US Navy
Felton Thomas Fitts
Service No.: 2691288
Ship Assignment: USS LST-507
Felton Thomas Fitts was born on 6th January 1925 in Madison County, Georgia, USA. He was the son of William Lafayette Fitts and Ethel Elizabeth Fitts and grew up in Georgia as one of a large family of children.
His siblings were George Willie, Jimmie Lee, Ferris Bryan, Bobbie Neal, Johnnie Mell, Jackie Carolyn, James Fred, Patricia Ann, known as “Patsy”, Tommie, Frank Kenneth and Furman Watson. The family’s connection to Madison County remained an important part of Felton’s story, and his parents were later identified in United States Navy casualty records as Mr and Mrs William Lafayette Fitts of Route 2, Danielsville, Georgia.
The available information records Felton as unmarried. His life, however, was part of a much wider family story, and his death during the Second World War left his relatives to remember a young man whose future was cut short at the age of nineteen.
United States Navy service
Felton Fitts served in the United States Navy during the Second World War. His recorded service number was 2691288, and the Naval-History.net database identifies him as a Gunner’s Mate Second Class aboard USS LST-507.
His enlistment date is recorded as taking place in Macon, Georgia on 22nd January 1942. The casualty database supports his service number, rating and assignment to LST-507, while a related Navy casualty entry records his full name and his parents’ address in Georgia.
As a member of the crew of LST-507, Fitts served aboard a tank landing ship designed to carry personnel, vehicles and equipment for amphibious operations. In the spring of 1944, the ship was involved in preparations for the Allied invasion of Normandy.
Exercise Tiger
LST: USS LST-507
In April 1944, Allied forces were conducting Exercise Tiger, a major rehearsal for the Normandy landings. The exercise included the movement of troops and equipment through the waters off southern England, where the coastline around Slapton Sands had been selected to simulate conditions at Utah Beach in Normandy.
During the early hours of 28th April 1944, Convoy T-4 was attacked by German E-boats in Lyme Bay. USS LST-507 was struck by torpedoes and caught fire. The damage forced the crew and troops aboard to abandon ship, while other vessels attempted to rescue survivors from the sea.
The official United States Navy history of LST-507 records the loss of the ship and describes the rescue of survivors by USS LST-515. The attack formed part of the Exercise Tiger tragedy, in which the sinkings of LST-507 and LST-531, together with damage to LST-289, resulted in heavy American military casualties.
Felton Thomas Fitts died on 28th April 1944, aged nineteen. The Naval-History.net casualty database records him as killed in combat aboard LST-507 on that date.
Burial and remembrance
Felton Thomas Fitts was buried at Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery No. 1 in Shiloh, Madison County, Georgia, according to the biographical information supplied for this entry. His burial in Georgia connects his final resting place with the community in which his family lived.
Remembering Felton means looking beyond his service number and the circumstances of his death. He was a son and brother from Georgia who served in the United States Navy and died during preparations for the liberation of occupied Europe. His story remains part of the continuing effort to identify and remember each individual lost during Exercise Tiger.
Honours and Memorials
Felton Thomas Fitts is commemorated on the Exercise Tiger Trust’s Roll of Honour. (Roll of Honour)
He is commemorated at the Exercise Tiger Memorial at Torcross, Devon, where his name appears among the American servicemen lost during the disaster.
F T Fitts GM2 has an entry in the American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom.
GM2c Felton Thomas Fitts was awarded a Purple Heart.
Sources and research notes
[H] Later historical research — Naval-History.net, US Navy casualties by name:
Records Felton T. Fitts, GM2, service number 2691288, aboard USS LST-507, killed in combat on 28th April 1944. It also reproduces a Navy casualty entry identifying Felton Thomas Fitts as Gunner’s Mate Third Class and naming his parents as Mr and Mrs William Lafayette Fitts of Route 2, Danielsville, Georgia.
[H] Later historical research — Naval-History.net, US Navy casualties by date:
Lists Felton T. Fitts among the casualties aboard LST-507 on 28th April 1944 and records his rating as GM2.
[O] Official institutional history — Naval History and Heritage Command:
The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry for USS LST-507 provides the ship’s history and details of the torpedo attack, abandonment and rescue of survivors.
[O] Memorial record — Exercise Tiger Memorial:
Lists Felton T. Fitts among the United States Navy personnel associated with LST-507.
Family and biographical information:
The birth details, mother’s name, siblings, marital status, enlistment date and cemetery information are drawn from the information supplied for this biography. These details should be checked against original or official records where possible.
Research note — rank:
The casualty database records Felton as Gunner’s Mate Second Class (GM2), while a related Navy casualty entry identifies him as Gunner’s Mate Third Class. The discrepancy is retained here rather than silently resolved.
Sources
US National Archives & Records Administration (NARA)
Naval-History.net
Naval History and Heritage Command
Exercise Tiger Memorial
Exercise Tiger Trust
