Oral history interview with William E. Meisekothen, 1999.

ArchivalResource

Meisekothen, William E., 1923- ,. Oral history interview with William E. Meisekothen, 1999.

Oral history interview with William E. Meisekothen, 1999.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/75209239

William Meisekothen, a Madison, Wisconsin native, discusses his World War II service as a radio operator with Company C of the 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Division in Europe and on occupation duty in Japan. Meisekothen touches on ROTC training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, basic training at Camp Wolters (Texas), six months of college in Mount Pleasant (Iowa) with the Air Corps, rejoining the infantry at Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri), field training at Fort San Luis Obispo (California), and amphibious scout training at Camp Pendleton. He reflects that he felt his training was intended for the Pacific theater, but his regiment was shipped to France instead. Meisekothen mentions duty as a radioman, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen, fighting through Germany, and being outside Plzeň (Czechoslovakia) when the war ended. Meisekothen details being in combat: close calls, taking cover from artillery fire, being pinned by machine gun fire, retreating into a forest, souvenir hunting, and taking German prisoners. He tells of getting lost while on night patrol and running across General Patton, who gave him directions. Meisekothen reflects on the difficulty of seeing the German casualties he felt responsible for while advancing in Germany. He talks about the destruction he saw in Europe and living on C-rations. After returning home for a couple weeks on furlough, Meisekothen discusses waiting for the invasion of Japan on Cebu Island, being relieved that the atomic bomb ended the war with Japan, and spending six months on occupation duty. He describes being the first patient in a hastily set-up military hospital when he had surgery to remove his appendix, and afterwards being sent to guard a military warehouse in Fukaya (Japan). He recalls losing his chance for R&R on a dice roll, keeping in touch with one of his comrades, and writing a silver star recommendation for a dead soldier. Meisekothen expresses frustration that he was never promoted beyond private first class, even though he was working with office records in Japan. He portrays his contact with a family of Japanese civilians and mailing them clothes after he was discharged. After looking over the areas his unit would have had to invade in Japan, he states his belief that he would not have survived the invasion. After the war, Meisekothen discusses attending medical school.

Sound recording : 1 sound cassette (ca. 45 min.) ; analog, 1 7/8 ips.Videorecording : 1 videocassette (ca. 45 min.) ; sd., col. ; 1/2 in.Master sound recording : 1 sound cassette (ca. 45 min.) ; analog, 1 7/8 ips.Transcript : 21 p.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center