Customer Reviews

S.S. Leopoldville Disaster: December 24, 1944

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"`Hey, I'm alive!' Drew blacked out. When he came to, he found himself on a beach, naked protected only by a raincoat thrown over him. He heard a faint voice `Throw him in there too.' Drew, realizing that they thought he was dead, yelled." This is just one of many harrowing tales of a life and death struggle resulting from the sinking. "SS Leapoldville Disaster, December 24, 1944" is the story of this troopship loaded with American troops being rushed to the help in the Battle of the Bulge. It was sunk barely five miles from shore taking with it 763 American servicemen. The book consists of many short stories detailing individual accounts of the disaster. Even the Introduction has 38. These were compiled from hundreds of interviews and research. Andrade includes many actual copies of letters. Perhaps the most moving are letters from parents to their sons before they knew they were dead. One story in particular is very moving: "Lt. Gene Barwick died that night. They never recovered his body. Each Christmas Eve reminded Barwick's parents of his death. His young bride eventually remarried and had two children but 20 years after her first love's death, she took her own life on a Christmas Eve." Many who died were only 18 to 21 years old and came from 47 of the (then) 48 states. All are listed by state in the In Memoriam Section at the end of the book as are the survivors.

This disaster was kept secret for many years. It was understandable during the war but not so afterwards. Allan Andrade has done a service to the nation and to the families of those lost with his book. It is well done, and an easy read - well worth your time!...

My father-in-law's brother perished in the sinking of the Leopoldville. I married into the family 20 years ago and never really knew what happened to Uncle Waldo. Now I am filled with a great sense of loss at never having known him--and that loss is compounded as I think of the nearly 800 families who lost sons, husbands, fathers, and uncles.

I am also filled with a great sense of appreciate and reverence for all those on board--for those who gave their lives and for those who survived the terror.

Allan Andrade did a great job of presenting the story and introducing those who involved. They are very real people to me now. I finished the book with tears streaming down my cheeks. This is a must read for anyone who had family involved in the sinking. It is an important piece of history for everyone. It reminds us of the price others paid for our freedom, but it also raises important questions about the mistakes or errors that contributed to the loss and the failure to acknowledge those problems.

Thank you, Mr. Andrade, for writing this important book.

I just put this book down and was astonished both by the tragedy of the disaster and by Andrade's insightful and meticulous reporting. I highly recommend it.

The torpedo that hit the Leopoldville was an "act ofwar." But author Andrade brings out the real tragedy: thesubsequent 50-year coverup and the emotional, wrenching pain of the survivors and the intentional deception of families left in the dark for a half century. This book should be required reading for students of World War II history to see a darker, unknown side of warfare that they'll never see in textbooks. Allan Andrade should be commended for his perseverance and diligence in digging for the facts.

My thanks to the author Alan Andrade for telling the sensative and moving story of the S.S. Leopoldville disaster. I am the daughter of one of the men who died on that tradgic Christmas Eve in 1944. Until I read this book I had no idea of how my father died. I am greatful to finally know what happened to him and I am greatful to all the men who shared their stories. I salute them for their courage then and now.

If you are interested in the Leopoldville, this book gives you a lot of information without much story. It is based entirely on interviews with survivors and their relatives (and my father-in-law was a survivor).

But if you want the story -- including quotes from crew members and many others -- read A Night Before Christmas, the book Jacquin Sanders wrote in the 1960s about the Leopoldville disaster. Andrade not only borrows heavily -- Sanders' book is footnoted probably two dozen times -- but he really does not break new ground, which is pretty amazing considering that the governments involved kept all details secret for decades (well past when Sanders wrote his book).

Had I not read Sanders' book, this one might have gotten 5 stars. It is a good read and I recommend it (and the listing of survivors and dead at the back of the book not only made this book easier to follow, buthelped with Sanders' book too). But if you can only read one book on the subject, I might not pick this one.

This true story of the souls lost and those who lived on from a World War II disaster is unequalled in military history. There is probably no other single incident in WW2 that compares to or involves so many lives in so many states, stories that continue on to this day. The stories Andrade provides, and his writing ability place you on the Leopoldville on Christams Eve, 1944, the day it was lost.

this is a book about a little known disaster which occured dec 24, 1944. members of the 66th division were crossing the english channel on there way to join the battle of the bulge. The book is a tribute to the men who died that fateful night. it is a well written tribute dedicated to the men who went down and also those who survived. it is about the courage of the men of the 66th and also takes a personal look at the families of these soldiers. This book makes a great gift for someone interested in world war II history. It is a time of year when these brave men should never be forgotten. The author spent a great deal of time covering the tragedy,this book will be a movie someday.

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.

My hat is off to Mssr. Andrade for this fine literary piece. I have also read the book by Mssr. Sanders "The night before Christmas." They are two very different books. Mssr. Sanders tells you what happened and why. MSSR. ANDRADE NOT ONLY EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENED BUT TAKES YOU THERE TO FEEL EVERY MOMENT. My Uncle (Pfc. Carl A. Nelson) Died on the Leopoldville and I as well as my My Father (Carl A Nelsons twin brother) cannot thank Mssr. Andrade enough for the time and effort he put into this book. IF YOU READ ANYTHING.. ...READ THIS BOOK!! We couldn't put the book down. I am anxiously awaiting to read anything Mssr. Andrade writes he has a gift, and a talent ... FOR TAKING YOU, THROUGH WORDS, TO AN EXACT MOMENT IN TIME.