Twin brothers who died together days after D-Day landings reunited in death 75 years later

Julius and Louie Pieper died after their ship hit an underwater mine just days after D-Day in 1944. Credit: PA

Twin brothers who died together when their boat hit an underwater mine just days after D-Day have finally been reunited 75 years after the boat sank.

Julius Heinrich Otto "Henry" Pieper and Ludwig Julius Wilhelm "Louie" Pieper, from Esmond, South Dakota, were 19-year-old sailors in the US Navy when they passed away on June 19, 1944.

Their ship shattered when trying to reach blood-soaked Utah Beach just 13 days after the D-Day landings.

While Louie's body was found soon after and laid to rest, his brother's remains were not recovered until 1961 by French salvage divers.

For decades, Julius's body was only known as Unknown X-9352 at a World War II American cemetery in Belgium.

But in 2017, his remains were finally identified.

"They were always together," said their niece, Susan Lawrence.

"They were the best of friends."

The twin brothers will finally be buried together at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.