Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
1:46 | As an infantry rifleman, Don Worrell describes how his unit was able to cross the Rhine River in the Ruhr Valley without a shot being fired, thanks to an effective artillery bombardment the night before. He also remembers the sights of sudden death from artillery concussions on the German side of the river.
Keywords : Worrell Donald infantry Germany Rhine Ruhr artillery concussion
Don Worrell recalls a moment of both humor and horror while in Aachen, Germany, as he and a fellow soldier stumbled upon a group of German soldiers in an abandoned house. He also talks about his three closest calls, how he only fired two shots during the entire war, and getting in contact with one fellow soldier decades after the war.
Don Worrell remarks about how, during World War II, his men were under threat from V-1 buzz bombs created by the German engineer Wernher von Braun. After the war, incidentally, both Worrell and von Braun worked for NASA, where Worrell ended up writing speeches for the engineer.
Don Worrell shares the fortuitous story of how a gift from a religious relative, a pocket Bible, helped save his life during World War II. He recalls his injuries from shrapnel while fighting in the Colmar Pocket in France, and also a humorous interaction with actress Madeleine Carroll while in recovery.
While reconnoitering in Germany near the end of World War II, Don Worrell recalls stumbling upon several Italian soldiers, who he immediately took hostage, only to change his mind and leave them the next day.
Don Worrell remembers an "astonishing" experience when a young French boy led him to the boy's home, where the boy's parents thanked Worrell, as a U.S. Army soldier, for liberating the French during the war.
