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By Tom Morrow

Dec. 17, 1944

Kurt Junger’s heart was beating like a rabbit being chased by a four-10 gauge shotgun. Only it wasn’t a shotgun he was fleeing but the deadly rapid fire of what seemed like dozens of German machine guns. The crackling of their reports filled the air both near and far. Kurt was running from his own comrades, although none, he hoped, knew what he was doing.

He could see fellow Germans running on his right and left, firing their Mauser rifles from time-totime at something or someone running ahead. A few of the Waffen SS troops were stumbling in patches of snow and timber thicket as about a dozen or so U.S. troops scattered deep into the trees.

Kurt fired his Lugar pistol up into the trees occasionally to give the appearance of pursuit. He was a medic … a non-combatant, but he

The Paper • 760.747.7119 online: www.TheCommunityPaper.com email: thepaper@cox.net didn’t remember how he came into the possession of an officer’s pistol. His pledge was not only to Hitler, the Fatherland, and God – in that order – but also to preserve life wherever possible. He considered himself lucky not to be carrying a rifle or machine gun.

The sky was gray as if to threaten snow and the heavy forest of pine trees made it dark even for late afternoon. On Kurt’s left about 50 yards away a German corporal ap- peared to be firing into a snow drift, but there was more. An arm from a helmeted figure flew up as if to signal surrender. No matter. The German continued to fire a second, and then a third time until the arm fell. The American soldier had been running for his life from what was certain death. A handful of other G.I.s was fleeing as well – including Kurt. Only no one was chasing him. His mock pursuit, so far, went unnoticed by other German soldiers. The sprawling winter scene fanned

Snow from page 1 out into the thick Ardennes Forest from what could only be described as chaos at best. Heard off in the distance were gunshots and the rapid crack of machine guns. Kurt thought there must be a dozen or more of American soldiers dying in the snow -- all unarmed.

The Ardennes Forest – a place of horrific battles during World War I, now was the scene for an epic German counter-offensive. It would come to be known to the world as the “Battle of the Bulge.”

Kurt thought he must have run close to a kilometer since striking out across a field from the road near the Bauguez five-point crossing. His heavy breathing was evidenced by the puffs of steam coming from his lungs. The temperature was dropping, not that Kurt was paying much attention to such things. The sound of gunfire was dissipating off in the distance. Kurt looked around and saw only three or four German soldiers through the trees, off in the distance -- maybe half a kilometer. His comrades seemed to be moving away from him. Kurt stopped to catch his breath. He looked behind him, but saw no one -- no one alive, that is. Off in the distance there appeared to be bodies of soldiers. Kurt could not tell whether the bodies were American, but there was little doubt they were. The fleeing G.I.s had been disarmed at the Malmedy crossing. The Waffen SS company that