Norman Carl Molander

Service No.: 34407873
Ship Assignment: USS LST507
ABMC Memorial Page: Click Here

Norman C. Molander was born on April 20, 1921, in Connecticut. He was raised in a family with strong roots in Volusia, Florida. His parents, Simeon and Vedra Molander, were Swedish immigrants. Simeon worked as a carpenter to support the family. Norman grew up with four siblings—David (b. 1917), Clarice (b. 1921), Ethel (b. 1923), and Henry (b. 1928).

After completing four years of high school, Norman took up a job as a semi-skilled metal worker. On October 26, 1942, Norman enlisted in the U.S. Army at Camp Blanding, Florida. He served as a Private First Class in the 306th Quartermaster Battalion, 557th Quartermaster Railhead Company, and his unit played a crucial role in ensuring that frontline troops received their essential supplies.

Exercise Tiger and Ultimate Sacrifice

Norman’s service took a tragic turn during Exercise Tiger, one of the large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. On April 28, 1944, while aboard USS LST 507, making a slow clock-wise circle in Lyme Bay and heading almost south, the Allied naval convoy was attacked by German e-boats.

Norman C. Molander was declared “Missing in Action” on that fateful day. He was just 23 years old.

Honors and Memorials

Norman’s bravery and sacrifice have not been forgotten. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, England. His name also appears in the American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, as well as on a plaque inside a bunker at Utah Beach, France.

Norman’s life, though cut short, serves as an enduring inspiration.