#Story
Julius and Ludwig Pieper - They Lived, They Served, They Rest together
Twin brothers Julius and Ludwig Pieper died off Normandy in 1944 when their ship hit a mine. Ludwig was buried in France, but Julius remained missing for decades until 2018, when he was found and reunited beside his brother, 74 years later at the Normandy American Cemetery.
In Nebraska, twin brothers Julius & Ludwig Pieper, both Radioman Second Class in the U.S. Naval Reserve, joined the war effort together. Born on 17 May 1925. They enlisted just before turning 18 years of age, giving exceptions to serve side by side, which was unusual for family members to battle together. Their father even petitioned for them to be stationed together.
On 19 June 1944, thirteen days after D-Day , the brothers were aboard LST523 (Landing Ship Tank), sailing from Falmouth, UK to Utah Beach, Normandy.
Their ship struck a mine and sank abruptly off Normandy’s coast. Aboard that fateful day were 145 crew: 117 died, including Julius and Ludwig.
Ludwig’s body was shortly recovered and was laid to rest at Normandy American Cemetery. Julius, however, remained missing.
His name is engraved on the cemetery’s memorial to the Missing; a solemn reminder of families left with no closure.
Yet their story didn’t end there. In 1961, French divers recovered remains from the ship’s radio room, labelled ‘Unknown X9352’ and buried in Belgium.
Half a century later, a compassionate teen, Vanessa Taylor, researching the Second World War for a school project, connected the dots in 2015. Her dedication led the Defence Prisoner of War / Missing in Action. Accounting Agency (DPAA) to exhume and identify Julius’s remains in 2017, using dental records, anthropological data, and radiographs.
On 19 June 2018, exactly 74 years after their deaths, Julius was laid to rest beside Ludwig, finally reunited, together forever. Their niece, Susan Lawrence, captured the deep emotion: “They were always together… They felt like they came into this life together, and if they were going to die, they wanted to die together”
Radioman Julius Pieper is buried in Plot 2, Row E, Grave 43
Radioman Ludwig Pieper is buried in Plot 2, Row E, Grave 42