Mine Sweeping

We had our own mine fields. We picked up mines, picking up mines was worse, but it had to be done. We, you’d have a fellow on the detector. He had ear phones on, and then there’d be a guy behind him, his number two man and he had a sweep, make the sweep and the same another two back here would make the sweep. And the two back farther would be making the sweep. That was if this fellow hit a mine, he’s not going to blow those fellows up and when you’d get the mine, the Teller, Teller mine was good. And you’re always figuring you’re gonna be booby trap. This come back in your mind, but when you’d find one you put the cone on it and then you go and the man that let you go farther ahead on and he’d come along, always a lieutenant mostly. He was good at it, and he’d of course get down, clear all around her and then the German mine is thicker and that. You’d just turn, turn her to safe, and you’d then check to make sure there was no other booby trap on it. And then you take it like that and give it a heave to one side. The little box, the Germans had to call the Shoe mine and it was just a wooden, wooden box. And they could, they’d lift up a cobble stone or anything and put a Shoe mine in there and walk, it always blew the legs. Theye were bad. They were loaded with everything, nails and screws and everything else and they’d blow. We lost quite a few fellows like that. A place where you least expect something, there’s going to be something.