Donald G. Watson was born in 1922 in New London, Connecticut. His father owned one of the first radio stores in the area before going bankrupt during the Great Depression. Watson went to high school and worked at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in the mechanic shop. He was at the mechanic shop when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Watson wanted to volunteer but was drafted into service in 1943. His brother, older by seven years, went into the service in 1942 as a medic in France. His father was in World War 1, and many of his ancestors served in other American wars. Watson felt it was not only duty to his country, but tradition in his family to serve in World War 2. He reported for a physical and joined the Army. He did his basic training at Camp Hood [Annotator's Note: now Fort Hood], Texas. He remembered training was pretty tough running and ducking under barbered wire while being shot at was a common practice.

Donald G. Watson was sent to Camp Carson, Colorado during the winter and was assigned to the 71st Infantry Division. They practiced maneuvers in the California mountains for three months. They had to use mules to transport their equipment, ate rations, and slept in pup tents. While there, they cut switch backs to move up the mountains easier. In 1944, Watson was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia where he was assigned to a reformed 71st Infantry Division [Annotator's Note: 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] and was given normal equipment and stayed there four about four months. He was sent to New Jersey before being shipped overseas. They shipped overseas in a convoy to England and then Le Havre, France. He remembered that his company was the only men on the ship. They had a few alerts for German submarines during his passage.

Donald G. Watson and his division [Annotator's Note: Watson was a member of the 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] landed in England and then Le Havre, France. He remembered the weather was cold and snowy. They to set up camp by digging latrines and a garbage area. Making their way through France, Watson had to clear paths through mine fields, losing a friend in Bitche [Annotator's Note: Bitche, France] to a shu-mine [Annotator's Note: Schü-mine 42; a German anti-personnel mine]. As his company got further into France and to the Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by Germany in the 1930s], they saw fewer mines. Watson explains how mines work and how they were set in place for destruction.

Donald G. Watson's company [Annotator's Note: 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] moved quickly through Europe, crossing the Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by Germany in the 1930s] and capturing bridges to cross the Rhine River. He remembered seeing combat when they tried to take over bridges. He had to travel through some mountainous country and saw German wagons pulling military equipment. His first time in combat was in Bitche [Annotator's Note: Bitche, France]. He remembered a lot of artillery fire. He was able to meet up with his brother for a short time in France. When he got to the Rhine River, they stayed in a factory for the night and the next night he heard it was blown up. [Annotator's Note: The video blacks out from 0:54:33.000 to 0:54:41.000.] They crossed the Rhine at Frankfurt [Annotator's Note: Frankfurt, Germany] and Watson saw General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] during the crossing. His unit met heavy combat after they crossed into Germany and moved through the Hurtgen Forest. Watson slept under timbers and houses when they were near a village. Strangely, some of the German soldiers surrendered themselves one night.

Donald G. Watson and his unit [Annotator's Note: 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] moved through the Hurtgen Forest being met by German forces. As he went through German villages, they would take over a house and stay there until they moved to the next village. [Annotator's Note: The interviewee comments on deer he sees outside his window at 1:04:51.000.] He ate a lot of K-rations [Annotator's Note: pre-cooked combat rations] during this time. Sometimes they would take eggs from the farms along the way. Watson would make sure to keep the 71st Division moving by taking care of roadblocks, checking the safety of bridges, and removing other obstacles along the way. He recalled making their way through the towns of Fulda [Annotator's Note: Fulda, Germany] and Meiningen [Annotator's Note: Meiningen, Germany], then turned south to Regensburg [Annotator's Note: Regensburg, Germany] to block the Germans from making their way through the mountains. He remembers capturing airfields and recalled a lady firing a machine gun in their direction. Watson had negative feelings toward the Germans during the war, especially since they denied their knowledge of the concentration camps.

While in Regensburg [Annotator's Note: Regensburg, Germany], Donald G. Watson recalled losing another friend from combat while trying to get across a bridge. His unit [Annotator's Note: 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] liberated a concentrations camp in Straubing [Annotator's Note: likely the Straubing Prison in Straubing, Germany]. He recalled the prisoners as very thin, skin and bone bodies. They wore striped clothes that looked like pajamas. They were starving and Watson wanted to give them food, but he was told not to because it could hurt them more. Someone gave the prisoners cigarettes and they ate them because they were so hungry. He recalled the camp smelling of defecation, death, and mud. The medical corps of his unit stayed at the camp to help the prisoners, but Watson's unit continued their way through, crossing the Isar river. They received artillery fire while they were trying to cross the river. The firing died after his artillery unit hit the German spotter. They made their way to the other side of the river. While their unit was resting, Watson saw a BMW [Annotator's Note: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or BMW; a German automobile manufacturer] car with German officers driving by scouting for Americans.

Donald G. Watson and his unit [Annotator's Note: 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] crossed the Inn River into Austria and captured the hydroelectric dam. Watson found large timbers and laced them together so they could get the troops across. His unit soon reached Gunskirchen Lager Concentration Camp [Annotator's Note: Gunskirchen, Austria]. Watson did not go into the camp because his unit was ordered to move onto Styer [Annotator's Note: Styer, Austria] where they met the Russians. While in Styer, they helped some of the displaced Russians return home. Watson remembered not thinking too fondly of the Russians. They were harsh and drank too much, but they were good fighters.

Donald G. Watson stayed a month in Austria on occupation duty after the war's end then moved to Augsburg, Austria [Annotator's Note: Augsburg, Germany] where his unit [Annotator's Note: 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division] was based at the time. He was preparing to go to the Pacific but soon found out that the Japanese had surrendered. After a few months, Watson had enough points to return home. He recalled the passage home was rough on a Liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship]. He was put on KP duty [Annotator's Notes: Kitchen Patrol or Kitchen Police]. He had to carry large sacks up into the kitchen while the boat rocked up and down. He remembered seeing the Statue of Liberty as he entered the New York Harbor [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. [Annotator's Note: A telephone rings at 1:58:54.000.] Watson received a "Dear John" letter [Annotator's Note: a letter from a female to a member of the military terminating a romantic relationship] soon after he was discharged from the Army. Watson returned home to take of his mother. He returned to civilian life smoothly. He remarked that he always looked at life positively.

Donald G. Watson meets with other veterans once a month and they often exchange war stories. After the war, Watson wanted to get on with his life and did not join any veterans group until after he retired. Watson's most memorable experience was seeing his brother in France, and when they crossed the dam. Watson served his country because he wanted to and changed his life for the better. He feels fortunate to be part of the 71st Division [Annotator's Note: Watson served in the 271st Engineer Combat Battalion, 71st Infantry Division]. He worries that children today are not taught about the war in schools and its important to have The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana].