Notes of a Private Soldier

One man's voyage from the farmland of South Dakota to the battlefields of WWII in Germany. An insightful journey into the thoughts and experiences of human emotion during the treacheries of war.

Most war stories tell about troop movements and areas conquered, my book captures the feelings and aspirations of the individual soldier dealing with the very horror of war.

Harold Knittel, born April 6,1919 in South Dakota to a farmer and his wife. He graduated high school but had no other formal training. He married a WWII Wac and proceeded to have two children and a profitable business in the field of electronics and farming.

Harold was drafted into WWII in August 1940 and spent time as a "radio man" with the 1st Battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division. He was discharged from the Army September 29, 1945 after being awarded an American Defense Service Medal, Purple Heart, European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Service Star. He was awarded a Presidential Citation Award for excellence in the Battle of Bulge and a Combat Infantry Badge awarded for operations in contact the the enemy.