Richard Watada oral history interview, part 4 of 6, May 2, 2004

Watada discusses events after basic training, he gets to go on furlough before going overseas. He returns to Granada (Amache) to see his family.

Watada goes overseas on the Queen Mary and lands in France. After the rescue of the Los Battalion, the amount of soldiers depleted from casualties. Watada joins the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the company he joins only has eight soldiers left.

Watada describes the Champagne Campaign an opportunity for soldiers to bond because it is a non-combative time. Watada remembers his first combat is behind the riflemen as mortar squad. He says the first three platoon are riflemen and the fourth platoon is light weapon and light mortar/light machine gun. The last line of defense for the German soldiers is the Gothic Line and Po Valley. Watada says the 442nd Regimental Combat Team breaks the line in 1/2 hour climbing the mountain and fighting in the dark.

video/m4v

0:30:07

2004OH0447_04_Watada

http://www.goforbroke.org/oral_histories/mp4/447-Watada-Richard-4.m4v

1923 Dec 21

Yes