WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – Following nearly 82 years missing in action in World War II, Private First Class Howard G. Krapf, U.S. Army, is being laid to rest in Whitehall Township next Monday.
The veteran is set to be buried in Fairview Cemetery next to his mother, Stella V. (Clay) Krapf, officials say.
PFC Krapf’s story fighting in World War II
PFC Krapf entered the military on November 13, 1942. He served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, in the European Theater during World War II.
Between September 1944 and February 1945, battles took place in the Hürtgen Forest, a 50-square-mile area along the Belgian-German border. Officials say the Hürtgen Forest offensive was one of the longest battles the United States fought in the Second World War.
In early November 1944, the 4th Infantry Division, including PFC Krapf’s unit, moved into the Hürtgen Forest anticipating a major offensive.
As Krapf’s unit was moving through the forest, the man took cover behind a log. According to another soldier nearby, PFC Krapf was hit in the hand by German fire. The witness said the sudden wound caused Krapf to jump up in pain, at which point enemy machine gun fire killed him.
Based upon unit records describing the 1st Battalion’s position, he was likely killed near the German defensive line on the west side of the valley, authorities say.
Although members of Company B witnessed PFC Krapf’s death, graves registration personnel did not have his remains to confirm that he had been killed in action. Therefore, Army officials listed him as missing in action. He remained in that status until almost a year after his disappearance, well after the end of the war.
On October 29, 1945, the War Department changed his status to killed in action, when evidence considered sufficient to establish the fact of death was received by the Secretary of War.
Following the end of hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, was tasked with the investigation and recovery of missing American service members in the European Theater.
The AGRC conducted extensive investigations in the Hürtgen Forest between 1946 and 1950. As part of their work, AGRC units frequently recovered remains that could not immediately be identified. They would transport these remains to the nearest concentration point or temporary American military cemetery.
On December 10, 1951, having received no further evidence that could lead to the recovery of PFC Krapf’s remains, the Memorial Division, Office of the Quartermaster General, declared his remains as “Non-Recoverable,” along with those of 161 other soldiers missing from combat in and around the Hürtgen Forest.
Over 70 years later, in July 2023, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission dug up unknown remains for forensic analysis and comparison with unresolved soldiers lost in the Hürtgen Forest, including PFC Krapf.
The remains were transferred to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where, based upon historical research and DNA analysis, they were identified, with reasonable certainty, as those of Private First Class Howard G. Krapf.
PFC Krapf’s scheduled Funeral Service
Authorities say the public is invited to join in the historic homecoming of PFC Krapf on Monday, September 21.
Events will start at 10:00 am at the Whitehall Township Veterans Memorial, 3219 MacArthur Road in Whitehall, where local honor guards will gather to welcome PFC Krapf home.
At 10:30, a procession will begin, leading PFC Krapf past his childhood home on Front Street in Fullerton to his final resting place at Fairview Cemetery, 2584 Lehigh Street, Whitehall, PA.
A funeral with full military honors will begin at 11:00 am.
Officials say that in the event of inclement weather, the procession will proceed to Cementon Park, 5185 Dewey Street, Whitehall, PA, where the funeral will be held indoors.
For those who cannot attend in person, the service will be livestreamed at https://youtube.com/live/CfhV9lNFB8c.