On December 24th, 1944, the SS Leopoldville was carrying the 262nd and 264th infantry divisions through the English Channel to France, where they would be released into combat. The 2,500 men on board were resting from that evening's dinner when suddenly, a German U-boat torpedoed the Leopoldville. The ship was hit on the starboard side, and water began to flow into it through the hole created by the torpedo. The men, shocked and dazed, calmly tried to escape. Many bravely tried to save others from the wreckage, sometimes injuring or even getting themselves killed in the process. Still, hundreds were still on board when the Leopoldville sank that night. Overall, 14 commanders and 784 enlisted men were reported dead or missing, making the sinking of the SS Leopoldville the second largest loss of life from a troopship disaster in the entire European theater of the war. Two days later, the survivors of the 66th Black Panther division entered combat.