Homepage of Kathy H. Kitts

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There's nothing ahead of the infantry except the enemy... and the minesweepers.

The Minesweeper, a Cincinnati Teenager Serves in Italy During World War II,  is available as an e-book through Pubit on BarnesandNoble.com for $2.99.  You don't need a Nook to read this book. Free software is available on the website to download to your PC or Mac, so you can read the book from your computer.  

Book Reviews: 

Diana Jenkins, author of many children's books, writes:  The Minesweeper is the exciting, true story of Ray Wissel, a Cincinnati teenager who served in Italy during WWII.  Wissel was an ordinary young man who had never even been away from home before he enlisted, but his work during the war showed his true character.  As a minesweeper, he regularly risked his life to ensure the safety of his fellow infantrymen.  Kathy Kitts takes us along on Wissel's personal journey, from the safety of home to the challenges of training to the demands and dangers of the Italian campaign.  Well-researched and well-written, The Minesweeper is a fascinating read!

      The platoon sergeant knew that Ray was good, darn good. And that's one of the reasons why the eighteen-year-old got the job night after night - crawling on the ground in the dark groping with his hands for tripwires.  When the wires were cut, only then could he stand upright with his mine detector and begin to sweep the area.

       As he swept he listened, listened for something more than the sound of his own breathing in the dead quiet.  He strained to hear a certain pop in the dark - the sound that told him a German flare had just been fired.  When he heard that sound, he had two seconds to stop and freeze - become a tree stump.  His life depended on it.

       Ray Wissel performed this daring job in Italy during World War II. He risked his life so that other infantrymen, who many times slept while he worked, had a safe line to walk the next day.