From Findagrave.com:

PFC Watson was part of Company A, 111th Engineers. On August 25th this company was at Bonlieu France when they were engaged by enemy infantry supported by 4 Mark VI and 1 Mark IV tanks. A fierce battle ensued and the 111th soldiers had to pull back. 6 soldiers from the 111th were Killed in Action on in the battle, 3 wounded and 26 listed as MIA. All but one of the men killed were from Company A.

Silver Star Citation (full citation needed): The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Ephraim F. Watson, for gallantry in action while serving with the 111th Engineers Combat Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, on 25 August 1944, in the vicinity of ********, France. By his gallantry and aggressiveness, PFC Watson made possible the continued success of his unit. Headquarters, 36th Infantry Division, General Order No. 472 (1944).

Silver Star is third highest award behind only the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor.

PFC Ephraim Frederick Watson was the only son of Charles Thomas and Susan Ida (Willoughby) Watson of Pitt County, North Carolina. Ephraim had two older sisters. Pitt county is in eastern North Carolina. The county seat is Greenville.

On 15 August 1944, as part of the U.S. 6th Army Group, the 36th division, including the 111th Engineers made another amphibious assault landing, against light opposition in the Saint-Raphaël-Fréjus area of southern France as part of Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France. A rapid advance opened the Rhone River Valley. At the battle for Montelimar (22-28 Aug 1944), the German 19th Army was virtually destroyed. As a result the enemy was unable to draw a defensive line until our forces had crossed the Moselle River. PFC Watson was killed in action three days before Montelimar fell on 28 August. Montelimar is on the Rhone River 104 miles north of Marseilles.

Update: “On August 24th a copy of the 36th’s orders fell into the hands of the enemy. Not only were the Germans forewarned of the Allied plans to trap them, but the contents of the orders indicated that Bonlieu was the weakest point in the American line. In front of this village, a composite company of the 111th Engineer Battalion was spread out over and area of 3,000 yards, and at 1600 hrs on August 25th German troops, supported by two tanks, launched an attack there. Covered by fire from the tanks, they crossed the Roubion and forced the Americans back several hundred yards. Soon afterwards, a second assault completely cut the Roubion defense line. Most German troops crowded through the gap, and their breakthrough at Bonlieu cut all contact between the 141st and 142nd Regiments. The Americans quickly rushed up reinforcements, relieving the engineering company, and within 48 hours the original main line of resistance had been restored.” - From the book Destination Berchtesgaden - The US Seventh Army during World War II by John Frayn Turner and Robert Jackson.