The 66th Division and 262th Infantry Regiments
The 66th Division was formed on April 15, 1943 at Camp Blanding of Florida. The commander, Major General Herman F. Kramer led the division until August of 1945, where Major General Walter F. Lauer takes over. It consisted of the following units: 262nd, 263rd, and 264th Infantry Regiments, Headquarters battery, 721st, 870th, 871st, and 872nd, Field Artillery Battalions, 266th Engineer Combat Battalion, the 366th Medical Battalion, 66th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, 66th Quartermaster Company, 66th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, the 566th Signal Company, and Headquarters Special Troops, including a Headquarters Company and a Military Police Platoon.
The division trained at Camp Blanding in northeastern Florida to Camp Joseph Robinson near Little Rock of Arkansas, and finally at Camp Rucker of Alabama. They arrived in Camp Shanks of New Jersey in November of 1944, where they finally sailed overseas. One group sailed across the English Channel to England in the Atlantic on the Leopoldville while the other sailed on the HMS Cheshire during Christmas Eve of 1944. Most of the infantry troops were in either the SS Leopoldville or the HMS Cheshire.
When the HMS Cheshire arrived at Cherbourg, they regrouped with the others and traveled to L’Orient and St. Nazaire. While the 94th Division went to the Battle of the Bulge, the 66th Division carried out daily reconnaissance patrols.
In late May of 1945, they moved again to the Marseille area off the southern coast of France in order to staff staging areas where troops were being sent to the war in the Pacific. The division built eight outdoor motion picture amphitheaters and athletic field for entertainment.
In late October of 1945, the battle in the Pacific ceased and small parts of the 66th Division sailed home. Those who did not go home went to Delta Base in France or Germany and Austria to help as occupation forces. The remainder of the men who stayed did not have enough points to return home.
The division uses a black panther’s head as its insignia on a circular orange background within a red border. This was chosen to symbolize the attributes of a good infantryman: the ability to kill, to be aggressive, alert, stealthy, cunning, agile, and strong.
The division trained at Camp Blanding in northeastern Florida to Camp Joseph Robinson near Little Rock of Arkansas, and finally at Camp Rucker of Alabama. They arrived in Camp Shanks of New Jersey in November of 1944, where they finally sailed overseas. One group sailed across the English Channel to England in the Atlantic on the Leopoldville while the other sailed on the HMS Cheshire during Christmas Eve of 1944. Most of the infantry troops were in either the SS Leopoldville or the HMS Cheshire.
When the HMS Cheshire arrived at Cherbourg, they regrouped with the others and traveled to L’Orient and St. Nazaire. While the 94th Division went to the Battle of the Bulge, the 66th Division carried out daily reconnaissance patrols.
In late May of 1945, they moved again to the Marseille area off the southern coast of France in order to staff staging areas where troops were being sent to the war in the Pacific. The division built eight outdoor motion picture amphitheaters and athletic field for entertainment.
In late October of 1945, the battle in the Pacific ceased and small parts of the 66th Division sailed home. Those who did not go home went to Delta Base in France or Germany and Austria to help as occupation forces. The remainder of the men who stayed did not have enough points to return home.
The division uses a black panther’s head as its insignia on a circular orange background within a red border. This was chosen to symbolize the attributes of a good infantryman: the ability to kill, to be aggressive, alert, stealthy, cunning, agile, and strong.
Leopoldville
Alton G. Howell was a part of the 66th Division, 262th Infantry Regiments. He was a radio operator in the SS Leopoldville, a Belgium passenger ship, which from travelling from Southampton, England for Cherbourg, France.
SS Leopoldville was guarded by three British escorts, with 2,237 United States troops on board. When the torpedo struck at 1754 hours, 1,473 safely escaped the ship, with 764 trapped.
The explosion of the torpedo caused the wooden stairs loading into the holds to collapse, preventing escape to the upper decks. The no. 4 hold flooded immediately, and the F-deck collapsed on top of the G-deck. The E-deck partially collapsed on the F-deck.
A surviving officer says that no one could have escaped the G-deck as it flooded quickly. The ship completely sunk at 2030 hours, ten miles off the coast of Cherbourg, France.
The torpedo was from a German U-boat that was 6.5 miles northeast of the destination. Once hit by the torpedo, immediate evacuation orders were given, and distress messages were sent to England and Cherbourg which were visible through the cold snowy weather. Many soldiers dived into the icy water with survivors on fishing boats and tugs, saved by the big waves.
During its telegram, the War Department said little, wanting no one to know that a German U-boat, U-486, had sunk the SS Leopoldville. This killed about one-third of the soldiers on board.
A total of 493 individuals, including Alton Howell, were declared missing in action. This tragedy killed men throughout 46 of the 48 states present during the period, with Delaware and Wyoming being untouched by the tragedy. Their deaths were mostly during Christmas Eve of 1944 and being only 5.5 miles away from the Cherbourg shore.
SS Leopoldville was guarded by three British escorts, with 2,237 United States troops on board. When the torpedo struck at 1754 hours, 1,473 safely escaped the ship, with 764 trapped.
The explosion of the torpedo caused the wooden stairs loading into the holds to collapse, preventing escape to the upper decks. The no. 4 hold flooded immediately, and the F-deck collapsed on top of the G-deck. The E-deck partially collapsed on the F-deck.
A surviving officer says that no one could have escaped the G-deck as it flooded quickly. The ship completely sunk at 2030 hours, ten miles off the coast of Cherbourg, France.
The torpedo was from a German U-boat that was 6.5 miles northeast of the destination. Once hit by the torpedo, immediate evacuation orders were given, and distress messages were sent to England and Cherbourg which were visible through the cold snowy weather. Many soldiers dived into the icy water with survivors on fishing boats and tugs, saved by the big waves.
During its telegram, the War Department said little, wanting no one to know that a German U-boat, U-486, had sunk the SS Leopoldville. This killed about one-third of the soldiers on board.
A total of 493 individuals, including Alton Howell, were declared missing in action. This tragedy killed men throughout 46 of the 48 states present during the period, with Delaware and Wyoming being untouched by the tragedy. Their deaths were mostly during Christmas Eve of 1944 and being only 5.5 miles away from the Cherbourg shore.