PFC Walter Leroy Brown
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| HMT Rohna, (Her Majesty's Transport) Requistioned for the U.S. from the British India Steamship Company for troop transport Born March 29, 1921, Walter Leroy Brown, son of William Russell and Emma Viola (Byers)Brown lived in Oakwood for much of his life with his siblings, Robert, Marion, Marjorie, and Beverly. On January 2, 1943, he enlisted into the Army in Toledo. He attended many training camps, but most importantly, he married Willadeen Stover, 21, on June 19, 1943, a native of Defiance, before leaving on assignment. She lived in Tiffin Township with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Stover, seven miles north of the city on Route 66. Walter was assigned to the 853rd Aviation Engineer Battalion that embarked overseas on October 3, 1943. His group was headed for India to build runways, maintain airports and complete any aviation projects necessary there. The Battalion loaded onto the Rohta on November 24, 1943, at Oran, a port on the coast of Algeria, North Africa. It was a ship meant for about 100 people, a coal burning steamer, but almost 2000 men were boarded. On the 25th, they joined a British convoy.  From the internet story: www.WW2:TheBigOne "Since the departure was on Thanksgiving Day, the crew provided a holiday repast that didn't stay down very long, as the ship rolled through the swells. 'We had Thanksgiving dinner, and everybody went and vomited, Holiiman said. Seasickness, however, would be the least of their problems. At 4:30 p.m. the next day, German bombers based in occupied France attacked the convoy."  Hitler was able to use his "secret weapon" on the Rohna - a radio-controlled guided missile, and the Rohna took a direct hit very near the 853rd's berths. The 725 pound bomb pierced the lightly plated port side of the Rohna. It had a delayed fuse, but when it exploded it blew big holes on either side of the ship right at the waterline near the engine room. The engine room flooded and caught fire, meaning all electrical power went out. Ladders were shattered, hatch covers blew off, and the one lifeboat that could be lowered was swarmed with men and capsized. Life vests were not on the ship - just inflatable life rings which proved insufficient. The ship capsized and the men were left in the cold, rough seas. PFC Walter L. Brown died on November 26, 1943. The 853rd had 30 officers and 793 enlisted men when the Rohna left port. Now 495 were gone, and 147 were injured. British and Australian officers and Indian crew members also died, totaling 1,149 people. The strange thing about this incident was that the survivors were ordered not to talk about it and it wasn't in the news. One officer stated it was "hush-hush. It was hard on parents and other friends and relatives back home who were only informed by telegram that their soldier was MIA. An example of the telegram sent home:  The government did not want to give the enemy any clue to their successful hit with their new weapon, so both the British and American troops were ordered to stay silent. "The secrecy prevailed after the war, causing many families a long delay to learn what happened to their loved ones. For many years, hardly anyone who wasn't in the convoy or part of the rescue effort knew what happened." www.WW2:TheBigOne PFC Brown's obituary appeared in the Crescent-News on June 13, 1944, on page one, with a vague description of what happened to him. The ship was not named and "It was believed" give a less than detailed description of his fate  PFC Brown died at sea and his body was not recovered. His name appears on a Memorial Plaque in the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunisia.  Dianne Kline, Researxher Sidenote: Walter had a brother, Marion Francis Brown, an Army Infantryman, who also died in 1944. |
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