The Malmedy Massacre occurred during the Battle of the Bulge. Part of the 1st Panzer Division, led by Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper, was the spearhead of the left wing of the German offensive. There was a lot of pressure to push forward as fast as possible to reach the Meuse River. Unfortunately for the Germans, American soldiers put a pesky defense and Peiper was well behind schedule when he reached the Belgian town of Malmedy. Near the town, his men ambushed a convoy of a unit of field artillery and took around 100 prisoners. Peiper left some men in charge and pressed on. It was implied, if not spelled out, that the German army was to take no prisoners in the offensive. The Americans were herded into a field and then without warning machine guns opened fire. 84 Americans were killed. A few survived by feigning death (laying in the snowy field as they heard comrades finished off with pistol shots) and a few managed to run into the woods. This was not the only killings by Kampfgruppe Peiper. In another incident, a cafe where Americans had taken refuge was set afire and the Americans were shot as they fled. After the war, Peiper and about 70 members of his unit were put on trial for war crimes. He and 43 others were sentenced to death, but none were executed. Peiper was paroled after ten years in prison.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/places/britain-ireland-france-and-low-countries/benelux-political-geography/malmedy
Malmedy by Howard Brodie
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