than to survivors of the the result was a night before published last year by Putnam questions plagued the Why warn be troop ship towed to port Why went troops told the ship was sinking in to get Why didst Rescue vessels 1964 arrive earlier Why did the belgian Crew fall to help the soldiers save themselves the answers were not Sanders no single Man or group of men was responsible Tor the catastrophe there wan no outright villainy though there was cowardice and Sanders describes the facts and lets them speak for the fact could not be changed int Marc than to soldiers drowned within Light of the lights of the Tou Lups that led to the disaster started in then was a general mix up As the troops boarded the ship and no roster was checked off As the men filed it was thus difficult later to Check who was where on the ship or even if they were aboard at those aboard the battered old ship were none too pleased by their lot not Only were they thousands of Miles from their loved ones in the United states As Well As missing out on the Holiday revelry ashore but they were headed for a Coni flt Xoi i below Gas made themselves comfortable wherever they for u years before the outbreak of world War the Leopold Vule had been a belgian line passenger liner plying the Waters Between Antwerp and the congolese with the War came a charter for the ship to serve for its military cargo holds had been rebuilt from top to Bottom to contain troop what made the soldiers unhappy about them was that the compartments looked More like dining Halls than anything they were filled with Long wooden benches and sphere were some hammocks but most men had to sleep under most uncomfortable the Voy age was made More miserable by heavy swells that rocked the Leopold Vulles passengers into bouts of Captain Charles Lambor of the Leopold which had covered every War area except the Pacific and never been was a belgian with a reputation As a Stern he spoke no English and All business with troops aboard was transacted through a British Liaison officer who spoke this was a fact that proved to have tragic consequences for after the ship was communications with the troops were either nonexistent or they were Down to the last minutes before the Cocol Dvalle went troops were told that tugs were on the that the ship was in 110 danger of was either a horrible misunderstanding or emus negligence on somebody from the cant ten nothing will Ever be Learned he went Down with his at any the troops were not Given the abandon ship order until it was too the got off in life carrying Valise und even cages containing pet Only five crewmen out of 130 thirty two wounded soldiers were taken off in a Hospital Lifeboat and about 8 others found places in the other sunders out that the boats had a capacity of 590 but actually contained Only about no soldiers were assigned to lifeboats Ord no instructions were Given on How to free the use rails lashed to the the troops were not told How to adjust life belts these were the notorious two teabags connected by girls hair one go described if not lied they would break the neck of a person lumping into the water from a after the u486 torpedoed the Leopold it submerged and remained on the Bottom the rest of the it later was sunk off the coast of Norway by another submarine there were no the Torp doing of the Leopold Vule brought the Convoy to a halt and the vessel was ordered to drop Anchor to prevent Drifting into a the escort destroyers began a search for the German submarine and dropped depth help had been but from the wrong there they were within easy Bunker Light distance from Cherbourg because the ships were on a prescribed radio the sos had to go to it is not known u the message Ever was relayed to Sanders at american personnel the stars and stripes stationed in fort lowest on the Harbor breakwater were in a sweat they had seen the Convoy Stop and the destroyers begin dropping depth repeated Blinker signals to determine what had happened brought no response from the darkness fell and the ships could Only be seen on radar then at a message from the British de Stroyer Brilliant confirmed their tears but Lett questions the message read taking off sur need a startled colonel messaged Back survivors of what and the answer revealed that the Leopold Vule was hit and assistance was again the fort blinked what kind assistance there was no reply from the destroyer nor did the Leopold Vule Ever communicate with the fort not Many men were on duty in Cher Holiday parties and dances were getting under Way duty stations had Only Skeleton Crews and these scarcely wanted to disturb the festivities unless it was absolutely it was 7 before red tape was the Harbor was fully alerted and help was heading out toward the wounded on Board the soldiers were conducting themselves with True military they refused to panic right Down to the last Large groups remaining in formation on confident that tug boats were coming and that everything would be a the destroyer Bill want came along Side the Leopold Lue and remained Bobbing up and Down Drifting out and for Aboul 50 it is believed that Between 900 and 700 men were rescued by the which pulled away As Rescue boats from Cherbourg other ships pulled in briefly to let men their Skippers cursing and pleading with the soldiers to gel the soldiers found it All hard to grasp no abandon ship order had been passed and they had been assured the ship was not Many did Lump into the for on Page i Page 11