But, shortly before landing, 5 miles off the Cherbourg roadstead, a very violent impact was felt: a German torpedo fired from a submarine still in the Channel waters, struck the hull of the Belgian ship, The Léopoldville.

There were more than 2,000 American soldiers on board. Rescue operations were immediately launched both at sea and in Cherbourg.

But the large hole in the hull grew quickly and, two hours later, the Léopoldville exploded and sank. The storm, the cold and the night meant that the men who had come to their rescue were unable to save all the GIs.

In all, nearly 770 people died that Christmas Eve.