As a result of my book, S.S. Leopoldville Disaster December 24, 1944, published by Tern Book Company, and the interest in the subject generated by the History Channel TV documentary and web site, I have received an incredible amount of additional material from families all across America with direct connections to the tragedy. A wealth of new information regarding the soldiers who died aboard the leopoldville has been gathered. This book contains that information and 60 new photographs and 2 new Richard Rockwell drawings depicting the calamity. The purpose of this book is to record that additional information for the benefit of the families concerned and interested researchers and historians.

Leopoldville Troopship Disaster : In Memoriam

History

Andrade, Allan

Americas

Allan Andrade

History Reviews of Allan Andrade's 1997 book and efforts to promote public awareness of the tragedy. "The story of the Leopoldville is a secret no more, thanks to the work of Allan Andrade. He dug into the history with passion. The more Andrade uncovered, the more support he received. . . . New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has publicly praised Andrade's work." Brad Hamilton, Reporter, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York City "If he had not written the book, there would not be . . . an impressive monument dedicated to the men . . . at the post's Sacrifice Field." Mick Walsh, Reporter, Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia "I am indebted to Daily News reader, Allan Andrade, . . . for educating me on this forgotten tragedy. . . . His book is a definitive account. . . . As the memories of World War II fade, it is left to us of later generations to keep faith with heroes." Karen Zautyk, Reporter, Daily News, New York City "Without your dedication and hard work, the story of the Leopoldville would have remained a secret of World War II. You brought the light of knowledge of their heroism to many thousands who otherwise would have never known. I appreciate your invaluable assistance with our sixtieth-anniversary tribute to these valiant Americans." Carmella LaSpada, Director, White House Commission on Remembrance To learn more about the Leopoldville disaster visit Allan Andrade´s web site Leopoldville disaster remembered. www.66inf1944.multiply.com

Leopoldville: Remembrance for Sacrifice

Military

Xlibris Corporation

Reviews of Allan Andrade's book, S.S. Leopoldville December 24, 1944 published in 1997 Thanks to the publication of this book and the publicity that it has received on regional and national television programs, Americans can now understand what had been a hidden tragedy. The book, in conjunction with the monument and memorials at Ft. Benning, helps ensure that the gallantry and sacrifices of the men of the 66th Infantry Division will no longer be unrecognized as they had been in the past. Dr. Steve Grove, USMA Historian, West Point, New York Allan Andrade's book is an excellent story of human courage in the face of a horrible tragedy. His book gives the reader an idea of what it must have been like to be aboard a sinking ship in the English Channel on Christmas Eve 1944. His extensive interviews with survivors tell how human error played a role in the death of so many U.S. soldiers and how lucky some survivors were to be in the right place at the right time. It was heartbreaking to read how the government lied to so many families who only wanted to know the truth about the fate of their loved one. It truly was a hard book to put down. Joseph P. Napsha, Reporter, Tribune - Review, Greensburg, Pennsylvania Through careful piecing together of survivors' accounts, of photos and wartime letters of both survivors and victims, Andrade weaves a heartbreaking narrative from the beginning of the calamity to its bitter conclusion. In this book, strangers otherwise lost to history are redeemed from the shadows. Ghosts speak in tender love letters of dreams and hopes, of their undying affection for dear ones. They stare gallantly from faded photos, their soldiers' hats jauntily cocked, their eyes anxious. They pose stiffly in family portraits, young kids clinging to their knees. Lovely wives with soft, 1940s hairdos, hug their babies. In the book, we learn firsthand of heroic rescues, desperate acts, brutal deaths, incomprehensible suffering and grief. The History Channel video of the event focuses on the military cover up.. Yet, it does not come close to conveying the gripping horror, pathos and heroism found in Andrade's book. Lynn Ascrizzi, Reporter, Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

Leopoldville: Remembrance for Valor

Xlibris, Corp.

Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret

Reviews of Allan Andrade's book, S.S. Leopoldville December 24, 1944 published in 1997 Thanks to the publication of this book and the publicity that it has received on regional and national television programs, Americans can now understand what had been a hidden tragedy. The book, in conjunction with the monument and memorials at Ft. Benning, helps ensure that the gallantry and sacrifices of the men of the 66th Infantry Division will no longer be unrecognized as they had been in the past. Dr. Steve Grove, USMA Historian, West Point, New York Allan Andrade's book is an excellent story of human courage in the face of a horrible tragedy. His book gives the reader an idea of what it must have been like to be aboard a sinking ship in the English Channel on Christmas Eve 1944. His extensive interviews with survivors tell how human error played a role in the death of so many U.S. soldiers and how lucky some survivors were to be in the right place at the right time. It was heartbreaking to read how the government lied to so many families who only wanted to know the truth about the fate of their loved one. It truly was a hard book to put down. Joseph P. Napsha, Reporter, Tribune - Review, Greensburg, Pennsylvania Through careful piecing together of survivors' accounts, of photos and wartime letters of both survivors and victims, Andrade weaves a heartbreaking narrative from the beginning of the calamity to its bitter conclusion. In this book, strangers otherwise lost to history are redeemed from the shadows. Ghosts speak in tender love letters of dreams and hopes, of their undying affection for dear ones. They stare gallantly from faded photos, their soldiers' hats jauntily cocked, their eyesanxious. They pose stiffly in family portraits, young kids clinging to their knees. Lovely wives with soft, 1940s hairdos, hug their babies. In the book, we learn firsthand of heroic rescues, desperate acts, brutal deaths, incomprehensible suffering and grief. The History Channel video of the event focuses on the military cover up.. Yet, it does not come close to conveying the gripping horror, pathos and heroism found in Andrade's book. Lynn Ascrizzi, Reporter, Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

Xlibris

On December 24, 1944, Lt. Gerhard Meyer, German submarine commander of the U 486 fired a torpedo that sank the S.S. Leopoldville as it transported 2,000 American soldiers to reinforce the Battle of the Bulge. Of these men, mostly between the ages of 18 and 21, 763 were killed. Forty-seven of the then forty-eight states were represented among the dead. 
On April 12, 1945 (the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt died), the U486 was torpedoed by a British submarineno survivors. 
The S.S. Leopoldville DisasterDecember 24, 1944 recounts the incident through the stories of the survivors. It also tells the emotional stories of the families and loved ones back home through the letters sent to and from those killed. Some of the most emotional and poignant letters are reproduced in the book. 
The vulnerability of the S.S. Leopoldville and the lack of emergency preparation, which caused so many soldiers to die, was an embarrassment to the various Allied governments involved, resulting in what might be considered a cover-up, even long after the incident was declassified in 1959. It was only through the authors research, 50 years after the event, that some siblings, wives, and children of the men lost discovered what really happened. 
The author, Allan Andrade, a retired NYC police lieutenant and a trained investigator, has done exhaustive work, well beyond the writing of this book, by bringing public attention to this event. His enthusiasm and drive have resulted in several state and local governments issuing proclamations commemorating the incident, as well as a national monument in Fort Benning, Georgia. For many families it brought closure to a horrible time in their lives. 
The Appendix contains both a by-state list of the men killed, and a list of survivors by rank, Company, and Division (all were members of the 66th Panther Division).

S.S. Leopoldville Disaster: December 24, 1944

Tern Book Co Inc

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Books by Andrade, Allan

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Andrade, Allan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Leopoldville Troopship Disaster : In Memoriam

Leopoldville: Remembrance for Sacrifice

Leopoldville: Remembrance for Valor

Leopoldville: Remembrance for Valor

Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret

Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret

S.S. Leopoldville Disaster: December 24, 1944