The third village Jakob Hanreich gave evidence for was Stanitschnoje. This village is spelt in many different ways (Станичное / Станичный / Станичне, Украине – Stanitschnyj – Stanitschnoje – Stanysche – Stanitsche).
The following is Jackob Hanreich’s (LSAH, captured in Normandy 1944) interrogation on the matter:
‘Stanitschnoje was burnt by the last party of the retreating LSAH, led by the then Standartenfuehrer WITT’
(TS26/856 p232)
(F. Witt was the commander of the 1. Panzergrenadier-Regiment. T. Wisch was the commander of the 2. Panzergrenadier-Regiment)
The following is Rudolf Lehmann’s account for the 4.3.1943:
“Orders for the LAH’s units for 4.3.1943 read as follows:
“The reinforced 2. Panzergrenadier-Regiment is to take Stanitschnyj and Winnikow and to prepare itself to move forward on 6.3. with the bulk of the forces along the road from Stanitschnyj via Lajaschowa and Persessel to the Msha sector…..”
“The reinforced 1. Panzergrenadier-Regiment is to relieve the III (armoured)/2. In Nikolskoje on 5.3. and is to send out elements to capture Paschtschinewka……
(Lehmann, ‘The Leibstandarte III’ p 145)
C). 4.3.1943: Regrouping the Division for the thrust to the north.
“4.3.1943: After a peaceful night, the III (armoured)/2. (Under Sturmbannfuhrer Peiper) was relieved from its defensive line south of Krutaja Balka by the II/1. (Under Sturnbannfuhrer M. Hansen). The III (armoured)/2. Marched in the early morning via Nikolskoje and Jelenowka to Jarotinin in order to make a thrust from there to Stanitschnyj.
“At 0.8.15hrs, Stanitschnyj was captured. The Battalion pursued the enemy forces as far as Jewdokimowka and Ljachowa”. .
.
“The reinforced 1. Panzergrenadier-Regiment fought until nightfall to capture its assembly area”.
( Lehmann, ‘The Leibstandarte III’ p146 )
From Lehmann’s account (if I’m interpreting it correctly), on the 4.3.43 the reinforced 2. Panzergrenadier-Regiment were ordered to take Stanitschnyj (Under Wisch). The reinforced 1. Panzergrenadier-Regiment (Under Witt) were to relieve Peiper’s Btln on the 5.3.43. But orders were changed and Peiper was ordered to take Stanitschnyj in the early hours of the morning on the 4.3 having being relieved by Hansen’s btln. Although not clearly stated who took the village at 0.8.15hrs it can be assumed in the way it was written that it was Peiper as Lehmann talks about the 'btln' making their way to the village and straight after reports“The btln pursued the enemy forces as far as Jewdokimowka and Ljachowa”.
This places Peiper in the village on the date it was captured. Hanreich maintains Witt’s men burnt it while retreating, it’s not clear to me where Witt's men were that day as the only mention of them is to say that they ‘fought until nightfall to capture its assembly area’. This does not rule them out of burning the village 'on the final retreat' either.
As previously posted, members of Peiper’s own group accuse him of the burning of this village and Staroverowka by the infamous Blowtorch method. Staroverowka may have been burnt on the 3rd when Peiper was leaving, but the accusations of civilian deaths from local sources appear to have occurred on the 2nd when he was not there. Despite exhaustive searches, I am yet to find a local account of what happened in Stanitschnyj on March 4th. I am in pursuit of Zwigarts, Rumpfs and Siegmund’s testimony in relation to these two villages (although I have reason to believe that Rumpf was with Kurt Meyers group and not Peiper at this time) but if anyone has these testimonies, please PM me or post here. Also, If anyone has a different insight into Lehmann's account, please post also.
Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidence?
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krichter33
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Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Excellent info!!!
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Quite curiousseaburn wrote:I have reason to believe that Rumpf was with Kurt Meyers group and not Peiper at this time
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Apologies for being less than open about this, but I have been privy to an account of Rumpf’s from mid-February where he states that he was with Kurt Meyer and where he tells an interesting story of an action he was witness to.(this testimony is included in the Malmedy papers). Unfortunately this information/document is not mine to share with the forum. I have tried to locate it for myself at NARA but I have been informed that it is not where it is supposed to be.Harro wrote:Quite curiousseaburn wrote:I have reason to believe that Rumpf was with Kurt Meyers group and not Peiper at this time
I have subsequently contacted the George Washington University who have the ‘William Perl papers’ . Rumpf’s name is on the listing of papers there, but I won’t know if this particular document is included until I get them. Obviously this is very frustrating for me personally as his testimony is crucial to other issues I’m interested in.
I’m not knowledgeable enough on this subject to know how men were moved around at this time. From Lehmann’s account, it seems that there was a lot of chopping and changing of personal from one place to another and movement of men to different commands at that time. It is possible that Rumpf was with Peiper at some stage over those months or perhaps more possible that he ‘heard’ accounts of Peiper’s btln and recounted them. It would be helpful if anyone had his career movements.
It has been noted here on the forum that he was with the Pioneer Btln.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... f#p1653217
3.43
Commander
SS-Hstuf. Gerhard Nüske
(Trang, Dictionaire, page 257)
Rumpf in charge, 11.43
(J Keenan, AHF, 12.2011)
20-11-1943
Komp-Fhr. SS-Ostuf. Erich Rumpf
SS-Ustuf. Guenther Leither
SS-Ustuf. Herbert Gauglitz
SS-Oscha. Walter Boehm
SS-Oscha. Otto Hoffmann
(Agte, Peiper, page 244)
Interestingly in his account of mid-February he also mentions the presence of Nuske.
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
This is an excerpt from Jakob Hanreich’s (LSAH Anti-Tank Btln) second interrogation of 1945. It gives some insight into the structure of the LSAH units at this time and how men were reassigned continuously. This would explain how Rumpf would have been with Meyer’s Recon Btln, which Lehmann names as the ‘Reinforced Aufklarungsabteilung’. I presume, ‘reinforced’ indicates that it had extra men at its disposal. As already stated, I’m unaware of his actual evidence against Peiper as I have only seen his account of mid-February when he was with Meyer. Alas it appears that no one on the forum has it at their disposal to share here.
Interrogation of Jakob Hanreich July 1945 in the US
Q.238 Do you know what other troops were encircled with the Recce. Battalion?
A.238 The Recce. Battalion was actually a battle group and a lot of troops belonged to it right from the start. There were two Volkswagen Companies. There were two armoured troop carrier companies, I believe. There were army (illegible scribble between these words) recce, cars, anti-tank (illegible scribble between these words) infantry guns, It was very much greater than what one usually refers to as a unit or battalion. They had tasks in which they had to fight independently without any help from other units or formations.
Q.247 Well, then, do you say that there were none of your troops attached to MEYER for this particular operation?
A.247 That, I did not say. I say if it was the case then I could remember it. Things changed day by day. Once people were under the command of one unit and then another, then there were heavy losses and they had to be replaced and replacements were brought up. It changed from day to day.
Interrogation of Jakob Hanreich July 1945 in the US
Q.238 Do you know what other troops were encircled with the Recce. Battalion?
A.238 The Recce. Battalion was actually a battle group and a lot of troops belonged to it right from the start. There were two Volkswagen Companies. There were two armoured troop carrier companies, I believe. There were army (illegible scribble between these words) recce, cars, anti-tank (illegible scribble between these words) infantry guns, It was very much greater than what one usually refers to as a unit or battalion. They had tasks in which they had to fight independently without any help from other units or formations.
Q.247 Well, then, do you say that there were none of your troops attached to MEYER for this particular operation?
A.247 That, I did not say. I say if it was the case then I could remember it. Things changed day by day. Once people were under the command of one unit and then another, then there were heavy losses and they had to be replaced and replacements were brought up. It changed from day to day.
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Two more names have come to my attention in relation to Peiper and alleged burning of villages on the Eastern Front. In Danny Parkers ‘Fatal Crossroads’ the following is recounted by Walter Fransee of the 9th Pioneer Btln LSAH.
.. 'Fransee recalled other horrors in Ziglerowka, Utgatschi and other scarcely pronounceable places. Jochen Peiper’s command, Fransee said “had burned down an entire village in the east…..ever since his battalion has been called the Lotlampenabteilung and has a burning blowtorch as its symbol”. (pp 129/130)
Parker cites this from: ‘Kriegsverbrechen im Osten’ Statement of Walter Fransee. 1st Platoon 9th Pz. Pi Btln. George Washington University, Gelman Library, William Perl Papers. Box 6 Folder 51.
Interestingly I had already got the village of Ziglerowka on my ‘suspect list’ as Peiper is cited by Lehmann as having been in this village. The challenge had been to find it on the current map of Ukraine as it has disappeared. It is listed on the map from 1943 as already posted, so I knew its general location. But coincidently I have also just come across interesting evidence of the killing of civilians and the burning of a village called ‘Sosnivka’. This village was not on my list, but I am confident that it is the same village as I have found that it was formally called ‘Tsiglerowka’. And the village of Sosnivka today is exactly where I had put my marker for the suspected location of ‘Ziglerowka’. There is also evidence from local sources that 64 civilians were shot and the village burnt during the war, but not any that directly links to Peiper as yet. I am endeavouring to find corroborative information and hopefully the date of this action to see if it matches Peiper’s visit to the village.
The other village Parker quotes is ‘Utgatschi’, I suspect that this village is now called ‘Okoche’. On the 1943 map it’s called ‘Ochotchtaie’ ( In Ukrainian it’s Охочее which literally translates as ‘hunt’). So far I haven’t got it on my suspect list, but I haven’t fully compiled that list yet. It is also possible that Peiper went through this village on the way to elsewhere and it has not been recorded either. However, it should be easy to check if he was in the vicinity, if I can find a date that correlates with the local account of the civilians killed there, and that over 600 houses were burnt.
But local sources also state that the village was fought over many times, so other than the fact that Fransee names this place, it would not necessarily have been a point of interest. However, he has named it and it is worth checking out. I post this in the vain hope that anyone else has information about these two villages
.. 'Fransee recalled other horrors in Ziglerowka, Utgatschi and other scarcely pronounceable places. Jochen Peiper’s command, Fransee said “had burned down an entire village in the east…..ever since his battalion has been called the Lotlampenabteilung and has a burning blowtorch as its symbol”. (pp 129/130)
Parker cites this from: ‘Kriegsverbrechen im Osten’ Statement of Walter Fransee. 1st Platoon 9th Pz. Pi Btln. George Washington University, Gelman Library, William Perl Papers. Box 6 Folder 51.
Interestingly I had already got the village of Ziglerowka on my ‘suspect list’ as Peiper is cited by Lehmann as having been in this village. The challenge had been to find it on the current map of Ukraine as it has disappeared. It is listed on the map from 1943 as already posted, so I knew its general location. But coincidently I have also just come across interesting evidence of the killing of civilians and the burning of a village called ‘Sosnivka’. This village was not on my list, but I am confident that it is the same village as I have found that it was formally called ‘Tsiglerowka’. And the village of Sosnivka today is exactly where I had put my marker for the suspected location of ‘Ziglerowka’. There is also evidence from local sources that 64 civilians were shot and the village burnt during the war, but not any that directly links to Peiper as yet. I am endeavouring to find corroborative information and hopefully the date of this action to see if it matches Peiper’s visit to the village.
The other village Parker quotes is ‘Utgatschi’, I suspect that this village is now called ‘Okoche’. On the 1943 map it’s called ‘Ochotchtaie’ ( In Ukrainian it’s Охочее which literally translates as ‘hunt’). So far I haven’t got it on my suspect list, but I haven’t fully compiled that list yet. It is also possible that Peiper went through this village on the way to elsewhere and it has not been recorded either. However, it should be easy to check if he was in the vicinity, if I can find a date that correlates with the local account of the civilians killed there, and that over 600 houses were burnt.
But local sources also state that the village was fought over many times, so other than the fact that Fransee names this place, it would not necessarily have been a point of interest. However, he has named it and it is worth checking out. I post this in the vain hope that anyone else has information about these two villages
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
I have obtained some handwritten testimony of Erich Rumpf, Walter Fransee, Paul Zwigart, and Oswald Siegmund which is being analysed at the moment to see if they contain any evidence pertinent to this investigation. From a cursory glance there seems to be a mention of action on the Eastern Front in some of the testimonies although the majority are in relation to Malmedy.
Zwigart's handwriting is particularly difficult to read. I have been led to believe that he made a serious claim against Peiper in testimony he gave in 1946 in which he accused him of personally ordering the destruction of an unnamed village and the murder of its inhabitants in the spring of 1943, the village size was approx 500-600 people. I have been unable to find any record of an action of this nature with this number of people in that particular area at that particular time, only Kurt Meyers action in Jefremowka fits the bill, but this allegation specifically mentions the III btln and Peiper. Has anyone come across this testimony by Zwigart, if so, please post the details or PM me?
I will report the findings of the above testimonies when I have analysed them, if anyone is fluent in German and has the ability to decipher the impossible, please contact me by PM !!
Zwigart's handwriting is particularly difficult to read. I have been led to believe that he made a serious claim against Peiper in testimony he gave in 1946 in which he accused him of personally ordering the destruction of an unnamed village and the murder of its inhabitants in the spring of 1943, the village size was approx 500-600 people. I have been unable to find any record of an action of this nature with this number of people in that particular area at that particular time, only Kurt Meyers action in Jefremowka fits the bill, but this allegation specifically mentions the III btln and Peiper. Has anyone come across this testimony by Zwigart, if so, please post the details or PM me?
I will report the findings of the above testimonies when I have analysed them, if anyone is fluent in German and has the ability to decipher the impossible, please contact me by PM !!
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
As posted above, a passage from ‘Fatal Crossroads’ led me to believe that Walter Fransee’s testimony during the Malmedy investigation included an allegation against Peiper for two named villages. There were in fact two passages that had caught my attention, but I was convinced the first one concerned Kurt Meyer and not Peiper so I only posted the second one above.
But I feel that it is important to report that this investigation from the beginning has uncovered the fact that Peiper has been strongly suspected of the burning of Jefremowka in February 43 in which every man, woman and child were targeted . This has subsequently led to authors re-citing this claim since 1945 and has in my opinion led some to presume that he was guilty as charged. But this crime has now been researched on this forum and evidence gathered by many has convincingly proven that this atrocity was done on the command of Kurt Meyer of the LSAH Recon Btln ( http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 4&start=75)
In the first passage from the book cited below, there is no mention of a person or the name of the village, so it was important to find this document and see if my hunch was correct and if there was also any evidence against Peiper for atrocities in Ziglerowka and Utgatschi. This is the transcript of Fransee’s testimony from ‘Fatal Crossroads’:
“He recounted one particular vividly disturbing memory when at the end of February his unit ruthlessly burned to the ground a Russian village near Kharkov - supposedly harbouring partisans: 'all inhabitants of the village were shot, man, woman or child.
Fransee recalled other horrors in Ziglerowka, Utgatschi and other scarcely pronounceable places. Jochen Peiper’s command, Fransee said “had burned down an entire village in the east…..ever since his battalion has been called the Lotlampenabteilung and has a burning blowtorch as its symbol”.
(‘Fatal Crossroads’ D Parker. pp 129/130)
I have now located the testimony of Walter Fransee, and with the help of forum members, it has been deciphered and translated. There was one page with 6 points concerning allegations of crimes on the Eastern Front. Only some of these points are relevant to this investigation. Point 6 talked about a deserter being shot in Charkow. Point 5 was a detail about a drunken service man shooting a Russia woman. Point 3 discussed the shooting of one civilian by a named but unknown LSAH culprit in Utgatschi.
The following are points 1, 2, and 4.
(1) “ At the end of February 1943 a village near Charkow was burned down because of Partisans on order of Stubaf. ‘Panzermeier’. All inhabitants of the village were shot being man, woman or child. Rttf. Schmidt at that point Funker (radio opp.) of Kp. Chef Hstf. Nueske told us, when we arrived with the Tross, that Rttf. Vorst had battered to death children with an iron bar".
(2) “In Ziglerowka, early March 1943, after an interrogation done by Hstf. Nueske and Rttf. Ernst, a russian soldier was shot by Rttf. Ernst. When we followed up with the Tross during the evening, bodies of civilians were lying on the street”.
(4) “Stubaf. Peiper burned down a village in the East, name unknown, afterwards his battalion was named “Lotlampenbattalion”(Blowtorch Battln.) wearing a burning blow torch as the unit symbol on their vehicles”.
Source: ‘Kriegsverbrechen im Osten’ Statement of Walter Fransee. 1st Platoon 9th Pz. Pi Btln. George Washington University, Gelman Library, William Perl Papers. Box 6 Folder 51.
My Analysis:
Point 1 is certainly about Jefremowka, Kurt Meyer aka ‘Panzermeyer’ is named as the culprit. Fransee maintains he turned up later with the ‘Troß’ which was explained by ‘Harro’ as : (‘Troß’) is the German word for the supply column. It included the ammo, fuel, rations, field kitchen, etc'. Fransee says that this was the end of February, but in fact it was the 17th of February. So at that time he was supporting the Recon Btln.
Point 2. Moving forward to the beginning of March he is now again with the Troß and in Ziglerowka, neither Peiper not the III(armoured)/2 btln are named here and it is unclear who is responsible for the civilian deaths. The commander of the 9th Panzer Pioneer’s is again named. ‘Nueske’, according to Lehmann (page 448) was subordinated at this time to the ‘SS- Panzerregimental 1 LSSAH' and would go on eventually to serve as Peipers adjutant and later his Ordonnanzoffizier until the end of 1944. Peiper took over command of this unit in 43 when Ostbf Schonberger was killed at the end of that year.
Point 4, is another allegation against Peiper for the burning of an un-named village and the reputation of the ‘blowtorch’ btln. This brings to four statments so far cited about the ‘blowtorch’ btln, but again, there is no named village or details that could pin down a date or location.
The questions and answers arising from this testimony are in my opinion:
(1) Who was Fransee supporting when he saw the civilains dead in Ziglerowka, was it Meyer, Peiper or someone else? We have discussed on other posts that men and units were chopping and changing command over this time, did the ‘Troß’ follow more than one unit over these weeks?
(2) Passage 1 is clearly not about Peiper nor does Fransee’s testimony in fact implicate the III(armoured)/2 btln for Ziglerowka or Utgatschi.
(3) Although it is left unsaid by Francee about how civilians were killed in Ziglerowka, this village has to remain a subject of interest. According to Lehmann, Peiper was there in March 43 and there is evidence from local sources that I will post soon about civilian deaths there. All other LSAH units will have to be looked at too, in order to asertain who was also in the village at this time.
I will post more details on the people and places mentioned above soon, and also look at the movements of the units as discussed. If anyone has anything to add in the way of information or analysis, please post.
But I feel that it is important to report that this investigation from the beginning has uncovered the fact that Peiper has been strongly suspected of the burning of Jefremowka in February 43 in which every man, woman and child were targeted . This has subsequently led to authors re-citing this claim since 1945 and has in my opinion led some to presume that he was guilty as charged. But this crime has now been researched on this forum and evidence gathered by many has convincingly proven that this atrocity was done on the command of Kurt Meyer of the LSAH Recon Btln ( http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 4&start=75)
In the first passage from the book cited below, there is no mention of a person or the name of the village, so it was important to find this document and see if my hunch was correct and if there was also any evidence against Peiper for atrocities in Ziglerowka and Utgatschi. This is the transcript of Fransee’s testimony from ‘Fatal Crossroads’:
“He recounted one particular vividly disturbing memory when at the end of February his unit ruthlessly burned to the ground a Russian village near Kharkov - supposedly harbouring partisans: 'all inhabitants of the village were shot, man, woman or child.
Fransee recalled other horrors in Ziglerowka, Utgatschi and other scarcely pronounceable places. Jochen Peiper’s command, Fransee said “had burned down an entire village in the east…..ever since his battalion has been called the Lotlampenabteilung and has a burning blowtorch as its symbol”.
(‘Fatal Crossroads’ D Parker. pp 129/130)
I have now located the testimony of Walter Fransee, and with the help of forum members, it has been deciphered and translated. There was one page with 6 points concerning allegations of crimes on the Eastern Front. Only some of these points are relevant to this investigation. Point 6 talked about a deserter being shot in Charkow. Point 5 was a detail about a drunken service man shooting a Russia woman. Point 3 discussed the shooting of one civilian by a named but unknown LSAH culprit in Utgatschi.
The following are points 1, 2, and 4.
(1) “ At the end of February 1943 a village near Charkow was burned down because of Partisans on order of Stubaf. ‘Panzermeier’. All inhabitants of the village were shot being man, woman or child. Rttf. Schmidt at that point Funker (radio opp.) of Kp. Chef Hstf. Nueske told us, when we arrived with the Tross, that Rttf. Vorst had battered to death children with an iron bar".
(2) “In Ziglerowka, early March 1943, after an interrogation done by Hstf. Nueske and Rttf. Ernst, a russian soldier was shot by Rttf. Ernst. When we followed up with the Tross during the evening, bodies of civilians were lying on the street”.
(4) “Stubaf. Peiper burned down a village in the East, name unknown, afterwards his battalion was named “Lotlampenbattalion”(Blowtorch Battln.) wearing a burning blow torch as the unit symbol on their vehicles”.
Source: ‘Kriegsverbrechen im Osten’ Statement of Walter Fransee. 1st Platoon 9th Pz. Pi Btln. George Washington University, Gelman Library, William Perl Papers. Box 6 Folder 51.
My Analysis:
Point 1 is certainly about Jefremowka, Kurt Meyer aka ‘Panzermeyer’ is named as the culprit. Fransee maintains he turned up later with the ‘Troß’ which was explained by ‘Harro’ as : (‘Troß’) is the German word for the supply column. It included the ammo, fuel, rations, field kitchen, etc'. Fransee says that this was the end of February, but in fact it was the 17th of February. So at that time he was supporting the Recon Btln.
Point 2. Moving forward to the beginning of March he is now again with the Troß and in Ziglerowka, neither Peiper not the III(armoured)/2 btln are named here and it is unclear who is responsible for the civilian deaths. The commander of the 9th Panzer Pioneer’s is again named. ‘Nueske’, according to Lehmann (page 448) was subordinated at this time to the ‘SS- Panzerregimental 1 LSSAH' and would go on eventually to serve as Peipers adjutant and later his Ordonnanzoffizier until the end of 1944. Peiper took over command of this unit in 43 when Ostbf Schonberger was killed at the end of that year.
Point 4, is another allegation against Peiper for the burning of an un-named village and the reputation of the ‘blowtorch’ btln. This brings to four statments so far cited about the ‘blowtorch’ btln, but again, there is no named village or details that could pin down a date or location.
The questions and answers arising from this testimony are in my opinion:
(1) Who was Fransee supporting when he saw the civilains dead in Ziglerowka, was it Meyer, Peiper or someone else? We have discussed on other posts that men and units were chopping and changing command over this time, did the ‘Troß’ follow more than one unit over these weeks?
(2) Passage 1 is clearly not about Peiper nor does Fransee’s testimony in fact implicate the III(armoured)/2 btln for Ziglerowka or Utgatschi.
(3) Although it is left unsaid by Francee about how civilians were killed in Ziglerowka, this village has to remain a subject of interest. According to Lehmann, Peiper was there in March 43 and there is evidence from local sources that I will post soon about civilian deaths there. All other LSAH units will have to be looked at too, in order to asertain who was also in the village at this time.
I will post more details on the people and places mentioned above soon, and also look at the movements of the units as discussed. If anyone has anything to add in the way of information or analysis, please post.
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krichter33
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Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
This is wonderful research!!! It is amazing what you have accomplished that no other historians up until now have. You should send this information to Parker, and see what he says about how he portrayed Jefremowka, Fransee, and Peiper...
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Thanks ‘Krichter33’. Its positive feedback like yours that keeps me motivated. Danny Parker did answer my call for assistance in this search and he kindly provided me with information that proved very helpful in tracking down some of the relevant documentation on this thread so far. It would have been disrespectful to him to use the information that he has already gathered over the years, therefore I have endeavoured to locate this myself in the relevant archives. Obviously, I am more than happy to pass on any new information and leads that he may be interested in. There are also other forum members assisting in the background with book reference leads, translations, and deciphering of handwritten testimonies. Hopefully our joint efforts will produce some solid evidence that can throw light on these allegations against Peiper and the III btln.
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
I now have the testimony of Paul Zwigart, a co-accused from the Malmedy trials. His handwritten testimony was given on the 11th of February 1946 in the presence of William Perl and Capt Raphael Shumacker.
The handwritten version in German was obtained from:
Box 4/ Folder 32 ,Gelman Library, William Perl papers, GWU..
Coincidently I received a typed and translated account from: http://stengerhistorica.com. File reference : 11th February 1946- MMD # 4 (1stG MF) Affidavit of SS-Unterschraführer Paul Zwigart, III./2
This is what he wrote:
....“On various occasions we burned down whole villages with our blow-torches. Especially I remember two cases. One in the spring of 1943 when we expressly received the order near Kharkov to set a village afire and to ‘bump off’ all inhabitants ‘including women and children’. When I say ‘we’ I mean the third battalion which at that time was led by Hauptsturmfuhrer PEIPER. As far as I know he originated the order personally. Our battalion was at that time, cut off from the main unit, and operated on its own, sometimes here and sometimes there. I myself did not see Hauptsturmfuhrer PEIPER, who was with us at the time, shooting at civilians. However, it was generally known in the unit that he actively participated in this action.
I saw in this village which was of medium size (approx. 500-800 inhabitants) how our battalion set the houses afire with our blowtorch. I was the tank driver and on that occasion, I did not leave my tank. I stood with my SPW at the entrance of the village and watched our infantrymen running around with blowtorches and saw at least one who set a house afire. The infantrymen of our battalion ran around in between the burning houses with machine guns and rifles shooting into the houses.
Another case which I recall exactly during which an entire village was ‘wiped out’ took place in the summer of 1943 during the feint attack on Kursk in the BELGOROD sector. At that time the infantrymen of our battalion received the order ‘Blowtorches ready’! I myself heard when the commander of the 9th company Hauptsturmfuhrer GUHL issued this order, and know that the same order was given to all companies of the battalion. I don’t know any more on this occasion if it was emphasised if women and children had to be ‘bumped off’; however, in accordance with previous practice, it was apparent what was meant. I saw clearly in this case when women and children among them, came running out of the burning houses and how they were mowed down by our men. The names of those who were shooting I don’t know any longer, but the whole battalion participated. I myself, however, did not shoot but sat at the controls of my tank, watching.
On no occasion did I notice any resistance on the part of the population, nor did I see any resistance from anybody, and also never did I see from any house on which we fired, that the fire was returned.
This village was a bit bigger than the one described before. While wiping out the first village, it was announced that an inhabitant had shot into a truck in with several German wounded. In the second described case, no reasons were given.
After wiping out the second village described here our battalion was ‘rewarded’ with the name ‘Blowtorch Battalion’ and from there on our tactical symbol was the blowtorch and remains so up to to-day”.
Obviously this is a very serious allegation and the first we have that goes into some detail. I have no knowledge at this time of the action post mid March in the BELGOROD area as I have only been concentrating on the period prior to the re-taking of Kharkov. This new accusation opens up the prospect of more villages north of Kharkov and this area will now need be studied too.
From Zwigart's testimony it is clear that he makes a direct accusation against Peiper and the III Btln, frustratingly he gives no village names or specific dates. These accusations go further than just the burning of villages, it specifically alleges that civilians were targeted indiscriminately. In relation to the first allegation, my main concern at the moment with verifying this testimony is that there is (so far and with much searching) no account from local levels for that time and in that location of a large action of this sort other than Jefremowka.
While there are many accounts of burning villages and civilians being killed, there are none which mention whole villages burnt and their populations being killed. It is understandable when reading this, why so many have felt that Peiper was responsible for Jefremowka. However, Zwigart while mentioning the size of the village, doesn't actually state that all inhabitants were killed and it could be that the village was burnt and a smaller number killed.
It would be interesting to hear from those familiar with the Malmedy trials to get an understanding of the relationship between Zwigart and Peiper. Zwigart was accused of personally shooting an American POW and in fact this testimony goes on to describe that event. He was sentenced to death but this was commuted like Peiper. This testimony is pretty sensational and has to be taken at face value when you couple it with the other allegations posted, obviously the lack of village name is a blow to finding the definitive truth of this account. If anyone can pin down a date for the second allegation from the clues given about the 'feint' at Kursk, please let me know.
The handwritten version in German was obtained from:
Box 4/ Folder 32 ,Gelman Library, William Perl papers, GWU..
Coincidently I received a typed and translated account from: http://stengerhistorica.com. File reference : 11th February 1946- MMD # 4 (1stG MF) Affidavit of SS-Unterschraführer Paul Zwigart, III./2
This is what he wrote:
....“On various occasions we burned down whole villages with our blow-torches. Especially I remember two cases. One in the spring of 1943 when we expressly received the order near Kharkov to set a village afire and to ‘bump off’ all inhabitants ‘including women and children’. When I say ‘we’ I mean the third battalion which at that time was led by Hauptsturmfuhrer PEIPER. As far as I know he originated the order personally. Our battalion was at that time, cut off from the main unit, and operated on its own, sometimes here and sometimes there. I myself did not see Hauptsturmfuhrer PEIPER, who was with us at the time, shooting at civilians. However, it was generally known in the unit that he actively participated in this action.
I saw in this village which was of medium size (approx. 500-800 inhabitants) how our battalion set the houses afire with our blowtorch. I was the tank driver and on that occasion, I did not leave my tank. I stood with my SPW at the entrance of the village and watched our infantrymen running around with blowtorches and saw at least one who set a house afire. The infantrymen of our battalion ran around in between the burning houses with machine guns and rifles shooting into the houses.
Another case which I recall exactly during which an entire village was ‘wiped out’ took place in the summer of 1943 during the feint attack on Kursk in the BELGOROD sector. At that time the infantrymen of our battalion received the order ‘Blowtorches ready’! I myself heard when the commander of the 9th company Hauptsturmfuhrer GUHL issued this order, and know that the same order was given to all companies of the battalion. I don’t know any more on this occasion if it was emphasised if women and children had to be ‘bumped off’; however, in accordance with previous practice, it was apparent what was meant. I saw clearly in this case when women and children among them, came running out of the burning houses and how they were mowed down by our men. The names of those who were shooting I don’t know any longer, but the whole battalion participated. I myself, however, did not shoot but sat at the controls of my tank, watching.
On no occasion did I notice any resistance on the part of the population, nor did I see any resistance from anybody, and also never did I see from any house on which we fired, that the fire was returned.
This village was a bit bigger than the one described before. While wiping out the first village, it was announced that an inhabitant had shot into a truck in with several German wounded. In the second described case, no reasons were given.
After wiping out the second village described here our battalion was ‘rewarded’ with the name ‘Blowtorch Battalion’ and from there on our tactical symbol was the blowtorch and remains so up to to-day”.
- http://tigerpatterns.com/index.php
- zwigart.jpg (53.43 KiB) Viewed 1042 times
From Zwigart's testimony it is clear that he makes a direct accusation against Peiper and the III Btln, frustratingly he gives no village names or specific dates. These accusations go further than just the burning of villages, it specifically alleges that civilians were targeted indiscriminately. In relation to the first allegation, my main concern at the moment with verifying this testimony is that there is (so far and with much searching) no account from local levels for that time and in that location of a large action of this sort other than Jefremowka.
While there are many accounts of burning villages and civilians being killed, there are none which mention whole villages burnt and their populations being killed. It is understandable when reading this, why so many have felt that Peiper was responsible for Jefremowka. However, Zwigart while mentioning the size of the village, doesn't actually state that all inhabitants were killed and it could be that the village was burnt and a smaller number killed.
It would be interesting to hear from those familiar with the Malmedy trials to get an understanding of the relationship between Zwigart and Peiper. Zwigart was accused of personally shooting an American POW and in fact this testimony goes on to describe that event. He was sentenced to death but this was commuted like Peiper. This testimony is pretty sensational and has to be taken at face value when you couple it with the other allegations posted, obviously the lack of village name is a blow to finding the definitive truth of this account. If anyone can pin down a date for the second allegation from the clues given about the 'feint' at Kursk, please let me know.
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
I have come across some interesting files in the 'United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives' .
Including these ones:
Fond 203, Opis 2847, Delo 61, page 133: Statement from 17 February, 1943 about the shooting of up to 40 civilians and looting in SHUBINO, KHARKOVSKAYA Oblast.
Fond 203, Opis 2847, Delo 61, page 189: Statement from 16 February, 1943 about the killing of civilians and the burning of houses in KRASNAYA POLYANA, ZMEEVSKIY Rayon, KHARKOVSKAYA Oblast.
I have found that these dates stated here cannot be relied upon as accurate as the statements in this archive on Jefremowka and Seminivka are out by approx a week. But these dates and locations would warrant further investigation as they tally with the allegations against Peiper for the killing of civilians at Krasna Poljana as posted above.
If anyone has accessed files from this location, could they contact me by PM. Thanks.
Including these ones:
Fond 203, Opis 2847, Delo 61, page 133: Statement from 17 February, 1943 about the shooting of up to 40 civilians and looting in SHUBINO, KHARKOVSKAYA Oblast.
Fond 203, Opis 2847, Delo 61, page 189: Statement from 16 February, 1943 about the killing of civilians and the burning of houses in KRASNAYA POLYANA, ZMEEVSKIY Rayon, KHARKOVSKAYA Oblast.
- google earth
If anyone has accessed files from this location, could they contact me by PM. Thanks.
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
It’s been a very interesting week for me, with new evidence uncovered and new leads to follow. At the beginning of this thread, there was posted evidence of three named villages which were alleged to have been destroyed and all inhabitants killed by the III/2 Btln. The basis of this evidence was given by three POWs. The villages named were Staroverowka, Stanitschnoje, and Jefremowka. The men who supplied the evidence were Zwigart, Hanreich and Rumpf all members at one time of the LSAH. I think it’s appropriate at this stage to summarise what has been found so far.
The Villages:
(A) Jefremowka - Peiper/III Btln are definitely not guilty of this one, all evidence points to Kurt Meyer, yet this is the village that comes up time and time again when POWs were interrogated, some knew its name, some just alluded to it, mentioning the destruction of a ‘village in the east’. But while many POW’s named Meyer in their testimonies, none named Peiper. In my opinion, because of the reputation of the ‘Blowtorch Btln’, any allegations made that were lacking in detail were attributed to Peiper.
(B) Staroverowka – This village was fought over between German and Soviet forces on March 2nd, there is a record that 67 civilians were shot here on that date. I have also seen accounts from a Soviet combatant who related that the people of the village were ‘happy’ to prepare defences against the Germans before the attack. I have also seen a post from someone who claims their Grandfather was probably one of these people as he was shot in the village post-retaking, when he was accused of helping the Soviet forces. I have not investigated any of these claims as I am only interested in Peiper’s actions here. It has been recorded that he and his men arrived here the following day on the 3rd, they also left that day. I have not found any evidence that Peiper’s men burnt the village on leaving, although I have heard that one of his men claimed that this was the birthplace of the ‘Blowtorch’ method, therefore the burning of the village by them has to be considered a strong possibility. Hanreich also claimed in his testimony that this village was burnt when the LSAH left.
( C ) Stanitschnoje – This village was taken in fighting between German and Soviet forces in the early hours of March 4th, the records of the LSAH claim that Peiper’s men took the village. So far, I have been unable to find a local account of what happened to the civilians of the village, but in this type of encounter, there would have to have been many civilian deaths unless they had evacuated previously. This village will still have to remain a subject of interest to ascertain what happened here. Again, it is probably likely that the village was burnt on leaving, Jakob Hanreich claimed as much in his interrogation.
( D ) Krasnja Poljana – This is the village at the crossing of the Udy River. Nipe alluded to the fact that Peiper sought revenge on the population due to death of members of his detachment that he had left behind to guard the crossing. Peiper himself added to the evidence by claiming that he fought ‘house-to-house’ on the return to the village. A POW from the LSAH also maintains that Peiper sought revenge here. However, there was no account of civilian deaths or description of action at local sources that matched this testimony. Laterally, I have found file references that indicate there were civilian deaths there in that month. I did also find an account from a Soviet combatant who maintains he fought there on February 18th, if he is correct about the date, this would not have been against Peiper’s men. There is a possibly that there were more clash’s there post-Peiper but the village is still on the ‘suspect’ list for the time being.
( E ) Ziglerowka – this was cited by Walter Fransee as a possible location of a civilian massacre, he recalls seeing civilian bodies in the street. There is an account from a local source about civilian deaths here:
“SOSNOVKA (before 1944 - Tsiglerovka) Сосновка. During the time (of) the Nazi occupation, the Nazis tortured and shot 64 people. Were taken to slave labour in Germany 67 boys and girls, burned 93 houses, farm buildings farm 6.” http://ukrssr.ru/Harkovskja.obl/Krasnog ... novka.html
There are no dates given and it’s not clear if the people shot were over the course of the occupation or when the village was fought over. So far I have placed Peiper here on two occasions in this time frame, on the 19th of February and on the 1st of March. But I need to look at the other LSAH units also to see if and when they passed through. Fransee had indicated that he was with Kurt Meyer’s unit in February and it’s not clear from his testimony if he was with Meyer or Peiper or others in Ziglerowka.
( F ) Un-named villages in the Kharkiv Oblast – these are all still being looked at, with cross referencing between local accounts of civilian deaths/village burning with Lehmann’s account of Peiper’s movements during Feb/March 1943.
( G ) Un-named village in the Kursk region – This is also from Zwigart’s testimony. This area will have to be put in ‘storage’ for the time being as the time frame is later and there are too many unanswered questions about the Feb/March period. However, if anyone has any pertinent information about this allegation, please post or contact me by PM.
Those who have given testimony:
(1) Erich Rumpf (9th Pz. Pi, LSAH, co-accused during the Malmedy trial)
Erich Rumpf gave testimony about the destruction of a village ‘in Russia', he made no mention of who carried out this crime or where it happened but I have strong reason to believe he was talking about Jefremowka as I have been privy to another testimony of his that specifically mentions Jefremowka and he does not mention Peiper as responsible, he specifically mentions Kurt Meyer. The first testimony is posted on the 'Meyer war crimes in Modlin and Charkow' thread'. Why this testimony of the un-named village was suspected as being Peiper's work I can’t say, perhaps there is other testimony given but not yet uncovered. However as it stands, there is no allegation of his against Peiper or the III Btln that is relevant.
(2) Paul Zwigart – (Member of the LSAH, co-accused during the Malmedy trial).
He gives two accounts of Peiper’s unit targeting civilians and burning villages with ‘Blowtorches’. Personally I have some unease about this testimony. Leaving aside the allegations of ‘torture’ levelled at the interrogators during this trial, Zwigart did have strong reason to tell his interrogators what they wanted to hear, he was facing a death sentence and there was overwhelming evidence (and his own admittance) that he had shot an American POW. While his evidence against Peiper cannot be ignored, it doesn’t contain any dates or village names, which I personally find suspicious. I have also found that there is no ‘chatter’ from local sources in relation to the destruction of any village and the murder of all its inhabitants in this area and at this time other than Jefremowka. But this account does fit with the following testimonies and there would likely be elements of truth in it.
(3) Jakob Hanreich – (LSAH and 12th HJ, Anti-Tank commander, captured France, August ’44, interrogated Sept ’44)
Hanreich gave three pages of testimony in relation to the war crimes of the LSAH, many of these have been subsequently validated by Historians and Authors. His testimony against Kurt Meyer for Jefremowka has also been validated here on the forum. Hanreich did not make an accusation against Peiper or the III Btln for any named village, he did make allegations against three others. Despite this his testimony seems to be the basis of the allegations against Peiper since 1945. Hanreich did however, mention the ‘blowtorch’ Btln’s reputation and their ‘eagerness’ to burn the villages as follows:
'II/2nd Btln (sic) were particularly eager to execute the order to burn villages. The Btln accomplished the burning by means of soldering lamps, and called itself the ‘soldering lamp Btln’. It was led by Stur. bannFue. Peiper who was later promoted to C.O. of Pz Regt LSAH'.
(4) Rotfue. Otto Sierk – (III/2 SS Pz Gren Reg ‘LSSAH’ Captured, France ’44, interrogated Nov ’44)
He recalled the action at Krasnja Poljana and made the allegation of a revenge attack against the civilians. He also mentioned the ‘Blowtorch’ allegation.
…….”In a village name unknown the two petrol Lorries were burnt and 25 Germans killed by partisans and Russian soldiers. As a revenge Peiper ordered the burning down of the whole village and shooting of its inhabitants”……………..”It was on this occasion (Feb 43) that Stubafue Peiper and his Bn distinguished themselves by using their soldering-lamps".
(5) Walter Fransee (Walter Fransee. 1st Platoon 9th Pz. Pi)
Fransee’s testimony is included in the ‘Malmedy’ papers. He claimed to have arrived in Jefremowka with the ‘tross’ after the villagers were killed, he specifically states that ‘Panzermeyer’ ordered the killing. He went on to make the following statement in relation to Peiper:
“Stubaf. Peiper burned down a village in the East, name unknown, afterwards his battalion was named ‘Lotlampenbattalion’ (Blowtorch Btln.) wearing a burning blow torch as the unit symbol on their vehicles”
(6) Schütze – (LSAH, deserter who surrendered in Italy in Nov 43, considered an untrustworthy character by his captors, partial transcript of a recorded conversation from February ‘44).
Schutze: 'Blowlamp Battalion: They went out with Blowlamps and machine guns: they shot the civilians and set fire to the houses with their blowlamps. A large Blowlamp is painted on their vehicles. It has become a sort of badge and has become associated with bloody crimes”
Cell Mate: ‘Is that an SS ‘Battalion’?’
Schütze: ‘Leibstandarte’.
Schütze followed this revelation to his cell mate with a distressing story of happening upon the scene of a large ‘Einsatzgruppen type’ action, he relayed his anger at how civilians were being murdered en masse in a secluded area. This conversation was overheard in February 44, and it’s obvious from reading the comments of the Intel people that they are unsure whether to believe his tale due in part no doubt to its gruesome details. My personal view is that this evidence above all others cited here is the strongest for two reasons. Firstly it was not given in an interrogation environment but was made in a casual conversation with a cell mate that was secretly recorded, therefore that would not have been any pressure put on him to implicate anyone. Secondly, it was recorded well before Peiper’s name or his Btln were linked to the infamy of Malmedy, so again there was no reason at that time to try and make Peiper look guilty in return for ‘reward’. It is also telling that Schütze uses the term ‘bloody crimes’ here, he is not just alleging to the burning of villages, he is also accusing the ‘Blowtorch Btln’ of the murder of civilians. This account also ties in perfectly with Zwigart’s claim and IMO when all five allegations are put together it makes for substantial circumstantial evidence.
If anyone feels I have interpreted this information incorrectly or can add to the analysis, please post. The search continues!
The Villages:
(A) Jefremowka - Peiper/III Btln are definitely not guilty of this one, all evidence points to Kurt Meyer, yet this is the village that comes up time and time again when POWs were interrogated, some knew its name, some just alluded to it, mentioning the destruction of a ‘village in the east’. But while many POW’s named Meyer in their testimonies, none named Peiper. In my opinion, because of the reputation of the ‘Blowtorch Btln’, any allegations made that were lacking in detail were attributed to Peiper.
(B) Staroverowka – This village was fought over between German and Soviet forces on March 2nd, there is a record that 67 civilians were shot here on that date. I have also seen accounts from a Soviet combatant who related that the people of the village were ‘happy’ to prepare defences against the Germans before the attack. I have also seen a post from someone who claims their Grandfather was probably one of these people as he was shot in the village post-retaking, when he was accused of helping the Soviet forces. I have not investigated any of these claims as I am only interested in Peiper’s actions here. It has been recorded that he and his men arrived here the following day on the 3rd, they also left that day. I have not found any evidence that Peiper’s men burnt the village on leaving, although I have heard that one of his men claimed that this was the birthplace of the ‘Blowtorch’ method, therefore the burning of the village by them has to be considered a strong possibility. Hanreich also claimed in his testimony that this village was burnt when the LSAH left.
( C ) Stanitschnoje – This village was taken in fighting between German and Soviet forces in the early hours of March 4th, the records of the LSAH claim that Peiper’s men took the village. So far, I have been unable to find a local account of what happened to the civilians of the village, but in this type of encounter, there would have to have been many civilian deaths unless they had evacuated previously. This village will still have to remain a subject of interest to ascertain what happened here. Again, it is probably likely that the village was burnt on leaving, Jakob Hanreich claimed as much in his interrogation.
( D ) Krasnja Poljana – This is the village at the crossing of the Udy River. Nipe alluded to the fact that Peiper sought revenge on the population due to death of members of his detachment that he had left behind to guard the crossing. Peiper himself added to the evidence by claiming that he fought ‘house-to-house’ on the return to the village. A POW from the LSAH also maintains that Peiper sought revenge here. However, there was no account of civilian deaths or description of action at local sources that matched this testimony. Laterally, I have found file references that indicate there were civilian deaths there in that month. I did also find an account from a Soviet combatant who maintains he fought there on February 18th, if he is correct about the date, this would not have been against Peiper’s men. There is a possibly that there were more clash’s there post-Peiper but the village is still on the ‘suspect’ list for the time being.
( E ) Ziglerowka – this was cited by Walter Fransee as a possible location of a civilian massacre, he recalls seeing civilian bodies in the street. There is an account from a local source about civilian deaths here:
“SOSNOVKA (before 1944 - Tsiglerovka) Сосновка. During the time (of) the Nazi occupation, the Nazis tortured and shot 64 people. Were taken to slave labour in Germany 67 boys and girls, burned 93 houses, farm buildings farm 6.” http://ukrssr.ru/Harkovskja.obl/Krasnog ... novka.html
There are no dates given and it’s not clear if the people shot were over the course of the occupation or when the village was fought over. So far I have placed Peiper here on two occasions in this time frame, on the 19th of February and on the 1st of March. But I need to look at the other LSAH units also to see if and when they passed through. Fransee had indicated that he was with Kurt Meyer’s unit in February and it’s not clear from his testimony if he was with Meyer or Peiper or others in Ziglerowka.
( F ) Un-named villages in the Kharkiv Oblast – these are all still being looked at, with cross referencing between local accounts of civilian deaths/village burning with Lehmann’s account of Peiper’s movements during Feb/March 1943.
( G ) Un-named village in the Kursk region – This is also from Zwigart’s testimony. This area will have to be put in ‘storage’ for the time being as the time frame is later and there are too many unanswered questions about the Feb/March period. However, if anyone has any pertinent information about this allegation, please post or contact me by PM.
Those who have given testimony:
(1) Erich Rumpf (9th Pz. Pi, LSAH, co-accused during the Malmedy trial)
Erich Rumpf gave testimony about the destruction of a village ‘in Russia', he made no mention of who carried out this crime or where it happened but I have strong reason to believe he was talking about Jefremowka as I have been privy to another testimony of his that specifically mentions Jefremowka and he does not mention Peiper as responsible, he specifically mentions Kurt Meyer. The first testimony is posted on the 'Meyer war crimes in Modlin and Charkow' thread'. Why this testimony of the un-named village was suspected as being Peiper's work I can’t say, perhaps there is other testimony given but not yet uncovered. However as it stands, there is no allegation of his against Peiper or the III Btln that is relevant.
(2) Paul Zwigart – (Member of the LSAH, co-accused during the Malmedy trial).
He gives two accounts of Peiper’s unit targeting civilians and burning villages with ‘Blowtorches’. Personally I have some unease about this testimony. Leaving aside the allegations of ‘torture’ levelled at the interrogators during this trial, Zwigart did have strong reason to tell his interrogators what they wanted to hear, he was facing a death sentence and there was overwhelming evidence (and his own admittance) that he had shot an American POW. While his evidence against Peiper cannot be ignored, it doesn’t contain any dates or village names, which I personally find suspicious. I have also found that there is no ‘chatter’ from local sources in relation to the destruction of any village and the murder of all its inhabitants in this area and at this time other than Jefremowka. But this account does fit with the following testimonies and there would likely be elements of truth in it.
(3) Jakob Hanreich – (LSAH and 12th HJ, Anti-Tank commander, captured France, August ’44, interrogated Sept ’44)
Hanreich gave three pages of testimony in relation to the war crimes of the LSAH, many of these have been subsequently validated by Historians and Authors. His testimony against Kurt Meyer for Jefremowka has also been validated here on the forum. Hanreich did not make an accusation against Peiper or the III Btln for any named village, he did make allegations against three others. Despite this his testimony seems to be the basis of the allegations against Peiper since 1945. Hanreich did however, mention the ‘blowtorch’ Btln’s reputation and their ‘eagerness’ to burn the villages as follows:
'II/2nd Btln (sic) were particularly eager to execute the order to burn villages. The Btln accomplished the burning by means of soldering lamps, and called itself the ‘soldering lamp Btln’. It was led by Stur. bannFue. Peiper who was later promoted to C.O. of Pz Regt LSAH'.
(4) Rotfue. Otto Sierk – (III/2 SS Pz Gren Reg ‘LSSAH’ Captured, France ’44, interrogated Nov ’44)
He recalled the action at Krasnja Poljana and made the allegation of a revenge attack against the civilians. He also mentioned the ‘Blowtorch’ allegation.
…….”In a village name unknown the two petrol Lorries were burnt and 25 Germans killed by partisans and Russian soldiers. As a revenge Peiper ordered the burning down of the whole village and shooting of its inhabitants”……………..”It was on this occasion (Feb 43) that Stubafue Peiper and his Bn distinguished themselves by using their soldering-lamps".
(5) Walter Fransee (Walter Fransee. 1st Platoon 9th Pz. Pi)
Fransee’s testimony is included in the ‘Malmedy’ papers. He claimed to have arrived in Jefremowka with the ‘tross’ after the villagers were killed, he specifically states that ‘Panzermeyer’ ordered the killing. He went on to make the following statement in relation to Peiper:
“Stubaf. Peiper burned down a village in the East, name unknown, afterwards his battalion was named ‘Lotlampenbattalion’ (Blowtorch Btln.) wearing a burning blow torch as the unit symbol on their vehicles”
(6) Schütze – (LSAH, deserter who surrendered in Italy in Nov 43, considered an untrustworthy character by his captors, partial transcript of a recorded conversation from February ‘44).
Schutze: 'Blowlamp Battalion: They went out with Blowlamps and machine guns: they shot the civilians and set fire to the houses with their blowlamps. A large Blowlamp is painted on their vehicles. It has become a sort of badge and has become associated with bloody crimes”
Cell Mate: ‘Is that an SS ‘Battalion’?’
Schütze: ‘Leibstandarte’.
Schütze followed this revelation to his cell mate with a distressing story of happening upon the scene of a large ‘Einsatzgruppen type’ action, he relayed his anger at how civilians were being murdered en masse in a secluded area. This conversation was overheard in February 44, and it’s obvious from reading the comments of the Intel people that they are unsure whether to believe his tale due in part no doubt to its gruesome details. My personal view is that this evidence above all others cited here is the strongest for two reasons. Firstly it was not given in an interrogation environment but was made in a casual conversation with a cell mate that was secretly recorded, therefore that would not have been any pressure put on him to implicate anyone. Secondly, it was recorded well before Peiper’s name or his Btln were linked to the infamy of Malmedy, so again there was no reason at that time to try and make Peiper look guilty in return for ‘reward’. It is also telling that Schütze uses the term ‘bloody crimes’ here, he is not just alleging to the burning of villages, he is also accusing the ‘Blowtorch Btln’ of the murder of civilians. This account also ties in perfectly with Zwigart’s claim and IMO when all five allegations are put together it makes for substantial circumstantial evidence.
If anyone feels I have interpreted this information incorrectly or can add to the analysis, please post. The search continues!
-
tomalbright
- Member
- Posts: 72
- Joined: 02 Apr 2002, 20:18
- Location: USA
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Great work again Seaburn. This begs the question of Himmler's influence over his former adjutant in the methods of 'Einsatgruppen type" executions as repraisal action. Peiper was a protege of Himmler's and certainly was privy (as adjutant up until July 1941) to the actions and methods of the Einsatzgruppen in the summer of 1941 in a uniquely intimate manner. Many of the other aforemmentioned village distruction accusations bare the typical hallmark of 'slash and burn" repraisal actions, or a village just "getting in the way" of mechanized operations. The execution of civilians in a "secluded environment" sets a different bar for Peiper's unit in relation to more "typical' Waffen SS or Heer combat repraisal scenarios in the East. This last accusation must be investigated further. One note of caution, like low level mobsters testifying against their bosses, even Schultze's testimony must be corrobarated. His accusations are the most explosive and may set Peiper's units' criminality well above the 'norm' of Waffen SS behavior in the East. Those "Genghas Khan' comments attributed to Peiper may very well be an honest expression of the reputation he was attempting to carve out in Russia. In context, Peiper's approach could be seen the time honored tradition of the Assyrians, Carthaginians, Romans, and, on our shores, Banastre Tarleton. The use of terror, and its reputation, in conjunction with swift, audacious military actions is nothing new in the annals of warfare. Peiper was evidently a student of history and his actions may well have been carefully calculated to make an impression on both friend and foe.
Re: Peiper – War crimes on the Eastern Front – Cited Evidenc
Thanks 'Tomalbright' for your contribution to the thread. I should make it clear that there is no evidence that 'Schütze' served with Peiper, he makes no direct connection between himself and the 'Blowtorch' Btln. The most I can take out of his testimony is that he was aware of their 'reputation'.
I think the story he went on to tell was by way of letting his cell mate know the dark deeds that were carried out in the 'East' that he was aware of. But having re-read it again now, there is a suspicion that the LSAH were somehow involved in that action. He mentions a Hauptsturmfuhrer by name and claims he was a holder of 'the German Cross in Gold'. Schütz appears to have been working in the transport detail, he was on the road when he came across the scene of a mass killing, he called the perpetrators 'the draft battalion', but the insinuation is that there were members of the LSAH present, if not the ones organising it. The problem is that the person who recorded his conversation missed out pieces and there are gaps in the testimony between him talking about the Blowtorch btln and when he arrived at the scene of the atrocity, but I'm pretty sure he was not linking the BTB to this particular incident. There is also no date or location written in the document for this 'action', the location was given but the translator missed it or couldn't understand the word. The name of the HSF could also be inaccurate as I have found incorrect spelling of known names in other 'tapping' files, this is obviously a hazard with this type of evidence.
I think when his cell mate asked the question about the LSAH as posted, it brought to mind this other crime. He went on further to talk how he had boys in his 'Zug' in Warsaw who came from the 'Totenkopfstandarte' and that they told him how the Jews were being butchered and how the Germans made use of the 'Askaris' to do the dirty work for them. It is worth noting that in Jackob Hanreich's testimony the following was recorded:
‘…..During the time that PW had first been in action in Russia, in Nov 41, he was told by the then Comd of the III Btln L.S.A.H. Stufue. Albert Frey that thousands of Jews had been murdered south of MARIUPOL and TAGANROG by the SD Einsatzkommando…….. (details follow)…..PW stated that, as far as he knew, members of the LSAH were not concerned in this crime…..’ (TS26/856-231)
I know 'Steve248' who has contributed to this thread and has studied the actions of the SD in Ukraine in depth stated in 2008 the following on the Kurt Meyer thread:
The "Einsatzgruppe" involved was Einsatzgruppe D and its unit in the Taganrog area was Sonderkommando 10a. Its job was to "pacify and liberate" newly conquered areas and SK 10a was independent of the LAH. The fact that these two SS units were in the same area at the same time is not indicative of anything more than that. Both units had taken very different routes to Taganrog. Both units subsequently overwintered 41/42 in Taganrog but did not carry out operations together of any great extent. http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=142224
If anyone has a particular interest in this topic and would like to see these documents, please contact me by PM. Obviously if I come across any evidence that Peiper's btln or other LSAH unit were involved in facilitating/organising/taking part in such actions, I will post the evidence. But 'TA' I have to agree with your comments that Peipers Btln did more of the 'slash and burn' type action. I suspect they rode into villages with all guns blazing and didn't stop to ask questions, or sort the guilty from the innocent, a bit like 'raiding' parties. Of course I will not bury any evidence found that contradicts this. Peipers time with Himmler and the account he gave of viewing the gassing of a patient are extra ingredients in the mix of a very interesting pot.
In relation to Zwigart's testimony, I have also stated my personal reservations, hopefully there will be other testimonies uncovered to verify his story. But it has to be acknowledged that it does match Schütz's allegation.... civilian deaths and burning of villages. My main aim in this search is to find an actual village name and date plus conclusively put the III Btln at the scene.
I think the story he went on to tell was by way of letting his cell mate know the dark deeds that were carried out in the 'East' that he was aware of. But having re-read it again now, there is a suspicion that the LSAH were somehow involved in that action. He mentions a Hauptsturmfuhrer by name and claims he was a holder of 'the German Cross in Gold'. Schütz appears to have been working in the transport detail, he was on the road when he came across the scene of a mass killing, he called the perpetrators 'the draft battalion', but the insinuation is that there were members of the LSAH present, if not the ones organising it. The problem is that the person who recorded his conversation missed out pieces and there are gaps in the testimony between him talking about the Blowtorch btln and when he arrived at the scene of the atrocity, but I'm pretty sure he was not linking the BTB to this particular incident. There is also no date or location written in the document for this 'action', the location was given but the translator missed it or couldn't understand the word. The name of the HSF could also be inaccurate as I have found incorrect spelling of known names in other 'tapping' files, this is obviously a hazard with this type of evidence.
I think when his cell mate asked the question about the LSAH as posted, it brought to mind this other crime. He went on further to talk how he had boys in his 'Zug' in Warsaw who came from the 'Totenkopfstandarte' and that they told him how the Jews were being butchered and how the Germans made use of the 'Askaris' to do the dirty work for them. It is worth noting that in Jackob Hanreich's testimony the following was recorded:
‘…..During the time that PW had first been in action in Russia, in Nov 41, he was told by the then Comd of the III Btln L.S.A.H. Stufue. Albert Frey that thousands of Jews had been murdered south of MARIUPOL and TAGANROG by the SD Einsatzkommando…….. (details follow)…..PW stated that, as far as he knew, members of the LSAH were not concerned in this crime…..’ (TS26/856-231)
I know 'Steve248' who has contributed to this thread and has studied the actions of the SD in Ukraine in depth stated in 2008 the following on the Kurt Meyer thread:
The "Einsatzgruppe" involved was Einsatzgruppe D and its unit in the Taganrog area was Sonderkommando 10a. Its job was to "pacify and liberate" newly conquered areas and SK 10a was independent of the LAH. The fact that these two SS units were in the same area at the same time is not indicative of anything more than that. Both units had taken very different routes to Taganrog. Both units subsequently overwintered 41/42 in Taganrog but did not carry out operations together of any great extent. http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=142224
If anyone has a particular interest in this topic and would like to see these documents, please contact me by PM. Obviously if I come across any evidence that Peiper's btln or other LSAH unit were involved in facilitating/organising/taking part in such actions, I will post the evidence. But 'TA' I have to agree with your comments that Peipers Btln did more of the 'slash and burn' type action. I suspect they rode into villages with all guns blazing and didn't stop to ask questions, or sort the guilty from the innocent, a bit like 'raiding' parties. Of course I will not bury any evidence found that contradicts this. Peipers time with Himmler and the account he gave of viewing the gassing of a patient are extra ingredients in the mix of a very interesting pot.
In relation to Zwigart's testimony, I have also stated my personal reservations, hopefully there will be other testimonies uncovered to verify his story. But it has to be acknowledged that it does match Schütz's allegation.... civilian deaths and burning of villages. My main aim in this search is to find an actual village name and date plus conclusively put the III Btln at the scene.