Overview
- Interview Summary
- Harold Campbell describes his life growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania; being drafted into the United States Army in 1944; his time in basic training; his transport overseas to Europe, dodging enemy boats; arriving in Marseilles, France; his assignment to the 42nd Rainbow Division as a gunner; his experience with various weapons in combat; the reactions of local German and French civilians to American troops; receiving the Bronze Star; a soldiers’ daily life on the front lines; his company’s arrival in Munich, Germany and the discovery of the Dachau concentration camp in April 1945; what happened to German guards in the immediate days after liberation; his memories of the day the war ended; his time working as a military policeman until May 1946; his return to the United States; changes to his family’s life during the war; and recordings of Rainbow division songs “There’s a Rainbow in the Army,” “The Wearing of the Green,” and “Mountain Dew.”
- Interviewee
- Harold R. Campbell
- Interviewer
- Beverly Kyle
- Date
-
interview:
2010 October
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Beverly Kyle
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Extent
-
1 DVD.
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Restrictions on use. Restrictions may exist. Contact the Museum for further information: reference@ushmm.org
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Bronze Star Medal (U.S.) Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--United States--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front. World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American. World War, 1939-1945--Songs and music. World War, 1939-1945--Veterans--United States. Men--Personal narratives.
- Geographic Name
- Marseille (France) Munich (Germany) Pennsylvania.
- Personal Name
- Campbell, Harold R.
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Beverly Kyle donated a copy of her father Harold R. Campbell’s interview to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Oral History Branch in March 2012.
- Special Collection
-
The Jeff and Toby Herr Oral History Archive
- Record last modified:
- 2023-11-16 09:28:37
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn46967
Download & Licensing
- Request Copy
- See Rights and Restrictions
- Terms of Use
- This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit