December 17, 1944: The first war crimes occurred shortly after the start of Peiper's advance.

 December 17, 1944: The first war crimes occurred shortly after the start of Peiper's advance. The first war crimes occurred shortly after the start of Peiper's advance. In Lanzerath, Peiper's men shot two civilians, a grown man and his 15-year-old nephew.

 The SS identified the two as "partisans". The boy was dead on the spot, the man survived seriously injured. 

US soldiers captured in Honsfeld were forced to walk over their comrades who were shot dead and overran by German tanks and vehicles. 

In Büllingen, soldiers of the 924th Field Artillery Battalion were able to briefly stop Peipers tanks by knocking out a tank with a bazooka. 

In the brief skirmish that followed, an American soldier, Private Bernard Pappel Jr., was wounded and then shot in the head by an SS officer. The other GI's were taken prisoner.

When the combat group Peiper left the village of Thirimont, the convoy had to take a detour in the direction of Baugnez. 

R44 American soldiers had set up a road blockade that made a direct advance on Ligneuville impossible.

Battery B of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion was en route from Malmedy to Saint Vith on December 17, 1944 to join the 7th Armored Division.

 At the Baugnez crossroads, about three kilometers southeast of Malmedy, the Americans met the Peiper combat group at around 12:30 p.m.

 The Germans shot at the first and last vehicle of the 30-vehicle convoy, rendering it immobile.

After a brief skirmish, the Americans had to surrender. The spearhead of Kampfgruppe Peiper moved on. 

Shortly afterwards, the 1st SS Panzer Battalion under SS-Sturmbannführer Werner Poetschke reached the Baugnez intersection. 

Poetschke was seen as moody, hot-headed and unpredictable. For reasons that were ultimately unclear, the SS men from Poetschke suddenly opened fire on the prisoners of war.

 Panic broke out among them. Those who didn't drop dead on the spot or tried to play dead or tried to flee.

 It is estimated that around 120 Americans were captured and shot at. 84 of them were murdered in the field at the Baugnez junction.

 Soldiers who pretended to be dead or were seriously wounded were killed at close range with a headshot or their skulls knocked in with the butt of a rifle. 

Some Americans hid in a nearby building. This was set on fire by the SS and those who tried to escape from the building were shot at.

 These actions are known as the Malmedy massacre.

One of the GI's killed was Corporal Joseph Brozowski from Buffalo, New York.

 Brozwoski was shot in the head and stomach. He rests in the Henri Chapelle American Cemetery. 

His younger brother, Edward Brozowski, was killed in action three days later south of Saint Vith.

Photos 1 and 2 show the location of the massacre as it looks today. Photo 2 shows the hedgerow in which Joseph Brozowski was found. 

Photo 3 shows the memorial, which was built just a few meters from the scene. 

The names of all the soldiers killed can be read there. Photo 4 shows Joseph Brozowski's name plate at the memorial.

 The last photo shows the grave of Joseph Brozowski in the Henri Chapelle American Cemetery. All photos are from the year 2021 and are made by me.