HMT Rohna

Back on June 29th, I wrote about a survivor of the HMT (His Majesty's Troopship) Rohna, dying in North Carolina.

Again, this story was covered up at the time, and for decades after the war for fear the Germans would learn how effective their glide bombs (kind of the smart bomb of that era) were.

Here are some more facts about the incident from Wikipedia.

The HMT Rohna was sunk by the German Luftwaffe November 26, 1943 in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Algeria, while carrying American troops. Of the 1,138 men who lost their lives, 1,015 were American, with 35 later dying from wounds.

Seven large landing craft LCI(L)s failed to pick up survivors. Six hundred and six were picked up by the minesweeper USS Pioneer.

Details of the incident were released slowly and not fully disclosed until 1967 with the Freedom of Information Act.

The Rohna was sunk by a Henschel HS 293 radio-controlled glide bomb. Other vessels were sunk by this early guided missiles, but also hushed up.


TODAY

In 1996, a monument was erected at the Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seales, Alabama, to commemorate the incident. There is also a Rohna Survivors Memorial Association that has a website with more information on the event.

Again, Something I Had Never Heard Of. --Cooter