Malmédy Massacre

United States soldiers discover the aftermath of the Malmedy Massacre.

The Malmedy massacre refers to a war crime in which unarmed American prisoners of war were executed by their German captors. The massacre was committed on December 17, 1944 by Kampfgruppe Peiper (part of the 1st SS Panzer Division), a German combat unit, during the Battle of the Bulge.

This massacre, as well as others committed by the same unit the same day and on the following days, was the subject of a trial during the Dachau Trials of 1946.

Context

The route followed by the Kampfgruppe Peiper - The crossroads of Baugnez where the Malmedy massacre happened is surrounded by a circle

Within the framework of plans developed by Hitler for what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge, the principal objective of breaking through Allied lines had been given to the 6th SS Panzer Army under the command of General Sepp Dietrich. He was supposed to break the Allied front between Monschau and Losheimergraben, cross the Meuse River and subsequently capture Antwerp.^[1][2] Kampfgruppe Peiper composed of armoured and motorized elements, was the spearhead of the left wing of the 6th SS Panzer Army. Once the infantry had breached the American lines, Peiper’s role consisted of advancing via Ligneuville, Stavelot, Trois-Ponts and Werbomont and seize and secure the Meuse bridges around Huy.^[2][3][4]

The best roads were reserved for the bulk of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. It was intended that Peiper use secondary roads, but they proved to be unsuitable for heavy armoured vehicles such as the Tiger II tanks attached to the Kampfgruppe.^[2][3][4]

The success of the whole operation was highly dependent on the swift capture of the bridges over the river Meuse. This required a rapid advance through US positions, circumventing any points of resistance whenever possible. Another factor that Peiper had to consider was the shortage of gasoline: the fuel resources of the Reich had been greatly reduced since the fall of Romania.^[3]

Finally within this context one should not lose sight of the fact that specific orders would have been given by Hitler that the battle needed to be carried out with brutality in order to scare the enemy.^[2] Sepp Dietrich confirmed the fact during the trial relative to this case.^[5] According to certain sources, during the briefings preceding the operation, Peiper would have clearly stated that no quarter should be granted, not to take prisoners and to show no pity towards the Belgian civilians.^[5]

Break out and first massacres

Joachim Peiper

Right from the start, German operations on the northern front did not go smoothly because of obstinate resistance by American troops. Peiper had hoped to be able to exploit an opening as early as the morning of December 16 - the first day of the offensive. In reality, he had to wait in massive traffic jams behind the front while the German infantry, which was supposed to open a breach in the US lines, waited for him to arrive.^[2][3] It was only around daybreak on December 17, after moving his Kampfgruppe into the frontline that he succeeded in breaking out in the direction of Honsfeld,^[6] where elements of his force would cold-bloodedly kill several dozen American POWs.^[2][3][7]

After capturing Honsfeld, Peiper left his assigned route for several kilometers to seize a small gasoline depot in Büllingen, where another massacre of American prisoners would later be reported.^[2][3][7]

At this point, Peiper was in the enemy's rear. If he had advanced from Büllingen towards Elsenborn in the north he could have trapped two US divisions (i.e. the 2nd and the 99th Infantry Divisions). However, Peiper decided to head back to his assigned route and capture Ligneuville, passing by Mödersheid, Schoppen, Ondenval and Thirimont.^[8]

This move was difficult due to the nature of the terrain and the poor quality of the available roads. Eventually, at the exit of the small village of Thirimont the spearhead was unable to take the direct road in the direction of Ligneuville. As a result, he was forced to turn away from his planned route once again. Rather than turn to the left after the Thirimont exit, the spearhead veered right and advanced towards the crossroads of Baugnez which is equidistant between Malmedy, Ligneuville and Waimes.^[2][3]

Massacre at Baugnez

the bodies of the victims covered with snow were found on January 15, 1945

Between noon and 1 p.m. the German spearhead approached the crossroads. Meanwhile, an American convoy of around thirty vehicles, primarily made up of elements of the American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion (FAOB), was negotiating the crossroads and turning right in the direction of Ligneuville in order to reach Sankt Vith where it was ordered to join the 7th Armored Division, to which it was attached and which was dispatched there to reinforce the defense of the city.^[2][6]

The spearhead of Peiper’s group spotted the American convoy and opened fire, immobilizing the first and last vehicles of the column, forcing it to stop.^[6] With only rifles and other small arms to defend themselves, the Americans were forced to surrender.^[2][3]

While the German column continued on the road towards Ligneuville, the American prisoners were taken to a field, where they were joined by others captured by the SS earlier in the day. The majority of the testimonies later collected from the survivors state that approximately 120 men were gathered in the field. For reasons which still remain unclear today, the Germans suddenly opened fire on their prisoners with machine-guns.^[2][3] A number of Germans later claimed that some prisoners had tried to escape, others alleged that while left alone in the meadow they had somehow recovered their previously discarded weapons and fired on the German troops who continued their progress in the direction of Ligneuville.^[6][9] According to certain sources, this should merely be regarded as an unfortunate incident due to a sequence of circumstances having led the Germans to open fire without willful intent to shoot down their prisoners.^[10] Of the 88 bodies recovered a month later, the majority showed gunshot wounds to the head, evidence more consistent with mass execution than with an act of self-defense or an attempt to prevent escape.

Apparently no record of an order given by an SS officer to shoot the prisoners exists. However, some survivors testified that they had heard an order given to kill all the prisoners: Macht alle kaputt! ^[11]

As soon as the Germans opened fire, the Americans panicked. Some tried to flee, the vast majority were gunned down where they stood.

A few of the soldiers attempted shelter in a cafe located at the crossroads. Germans soldiers set fire to the building, and shot any who tried to escape from the flames.^[2] Some of those in the field had dropped to the ground and feigned death when the shooting started.^[2] However, SS troops walked among the groups of bodies. Any who were found to be alive were promptly shot through the head.^[2][6]

Much later, a few survivors, though wounded or shocked, emerged from their hiding places and managed to make their way back through the lines to nearby Malmedy, where American troops were defending the town. Among the soldiers who escaped was actor Charles Durning.^[12] Eventually, 43 survivors managed to find refuge in the Allied lines, some with the help of Belgian civilians.^[13] Testimony made by the survivors was collected during the hours following the massacre. All the survivors' accounts were similar and corroborated each other, even though they had had no opportunity to discuss the events and agree to a common story.^[6]

The spot of the Massacre,
March 2007

The first survivors of the massacre were picked up by a patrol from the 291st Combat Engineer Battalion around 2.30 p.m. the same day. The inspector general of the First Army learned of the shootings three or four hours later. By the late evening of the 17th, rumors that the enemy was killing prisoners had reached the forward American divisions^[14].

The bodies are taken to Malmedy where the autopsies would take place

As a result one US unit issued orders that, "No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner but will be shot on sight."^[15][16] In this atmosphere there are claims that American forces killed German prisoners in retaliation, e.g. in the "Chenogne massacre" on January 1, 1945.

Since the Baugnez crossroads had been a no man's land until the Allied counter-offensive, it was not until January 14 1945 that US forces were able to reach the massacre site and perform a criminal investigation. The frozen, snow-covered bodies of the various victims were photographed in situ, then removed from the scene for formal identification and post mortem examinations. The examinations were detailed and exacting. The intention was that the evidence gathered would be used as part of the prosecution case against the culprits.^[17]

The autopsies of the bodies revealed that at least twenty of the victims had suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head inflicted at very close range.^[17] These were in addition to wounds made by automatic weapons. An additional 20 showed evidence of small calibre gunshot wounds to the head without powder burn residue.^[17] Another 10 had fatal crushing or blunt trauma injuries most likely from a rifle butt.^[17]Another fact of importance is that some of the bodies showed only one single wound within the temple or behind the ear.^[18]

Eventually 72 bodies were found in the field on January 14 and 15, 1945. Twelve other bodies, lying further away from the pasture, would be found between February 7 and April 15, 1945. ^[9]

Moreover, the majority of the bodies were found in a very small area, which suggested that the victims had been gathered together just before they were killed.^[19]

Peiper moves on

War reporter Jean Marin looks at the bodies of civilians massacred at the Legaye house in Stavelot (Belgium)

The opening carried out by Kampfgruppe Peiper through the US lines was marked by other massacres of prisoners of war and, thereafter, Belgian civilians. Among others, members of his unit killed at least eight other American prisoners in Ligneuville.^[7][20]

New massacres of American POWs were again reported in Stavelot, Cheneux, La Gleize and Stoumont on December 18, 19 and 20.^[7] Finally, on December 19, 1944, in the area between Stavelot and Trois-Ponts, the Germans tried to regain control of the bridge over the Ambleve river in Stavelot, which was crucial for getting reinforcements and supplies in fuel and ammunition, Peiper’s men were the perpetrators of the massacre of 100 Belgian civilians, including many women and children.^{[7][2][21][22]}

American engineers finally managed to block Peiper's advance in the narrow Amblève River valley by blowing up the local bridges. Additional US reinforcements succeeded in surrounding the Kampfgruppe in Stoumont and la Gleize.^[2] Peiper and 800 of his men eventually managed to escape this encirclement by marching through the nearby woods and abandoning all their heavy equipment, including several Tiger II tanks.^[2][23] If he had by-passed the Amblève bridges, Peiper could have gained higher ground and access to practicable roads to the Meuse.

During their battle around Gleize, the men of Kampfgruppe Peiper captured an American officer, Major Harold D. McCown on December 21, who was leading one of the battalions of the 119th Infantry Regiment.^[24] Since he had heard about the Malmedy massacre, he raised questions to Peiper about his fate and that of his men. According to McCown, Peiper told him that neither he nor his men were at any risk and that he was not used to killing his prisoners.^[2] McCown himself noted that his men were not threatened in any manner. Indeed, he testified in favour of Peiper during the trial of 1946 in Dachau.^[25]

Kampfgruppe Peiper, re-equipped, had taken part again in the Battle of the Bulge and other killings of POWs were reported on December 31, 1944 in Lutrebois and between January 10 and 13, 1945 in Petit Thier.^[7] The precise number of prisoners of war and civilians massacred attributable to Kampfgruppe Peiper is still not clear. According to certain sources, 538 to 749 POWs had been the victims of war crimes perpetrated by Peiper’s men.^[25] These figures are, however, not corroborated by the report drawn up by the sub-Committee of the Senate of the United States which inquired later into the trial that ensued. According to the Committee, the number of dead would be 362 prisoners of war and 111 civilians.^[26] According to this report, the count of POWs or civilians at different places is as follows:

Tiger II tank left by the Kampfgruppe Peiper at La Gleize in December 1944

Aftermath and trial

The memorial of the Malmedy massacre at Baugnez. Each black stone embedded into the wall represents one of the victims

Main article: Malmedy massacre trial

American forces recaptured the site where the killings took place on January 13 1945. The cold weather conditions and low winter temperatures had preserved the scene well. The bodies were recovered on January 14 and January 15, 1945. The memorial at Baugnez bears the names of the murdered soldiers.

The size of the massacre, which apparently is the only one perpetrated on such a scale against American troops in Europe during World War II, caused a furor at the time. However, the number of victims was quite low when compared to other German atrocities.

In addition to the effect the event had on American combatants in Europe, it seems that news of the massacre also had a great impact in the United States. This explains why the supposed culprits were deferred to the Dachau Trials, which were held from May to June 1946, after the war.^[27]

In what would thereafter be known as the "Malmedy massacre trial", and which concerned all of the war crimes attributed to Kampfgruppe Peiper for 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 belonged. Joachim Peiper and his principal subordinates appeared among the defendants.^[27] More than 70 people were tried by the Tribunal and the Court pronounced 43 death sentences, (none of which were carried out), and 22 life sentences. Eight other men were sentenced to shorter prison sentences.^[27]

However, after the verdict, the way 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 which was unable to make a decision. The case then came under scrutiny of a sub-Committee of the Senate of the United States.^[26] A young Senator of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, used it as an opportunity to raise his political profile.^[28] He came to the defense of the convicted men by stating that the Court had not given them a fair trial.^[2][29]

This drew attention to the trial and some of the judicial irregularities which had occurred during the interrogations preceding the trial itself. However, even before the United States Senate took an interest in this case, most of the death sentences had already been commuted due to a revision of the trial carried out by the US Army^[27]. 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. There was a schism within the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars because World War II veterans that were members protested McCarthy's defense of the convicted. The leadership consisting of the earlier World War I veterans were reluctant to criticize him because of his anti-communist stance. The release of these war criminals has been cited by critics of the post-war trials of Japanese military personnel as an example of the racism which characterized the difference in treatment. Japanese military who were convicted of killing prisoners as a matter of policy were convicted and executed as per international law and custom. Few of the Germans were.

The turmoil which followed the Malmedy trials and the early release of the condemned is often used by some people as an example of biased post-war justice applied at the discretion of the winner.^[30].

Eventually, a distinct lawsuit relating to the war crimes committed against civilians in Stavelot was held on July 6, 1948 in front of a Belgian military court in Liege (Belgium) against 10 men who were members of Kampfgruppe Peiper and who had been captured on December 22, 1944 by American troops not far from the spot where one of the massacres of civilians in Stavelot had taken place. One man was discharged, the others were found guilty and most of them were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment - two officers were sentenced to 12 and 15 years.

In popular culture

The massacre was dramatized in two films - the Battle of the Bulge (1966) and Saints and Soldiers (2004).

References

External links

• Mortuary Affairs Operations At Malmedy – Lessons Learned From A Historic Tragedy, by Major Scott T. Glass. Quartermaster Professional Bulletin, Autumn 1997
• Battle of the Bulge on the Web, Malmedy Massacre resources
• Massacre at Malmédy During the Battle of the Bulge (reprint of an article in World War II [2003] by M. Reynolds)

Coordinates: 50°24′14″N, 6°3′58.30″E

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