LST-422 (January 26, 1944)

Hi, my name is Sheila. I am trying to find any information I can on my uncle, Troy Allen (from Kentucky), who died on January 26, 1944. He was a 1st Ranger Battalion. In researching, I found that on January 26, 1944, a ship, the LST-422 hit an underwater mine and 454 American soldiers were killed on the Anzio beachhead. If anyone might have known him or know of this ship sinking, I would greatly appreciate any information, because I don't know for sure if he was on that ship. My grandmother, his mother, would never talk about WW2 or of his death. She has now passed. So any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

PFC Troy Allen (Serial Number 15333216) was assigned to HQ, Co. B, 1st Ranger Battalion. May I suggest that you obtain PFC Allen's I.D.P.F. (Individual Deceased Personnel File). The I.D.P.F. is THE single best source for FACTS that you can obtain.

Richard V. Horrell

 

Thank you so much. (I had to "google" how to obtain a IDPF). My request will be in the mail tomorrow.

 

Hi Sheila,
My Dad was also on that LST 422. He was in the 83rd Chemical Motar Battalion, company C
I found the historian, Terry Lowry of the 83rd. He has written a wonderful book about the 83rd.
His email is tlsnoops@aol.com. Tells all about the sinking of the LST422 with statements from some of the survivors. I had the same problem with my Mom, she would never talk about Dad. But this book will help you and I am not sure of the cost or if he has any copies left but worth a try.

 

This is an incredible story. I never heard about this incident until today. Another reason I love this site !!

 

My dad was aboard the Minesweeper YMS-36 that was one of several sweepers that came to the aid of LST-422. He was awarded the Navy & Marine Corp Medal for his part in rescuing survivors of this disaster. This site gives a good account of the incident.

http://www.dvrbs.com/history-mil/LST-422.htm

 

It's worth noting that the 1st Ranger Battalion was already established on the beachhead for several days by the time of the sinking of this ship. Also, per clempster's link above, aboard the ship when it sank were personnel from the 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized. The 83rd Chemical Battalion WAS PART OF the 6615th Ranger Force (which included the 1st Ranger Battalion) at Anzio. Could it be that he served with the 83rd and not the 1st Ranger Battalion?

EDIT: LOL... nevermind. This thread is five years old.

 

Hi Sheila, keep coming back, maybe one of our members will be able to help again .

 

Excellent link, clempster. The website also has a link to a great website for the Chemical Mortar Battalions, www.4point2.org

No worries, McCabe. BTDT myself. I'm happy to see this thread, though. Missed it the first time around.

BTW, found PFC Allen's particulars on the website www.rangerroster.org. It gives his place of death as the Anzio Beachhead.

 

Good link, Tommy, I've bookmarked that. So he was indeed a Ranger.

Here's a pic of Mr. Allen

 

Do we know for certain that he was aboard LST-422, because from reading the OP, it sounds as if that is just an assumption being made based on the Private's date-of-death and the LST's date of sinking.

 

That's exactly correct. I think based on McCabe's first post and the Ranger website in my post, it is fairly certain he was killed at the Anzio Beachhead and not on the LST.

 

Hello all, I know there has not been much talk about LST-422 or its men. I am trying to find out information regarding the men who survived the sinking and what happened to them. I am part of a group called Stories Behind the Stars. We are tasked in writing short stories for all of the 425 men and women who dies in WW2. A simple App can be downloaded on your smartphone and by simply pointing at a headstone or memorial you can listen to their story. Any help would greatly be appreciated

 

Thank you for the Wikipedia. I had already gone through. I am hoping to find information regarding the men who survived the sinking and then moved to other units. Unfortunately a large group of them became KIA and there is a mystery of what company they were in. We are trying to close that mystery. Thank you

 

It was a combined arms mission so it's possible that a mixed bag of units were on the same landing vessel. In the photo below, made in England several months later, I see a man with a 1st Division emblem on his helmet, another with the symbol of the Engineer Special Brigades on his helmet and shoulder, and two guys with shoulder patches of the armored forces.

 

According to the Fifth Army History, 5 officers and 289 enlisted men of the 83d Chemical Battalion were lost in the sinking of LST 422. Other sources indicate at least 5 enlisted men of the 68th Coast Artillery were also lost along with 29 of the British crew. LCI-32 was also lost in the rescue with casualties of: officers - 1 dead, 1 injured, 2 missing, enlisted - 4 dead, 2 injured, and 23 missing. Total losses in both vessels were 454 US and 29 British, but who the remainder of the American losses were remains elusive.

 

I hadn’t spotted a photo of LST 422 on this thread, so I thought I would post one. This photo is of the LST in the Mediterranean, This photo was taken on a Beach in Sicily, when it was taking troops across from Sicily to Italy.

The PPCLI (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry) was a Canadian Infantry Battalion, which was part of the 1st Canadian Division, which landed on Sicily as part of Operation Husky. The 1st Canadian Division, eventually joined by the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, 1st Cdn Corps and other Canadian troops fought thru Italy until they were moved from Italy to NW Europe to re-join the 1st Canadian Army.


HM LST-422 beached in the background near St. Teresa, Sicily while Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry troops sleep on the beach at dawn while awaiting transport to Italy, 4 September 1943