Malmedy Massacre
The Malmedy Massacre was a war
crime committed by members of Kampfgruppe Peiper (part of the 1st SS Panzer
Division), a German combat unit led by Joachim Peiper, at Baugnez crossroads
near Malmedy, Belgium, on December 17, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge.
According to numerous eyewitness accounts, 84 American prisoners of war were
massacred by their German captors: the prisoners were assembled in a field and
shot with machine guns. The term Malmedy
massacre also applies generally to the series of massacres committed by the
same unit on the same day and following days, which were the subject of the
Malmedy massacre trial, part of the Dachau Trials of 1946. The trials were the
focus of some controversy.
First massacre at Büllingen:
At 4:30 on December 17, more than
16 hours behind schedule, the 1st SS Panzer Division rolled out of Lanzerath
and headed east for Honsfeld. After capturing Honsfeld, Peiper left his
assigned route for several kilometres to seize a small fuel depot in Büllingen,
where members of his force killed several dozen American POWs. Unknown to Peiper, he was in a position to
flank the 2nd and the 99th Infantry Divisions: had his troops advanced north
from Büllingen towards Elsenborn, they may have been able to flank and trap the
American units. But Peiper followed orders. He was more determined to advance
west and he stuck to his Rollbahn towards the Meuse River and captured
Ligneuville, bypassing Mödersheid, Schoppen, Ondenval, and Thirimont. The terrain and poor quality of the roads
made his advance difficult. Eventually, at the exit of the small village of
Thirimont, the spearhead was unable to take the direct road toward Ligneuville.
Peiper again deviated from his planned route. Rather than turn left, the
spearhead veered right and advanced towards the crossroads of Baugnez, which is
equidistant from Malmedy, Ligneuville, and Waimes.
Massacre at Baugnez Crossroads:
Between noon and 1 pm, the German
spearhead approached the Baugnez crossroads, two miles south-east of Malmedy.
An American convoy of about thirty vehicles, mainly elements of B Battery of
the American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, was negotiating the
crossroads and turning right toward Ligneuville and St. Vith, where it had been
ordered to join the 7th Armored Division. The spearhead of Peiper’s group
spotted the American convoy and opened fire, immobilising the first and last
vehicles of the column and forcing it to halt. Armed with only rifles and other small arms,
the Americans surrendered to the German tank force. The armoured column led by Peiper continued
west toward Ligneuville. The German troops left behind assembled the American
prisoners in a field along with other prisoners captured earlier in the day.
Many of the survivors testified that about 120 troops were standing in the
field when, for unknown reasons, the SS troops suddenly opened fire with
machine guns on the prisoners. As soon
as the SS machine gunners opened fire, the POWs panicked. Some tried to flee,
but most were shot where they stood. Some dropped to the ground and pretended
to be dead. SS troops walked among the
bodies and shot any who appeared to be alive. A few sought shelter in a café at
the crossroads. The SS soldiers set fire to the building and shot any who tried
to escape. Several POWs later testified
that a few of the prisoners had tried to escape, and others claimed that some
prisoners had picked up their previously discarded weapons and shot at the
German troops when they attempted to continue toward Ligneuville.
Massacre Revealed:
A few survivors emerged from
hiding shortly afterwards and returned through the lines to nearby Malmedy,
where American troops still held the town. Eventually, 43 survivors emerged, some
who had taken shelter with Belgian civilians. The first survivors of the
massacre were found by a patrol from the 291st Combat Engineer Battalion at
about 2:30 p.m. the same day. The survivors were interviewed soon after they
returned to American lines. Their stories were consistent and corroborated each
other, although they had not had a chance to discuss the events with each
other. The inspector general of the First Army learned of the shootings about
three or four hours later. By late evening of the 17th, rumours that the enemy
was killing prisoners had reached the forward American divisions. One US unit
issued orders that "No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner
but will be shot on sight." Some American forces may have killed German
prisoners in retaliation, like the shooting of German prisoners that took place
at Chenogne on January 1, 1945.
Bodies Recovered:
The Baugnez crossroads was behind German lines
until the Allied counter-offensive in January. On January 14, 1945, US forces
reached the crossroads and massacre site. They photographed the frozen,
snow-covered bodies where they lay, and then removed them from the scene for
identification and detailed post mortem examinations. The investigation was
focused on documenting evidence that could be used to prosecute those
responsible for the apparent war crime. Seventy-two bodies were found in the
field on January 14 and 15, 1945. Twelve more, lying farther from the pasture,
were found between February 7 and April 15, 1945. About 20 of the 84 bodies recovered showed
head wounds consistent with a coup de grâce leaving powder burn residue, indicating
a closely administered and deliberate shot to the head at point-blank range
consistent with a massacre and not self-defense or injuries inflicted while
attempting to escape. The bodies of another 20 showed evidence of small-caliber
gunshot wounds to the head but didn't display powder-burn residue. Some bodies showed only one wound, in the
temple or behind the ear. Ten other bodies showed fatal crushing or
blunt-trauma injuries, most likely from rifle butts. The head wounds were in addition
to bullet wounds made by automatic weapons. Most of the bodies were found in a
very small area, suggesting the victims were gathered close together before
they were killed. The opening forced through the American lines by Kampfgruppe
Peiper was marked by other murders of prisoners of war, and later of Belgian
civilians. Members of his unit killed at least eight other American prisoners
in Ligneuville. Further massacres of POWs were reported in Stavelot, Cheneux,
La Gleize, and Stoumont, on December 18, 19 and 20. Finally, on December 19,
1944, between Stavelot and Trois-Ponts, German forces tried to regain control
of the bridge over the Amblève River in Stavelot, which was crucial for
receiving reinforcements, fuel, and ammunition. Peiper’s men killed about 100
Belgian civilians. American Army
engineers blocked Peiper's advance in the narrow Amblève River valley by
blowing up the bridges. Additional US reinforcements surrounded the Kampfgruppe
in Stoumont and la Gleize. Peiper and 800 of his men eventually escaped this
encirclement by marching through the nearby woods and abandoning their heavy
equipment, including several Tiger II tanks.
On December 21, during the battle
around La Gleize, the men of Kampfgruppe Peiper captured an American officer,
Major Harold D. McCown, who was leading one of the battalions of the 119th US
Infantry Regiment. Having heard about the Malmedy massacre, McCown personally
asked Peiper about his fate and that of his men. McCown testified that Peiper
told him neither he nor his men were at any risk and that he (Peiper) was not
accustomed to killing his prisoners. McCown noted that neither he nor his men
were threatened in any manner, and he testified in Peiper's defence during the
1946 trial in Dachau. As was pointed out at trial however, by the time Col.
McCown (having been promoted since) was captured near La Gleize on December 21,
Peiper's tactical situation had deteriorated and he knew that he and his men
were likely to be taken prisoner themselves. On December 17 at Malmedy,
Peiper's unit was still advancing aggressively and had hope of reaching its
objective, whereas by December 21 at La Gleize, he was nearly cut off, out of
fuel, and had sustained over 80% casualties. Peiper kept Col. McCown and others
essentially as bargaining chips as his unit fled La Gleize on foot, only for
Col. McCown to escape in the confusion. Once re-equipped, Kampfgruppe Peiper
rejoined the battle, and other killings of POWs were reported on December 31,
1944, in Lutrebois , and between January 10 and 13, 1945, in Petit Thier, where
killings were personally ordered by Peiper. The precise number of prisoners of
war and civilians massacred attributable to Kampfgruppe Peiper is still not
clear. According certain sources, 538 to 749 POWs had been the victims of war
crimes perpetrated by Peiper's men.
These figures are not corroborated by the
report of the United States Senate subcommittee that later inquired into the
subsequent trial; according to the Committee. According to this report, the count of POWs or
civilians killed at different places is as follows: Honsfeld: 19 POWs,
Büllingen: 59 POWs and 1 Civilian, Baugnez: 86 POWs, Ligneuville: 58 POWs,
Stavelot: 8 POWs and 93 Civilians,
Cheneux: 31 POWs, La Gleize: POWs 45, Stoumont: POWs 44 and 1 Civilian, Wanne: 5
Civilians, Trois-Ponts: 11 POWs and 10 Civilians, Lutrebois: 1 Civlian, Petit Their:
1 POW
Total: 362 POWs and 111 Civilians
Aftermath and Trial:
(The Memorial of the Malmedy Massacre at Baugenz. Each black stone embedded into the wall represents one of the victims.)
On January 13, 1945, American
forces recaptured the site where the killings had occurred. The cold had
preserved the scene well. The bodies were recovered on January 14/15, 1945. The
memorial at Baugnez bears the names of the murdered soldiers. In addition to the effect the event had on
American combatants in Europe, news of the massacre greatly affected the United
States. This explains why the alleged culprits were deferred to the Dachau
Trials, which were held in May and June 1946, after the war. In what came to be called the "Malmedy
massacre trial", which concerned all of the war crimes attributed to
Kampfgruppe Peiper during the Battle of the Bulge, the highest-ranking
defendant was General Sepp Dietrich, commander of the 6th SS Panzer Army, to
which Peiper’s unit had belonged. Joachim Peiper and his principal subordinates
were defendants.[19] The tribunal tried more than 70 persons and pronounced 43
death sentences (none of which were carried out) and 22 life sentences. Eight
other men were sentenced to shorter prison sentences. After the verdict, the way in which the court
had functioned was disputed, first in Germany (by former Nazi officials who had
regained some power due to anti-Communist positions with the occupation
forces), then later in the United States (by Congressmen from heavily
German-American areas of the Midwest). The case was appealed to the Supreme
Court of the United States, which made no decision. The case then came under
the scrutiny of a sub-committee of the United States Senate. This drew attention to the trial and the
judicial irregularities that had occurred during the interrogations that
preceded the trial. But, before the United States Senate took an interest in
this case, most of the death sentences had been commuted, because of a revision
of the trial carried out by the US Army.The other life sentences were
commuted within the next few years. All the convicted war criminals were
released during the 1950s, the last one to leave prison being Peiper in
December 1956. A distinct case about the
war crimes committed against civilians in Stavelot was tried on July 6, 1948,
in front of a Belgian military court in Liege, Belgium. The defendants were 10
members of Kampfgruppe Peiper; American troops had captured them on December
22, 1944, near the spot where one of the massacres of civilians in Stavelot had
occurred. One man was discharged; the others were found guilty. Most of the
convicts were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment; two officers were sentenced
to 12 and 15 years.
Death of Peiper:
Peiper chose to live in France
following his 1956 release from jail and settled in Traves. A former Communist
resistance member in that region identified him in 1974 and notified the French
Communist Party. In 1976 a Communist historian found the Peiper file in the
STASI archives. On June 21, tracts denouncing his presence were distributed in
the village. A day later, an article in the Communist publication L'Humanité
revealed Peiper's presence in Traves, and he received death threats. Because of
the death threats, Peiper sent his family back to Germany, but he remained in
Traves. During the night of July 13/14, 1976, a gunfight took place at Peiper's
house and it was set on fire. Peiper's charred corpse was later found in the
ruins. The perpetrators were never identified, but were suspected to be former
members of the World War II French Resistance or Communists. Peiper had just
started writing a book about Malmedy and what followed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmedy_massacre
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