Page 26 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021- Online Magazine

Nolan Donop Fighting the Fatherland
rowing up in a German-
speaking household,
GNolan Otto Donop didn’t
realize how valuable German
fluency would eventually be,
maybe even life-saving. He
was born in 1924 on a ranch in
Mason County, Texas, to Edwin
and Hulda Donop. His great
grandfather, from Detmold,
Germany, settled in the area in
1851. “We raised hogs and beef.
We never went without food,
even during the worst days of
the Depression.” He played left
end for the Mason High School
football team. “We usually won
every game.”
26 Lubbock Senior Link
in Italy
by Larry Williams
When Nolan then boarded a British ship and
graduated in May followed the North African
1942, the U.S. coastline to Southern Italy. When
was at war on we docked, I met up with four
two fronts, the guys who had graduated from
Pacific against Mason High School with me. I
the Japanese and wasn’t there long when I was
Europe against put on another ship and sent to
the Germans and Leghorn (Livorno), Italy.”
Fascist Italy. Donop
recalled, “There Upon arrival in Livorno, Nolan
were 35 of us boys said, “It was cold and raining.
in that class; all of I volunteered to be a cook even
us served during though I didn’t know anything
the war, and all about cooking. Four of us cooked
returned home for 400 – 1200 guys who went
safely. Until May through the chow line every
1944, I was able to day for breakfast, lunch, and
work on the family dinner. We worked 24 hours on
ranch. At that time, and 24 off. I still have several
I was drafted into of the recipes including the one
the Army and sent for pancakes*. I was also able to
to Camp Hood visit places like Rome, Florence
near Killeen. and Pisa, but eventually, I was
assigned to the 34th Infantry
“After training, I Division, called the Red Bull.
had a 10-day leave
that I spent at “I was transferred to a frontline
home. Meanwhile, position south of Bologna in the
the guys in my northern Apennine Mountains.
There were still a lot of Germans
unit had shipped out to Ft.
Meade, Maryland for overseas in Northern Italy. We were on
patrol every night. I carried a
deployment. By the time I BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle)
arrived, I couldn’t find my unit and 50 pounds of equipment.
– the guys had already shipped We had several encounters
out! I was finally put on a Liberty with German outposts. I would
Ship in October 1944 with about often get close enough to hear
300 guys as part of a large the German soldiers talking in
armada of 127 ships heading for the distance.” Donop’s fluent
Europe. We were on the water German came in handy during
close to 30 days zig-zagging those patrols. “We spent several
across the Atlantic to avoid the months outdoors on the move,
enemy. As we went by the Rock living in self-dug foxholes. I
of Gibraltar, the ships scattered in don’t know how we survived
every direction. that.” Nolan was in the area that
Our ship finally docked in the became known as the “Gothic
African Mediterranean. We Line” and then the “Green Line”