[Annotator's Note: This clip starts with a black screen.] Nicholas John Compagno was born in 1916 and grew up in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945]. His father worked in the restaurant and bar business, so Compagno had a relatively easy life compared to others during that time. He attended Saint Stephen's Grammar School [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] until 1929, and then attended Jesuit High School [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana]. He graduated high school in 1933 and worked in his father's restaurant business. He was playing on a pinball machine when he heard over the radio that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Compagno was drafted into service by mid-1942 and did his basic training at Fort Warren [Annotator's Note: now Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming] in Wyoming and then was transferred to Camp Edwards [Annotator's Note: in Barnstable County, Massachusetts] in Massachusetts. His outfit was then sent to Fort Bragg [Annotator's Note: Fort Bragg, North Carolina] where they were activated, and he was assigned to battalion headquarters [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment]. He was tested on the weapons range but was not specifically trained in any major weaponry. His outfit was shipped out from Newport News, Virginia and arrived in French Morocco, North Africa on 7 November 1942, two weeks after leaving the United States. Their commanders handed out books during passage about the conditions and how to act. Compagno figured out from the book that they were headed to North Africa. He had to leave his ship by climbing down rope ladders into a smaller boat, which took him and his outfit to shore. For the first week he was given orders to unload the ship of all the cargo. There were local men that helped the Americans unload the ships. His unit was then ordered toward Algiers [Annotator's Note: Algiers, Algeria]. His company did a lot of road construction work. He came across mine fields at that time. One of his friends was exploded by a mine when he was trying to disarm it. Compagno worked with some French Resistance during the North African Campaign. He would fight with the French Army later in Europe as well. During the North African campaign, his unit was strafed by an enemy plane. Two of his staff sergeants were killed, but Compagno did not find out until later. The townspeople had found the bodies and buried them in a cemetery.

Nicholas John Compagno first came under fire while in North Africa and then in Sicily [Annotator's Note: Sicily, Italy]. [Annotator's Note: A phone rings in background at 0:17:27.000.] Soon after the Germans had fallen back in North Africa, Compagno's unit [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment] was ordered to reorganize and train again for Sicily. The Sicilian population was very poor, but very happy to see the Americans. Sicily was very dry in climate and the water was hard. It was different from the weather in North Africa which was hot, and the terrain was sandy. It was not very long until his regiment was ordered to invade mainland Italy. When they landed, everything was in shambles. There was no drinkable water. There was wide devastation after the Allied bombing in the harbor. His company had to repair the roads as they went towards Naples [Annotator's Note: Naples, Italy]. A friend was killed in a vehicle accident. They were only there for about a month before moving on. One day while he and some of his fellow soldiers were riding in a DUKW [Annotator's Note: six-wheel-drive amphibious truck; also known as a Duck], an American tank approach them. General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] was riding in it. The General told Compagno and his friends to fix their uniforms because they were not wearing their shirts. His unit advanced so fast through Italy that he saw no combat. Compagno was part of the Headquarters Company for his regiment. He had to keep tabs on the daily on goings from G, H, and I Companies [Annotator's Note: Company G, Company H, and Company I, 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment].

Nicholas John Compagno and his unit [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment] were called up as a secondary line to assist in the battle at Anzio [Annotator's Note: Anzio, Italy, 22 January 1944 to 5 June 1944]. The landing was easy, but the bad weather made the foxholes and trenches very slippery. [Annotator's Note: A phone rings in the background at 0:35:50.000.] Compagno and a few of his friends were able to take refuge during the night at a small villa. The next day they went out to the trenches and experienced some mortar fire in a canal. When they returned to the villa, they saw that an artillery shell had blasted through it. Two men were killed. It took 51 days for the Allies to build up supplies to move on from Anzio. Compagno heard the large Germain railway guns [Annotator's Note: Krupp K5 heavy 283mm railway gun, nicknamed Anzio Annie and Anzio Express]. He would retreat to the cellars of buildings when the guns came through. His unit was an engineer regiment that would be used as an infantry unit when needed. His regiment always had a good morale. They just always wanted to get the job done. After Anzio, they headed to Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy]. He was able to visit Rome for half of the day before heading back to camp. When they were in combat at Salerno [Annotator's Note: , Italy] he had to help carry a stretcher with a wounded soldier across an open field under artillery fire. It was very difficult and stressful.

Nicholas John Compagno and his unit [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment] were ordered to invade Southern France. When they invaded the beach, there was a guy standing there waiting to assist them with their equipment. There was no resistance. The Allied forces were moving through the countryside at a rapid speed. His regiment had to deal with obstacles like blocked roads. At one time they had to supervise and ship off German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war]. The German soldiers were more than happy to surrender to the Americans because they were tired of fighting and were hungry. The POWs he came across in Africa were very large strong Germans, which were much different to the German POWs in Europe. The Germans in Europe were starving and young. Compagno did not have to participate in the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], but he remembers when it begun. He was well informed through the magazine, Stars and Stripes [Annotator's Note: United States military newspaper]. He went through Alsace [Annotator's Note: Alsace, France] during the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign. He and his unit got food poisoning.

The Italian campaigns were the toughest part of Nicholas John Compagno's World War 2 experience. Being part of the 36th Engineer Combat Regiment [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment] he did a lot of road construction, but he also had to be part of the infantry at times. He does not remember soldiers getting ill due to the weather, but many of them developed trench foot [Annotator's Note: immersion foot syndrome]. The military superiors were sometimes worried about the morale of the soldiers. They even made them shave because they thought that would give them a boost of confidence. Compagno went to rest camps twice for two weeks. He could take nice baths and go out to see shows. He learned that the war in Europe had ended from the Stars and Stripes [Annotator's Note: American military newspaper]. He was told that he did not have to go to Japan because he fought in North Africa. He was still in Europe when he found out that Japan had surrendered. He returned to the United States in September 1945 and was discharged at Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi]. He was allowed to keep a German Luger [Annotator's Note: German P08 Luger 9mm semi-automatic pistol] that was given to him by a fellow soldier. Compagno does not think that World War 2 changed his life. He believes that America has improved since World War 2. His son encourages Compagno to write about his experience. After Compagno returned to America, he got married, started a family, and went to work.