Joachim Peiper from the Malmedy Massacre trial,
where he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced
to death, 1946. Peiper's sentence was commuted to
35 years in 1954, and he was released on parole at
the end of December 1956, after serving 11 and a
half years. He was killed at his home in Traves,
France, in 1976.
SS-Kampfgruppe Peiper was a heavily armored task
force of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte.
Named after its commander, Joachim Peiper, it was
charged with spearheading the 6th Panzer Army on
the northern sector during the Battle of the Bulge.
Kampfgruppe Peiper committed a series of war
crimes and atrocities against American prisoners of
war and Belgian civilians during the Battle of the
Bulge, including the infamous Malmedy Massacre.
On 17th December 1944, about 120 American troops
from the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion
were surprised by the advancing Peiper's units at the
Baugnez crossroads near Malmedy in Belgium. Along
with other American prisoners of war captured earlier
they were led into a meadow, lined up and
machine-gunned.
A few managed to escape to a café at the
crossroads. The SS soldiers set fire to the building
and shot all who tried to escape the flames. 84
American POWs were massacred, and their bodies
were left in the snow. The atrocities of Peiper's men
conflnued.
In Honsfeld, they forced the Americans to fuel their
vehicles and then shot them down in cold blood.
POWs and civilians were murdered in Bullingen,
Ligneuville, Stavelot, Cheneux, La Gleize and Wereth
At least 373 American POWs and 111 Belgian
civilians were killed by Kampfgruppe Peiper.
News of the Malmedy and other massacres spread
quickly throughout American ranks, causing great
anger and desire to retaliate. It only stiffened their
resistance, as troops became determined to hold the
lines against the German advance until
reinforcements could arrive, in particular the 101st
Airborne Division's defense of Bastogne.
Regarding Peiper's death, he was
recognized by former French Resistance fighters
nearly 30 years after WW2. Peiper died on
Bastille Day, 1976, after his home was attacked
and set on fire.
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