Pvt. Frank Paul Downing, Jr. (left) and T/5 John Henry O’Donnell. (Stories Behind the Stars)

CHERBOURG, France — The worst losses by an American Infantry Division from an enemy submarine during World War II occurred on Dec. 24, 1944. The sinking of the troopship SS Leopoldville in the English Channel cost the lives of 763 U.S. soldiers. The U.S. government’s decades-long censorship of the tragedy magnified the grief of the victims’ loved ones and the trauma of the ship’s survivors.

Most of the killed and missing were from the 262nd and 264th Infantry Regiments of the 66th “Black Panther” Infantry Division on their way to the Battle of the Bulge. They came from every state in the nation but one. Volunteers from the non-profit Stories Behind the Stars (www.storiesbehindthestars.org) have written memorials honoring each of Pennsylvania’s 73 soldiers who lost their lives in the SS Leopoldville tragedy. Mifflin County was home to two of them: Pvt. Frank Paul Downing, Jr. and T/5 John Henry O’Donnell.

Frank Paul Downing, Jr. was born on Jan. 21, 1926 in Lewistown. to his namesake father and Lena M. Carper Downing. Downing had a younger brother David, who served with the Marines in World War II and Korea, and a younger sister Dorene. His father had a lengthy career as a steelworker. Downing graduated from Derry Township High School in 1943. His family worshiped at the local United Methodist Church. Downing registered for the draft in Lewistown on his eighteenth birthday. He was unmarried, and worked for the Glenn H. Martin Company. Downing enlisted in the Army in Altoona on May 3, 1944 and began active duty at New Cumberland. He was assigned to Company E, 264th Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry “Black Panther” Division.

John Henry O’Donnell was born in New Lancaster Valley on Dec. 21, 1923 to sawmill worker John Henry and Bertha L. Joe O’Donnell. He had at least 11 siblings (Ruth Lavina, Silas S., Lena Kathyrn, Fay E., Esther, Margaret Eleanor, Emily Blanche, Molly Ann, William Myron, Robert E. and David Jesse). O’Donnell attended Milroy High School. He registered for the draft on June 30, 1942 in Mifflin County. O’Donnell served with the 262nd Infantry Regiment, HQ Company, 3 Battalion, 66th “Black Panthers” Infantry Division.

The 66th Infantry Division did their initial training at Camp Blanding in northeastern Florida. They then moved to Camp Joseph Robinson near Little Rock, Arkansas for further training, and completed training at Camp Rucker, Alabama. In November 1944, the division arrived at Camp Shanks, New Jersey, its final stop before being shipped overseas. Part of the division sailed for England on Nov. 15, 1944, aboard the George Washington and the George O. Squier and the rest of the division sailed on the HMS Britannic on Dec. 1, 1944. While in England, the division had barracks at Camp Blandford on the southern coast of England.

After weeks of waiting, the 262nd and 264th regiments were ordered to the Southampton docks on Christmas Eve to board SS Leopoldville, a Belgian liner converted to troop carrier. The 11,500-ton ship, launched in 1929, carried 2,235 men of the 66th Division bound for Cherbourg, France as reinforcements for the Battle of the Bulge. It had transported over 120,000 men safely to their destinations and had crossed the English Channel twenty-four times, without incident.

The German U-Boat 486 was on its first war patrol and seeking prey in the English Channel. The Leopoldville was five miles from the entrance to Cherbourg harbor, when U-486 fired two torpedoes at the target. One torpedo slammed into the starboard side of the troop ship and exploded. The Leopoldville began taking on water quickly. Due to differing radio frequencies, nearly an hour passed before vessels in Cherbourg learned of the attack. British and American ships rescued over 1,400 troops. The Leopoldville stayed afloat for two and a half hours after the torpedo hit before finally sinking, stern first. About 500 went down with the ship from the torpedo hit. The rest died from injuries, drowning or hypothermia while awaiting rescue.

Downing and O’Donnell were killed in action. Downing’s remains were recovered and repatriated to the United States. He was laid to rest at Mount Rock Cemetery in Lewistown. O’Donnell’s remains were never recovered. He was memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing, Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, France. O’Donnell posthumously received the Purple Heart.

The Army ordered the 66th Infantry Division soldiers to conceal details about the sinking of the SS Leopoldville and censored their letters home during the rest of WWII. At discharge, survivors were ordered not to talk about the sinking at the risk of losing their G.I. benefits as civilians. The U.S. government declassified documents about the SS Leopoldville in 1959 but made no effort to inform families or the public. British documents were classified until 1996. Details about the tragedy finally emerged with the publication of A Night before Christmas by Jacquin Sanders, The S.S. Leopoldville Disaster by Allan Andrade, and the broadcast of television documentary “History Undercover: Cover-up – The Sinking of the SS Leopoldville.”

Stories Behind the Stars memorials are accessible for free on the internet and via smartphone app at gravesites and cenotaphs. The non-profit organization is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania.

Editor’s Note: Pennsylvania had over 31,000 casualties during WWII. Research work is still ongoing, including gathering information and writing short stories for each loss. During the war, there were 15 casualties from Lewistown and 129 from Mifflin county. Of those 129, there are 79 men whose hometown has not been identified. ‘Stories Behind the Stars’ is in constant need of volunteers to help research/write stories for this very worthwhile project. To volunteer or to get more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.