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S.S. Leopoldville Sinking

 Sub-Series

Scope and Contents

This sub-series includes the work Stanley Rehder contributed to preserving the memory of the S.S. Leopoldville sinking. Rehder was 22 years old in the 66th Infantry Division of the army when a German submarine struck the ship with a torpedo on Christmas Eve in 1944. Of the 2,000 men aboard the ship, 763 of them died from the impact of the torpedo or from the temperature of the water. Rehder survived by being one of the very few to take the risk of departing the ship on a life boat. In many of Rehder's accounts, he acknowledges how some of the men were singing Christmas carols as the ship went down. This sub-series focuses on the writing and research Rehder did after the event.

Dates

  • Creation: 1946-2012

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Extent

From the Collection: 7 Containers (Contains 5 document boxes, 1 bankers box, and 1 oversize box)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:

910-962-7810