‘Bulge’ Vets Recall Battle Moments: German Message Ignored, Death Near

CAPE MAY – A roll of “duck” tape, an intercepted German signal, fundamental humility, and memories too painful to relate. These small matters can make a huge difference in battle, and in the daily lives of veterans who lived through the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
One 18-year-old Signal Corps soldier who fought during the famous “Battle of the Bulge” in 1944 owes his life to a young pilot who used “good old-fashioned American ingenuity” and a roll of duct “duck” tape to get their damaged L-19 observation plane back into the air, after being downed by enemy fire. 
Another veteran knew that the German Army was about to launch a massive assault on American troops hunkered down in the cold and wet forest near Bastogne, Belgium but his sergeant didn’t believe him, and no warning was issued.
A third veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division was at “ground zero,” at Bastogne, but won’t talk about his experiences.
These and other veterans met at the Mad Batter Restaurant in Cape May on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to reminisce and get reacquainted with friends both old and new. 
Mad Batter owner Mark Kulkowitz, and son of Battle of the Bulge veteran Harry Kulkowitz, opened his hotel-restaurant and his heart to those warriors once again, the eighth time he had done so to honor their bravery and the memory of that great battle.
Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Commanding Officer Capt. Todd Prestidge and Command Master Chief Terry Cowart were present to represent the Coast Guard in honoring veterans of that battle and all veterans during times of peace or war.
From Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945, the German Army, that everyone thought was virtually defeated, suddenly launched a massive, surprise offensive through the Ardennes forest in Belgium, targeting a weak spot in the Allies’ lines during a bitterly cold winter.
That was Hitler’s last attempt to halt the Allies march toward Berlin and victory. The Germans nearly pulled off the feat, but a lack of supplies and the tenacity of untested American troops put an end to the German dream of a miracle victory. 
On Dec. 16, 1944, Harry Kulkowitz was a signal interceptor at the front lines working in the back of a “half track” near Achen, Germany, near the Belgium border.
According to his son Mark, his job was to monitor and record all German Morse code traffic in the area, and then send the coded messages back to be de-coded by the famous “Enigma” machine. 
On that day, he intercepted an un-coded message from the Germans that called for a final “battle for victory” by the German Army. Kulkowitz immediately went to his sergeant with the unusual transmission, but his sergeant didn’t believe it was anything, and so nothing was forwarded to Allied Command.
Eight hours later, to the surprise of everyone except Kulkowitz, hundreds of thousands of German troops and hundreds of “Panzer” tanks blasted through the frozen forests of the Ardennes, creating a large “bulge” in the ill-prepared American lines. The desperate “Battle of the Bulge” had begun.
Al Magrowski, 18, was also a signalman assigned to the 9th Army Corps. He was a messenger who drove, walked and occasionally flew all over the battle area delivering messages. “They didn’t have phones then like they do now,” he explained.
“I remember that there were a lot of close calls,” he said, remembering the time he stopped to ask a military policeman for directions, and after walking a half block away heard a tremendous explosion behind him.
The MP who had given the directions had been hit with an artillery shell not one minute after Magrowski had been there.
Magrowski also recalled that he once flew in a tiny two-seat (L-19) observation plane delivering messages along the front. While in flight, some shrapnel struck the plane that apparently caused damage to one wing.
The pilot turned around and shouted to him, “Hey, you got your parachute on?” Magrowski replied, “No!” and the pilot then said, “Well, you better hang on then!”
They went down and made an emergency landing in a field near where he had to deliver the message. After delivering the messages he returned to the plane and to his surprise, he saw the pilot wrapping the fabric-covered wing with an early version of duct tape. 
Magrowski had never seen or heard of that miracle stuff until then; it turned out that it really was some strong stuff. They finished repairing the damaged wing with the tape and took off with no problem.
Pfc. Elmer Umbenhauer, 91, was an 18-year-old rifleman with the 8th Armored Division just crossing the English Channel when the battle began. His division consisted of recruits who, like himself, had never seen combat. 
As soon as they landed, they high tailed it towards the battle area and were immediately sent to relieve the 94th Division, which had repeatedly tried to take the town of Nenning, Germany.
The 94th succeeded in capturing the town three times, but were promptly driven out each time as well.  The 94th troops were exhausted. Umbenhauer recalled that his unit finally managed to take and hold the town, but was quick to point out that by the time his division arrived, the 94th was spent, as were the Germans defending the town.
None the less, he recalled that his company commander was killed within minutes of the first engagement. As he reminisced about his small role in the battle, he counted himself lucky because he did not have to go ashore on D-Day. 
“My heart goes out to those guys,” he said. “They really had it rough.” The humility of this man was indicative of the matter-of-fact attitude all the veterans displayed at the luncheon.
Another veteran who would only reveal his first name, Dominic, was a member of the famous 82nd Airborne Division as a radio operator. He declined to talk about his experiences; an attitude many soldiers, sailors and airmen have when their combat experiences are particularly painful. 
These veterans plan to gather again at Christmas as members of the “Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge.”
The South Jersey chapter is led by President Ed Steinberg. He organized this and other events designed to honor the vets and educate everyone about the men and the history behind this chapter in the history of World War II.
To learn more about this organization, visit: www.veteransofthebattleofthebulge.org/.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.