Was the Malmedy Massacre planned?

hohenstaufeninthehood · Post by **hohenstaufeninthehood** » 29 Jun 2003 03:20

[Moved from the Polls section]

do you think the massacre was preconceived by the LAH or was it just a matter of prisoners making a break or pulling concealed weapons?

Lawrence Tandy · Post by **Lawrence Tandy** » 29 Jun 2003 03:50

I don't think it was preconcieved and I don't think the Americans had weapons or tried to run. I think some were killed indiscriminately by passing troops before they tried to run, then they were all gunned down.
I suppose that once some were killed the rest were killed to cover up the act. I must admit I do not recall alot of details about this incident, but I'm sure there are plenty of members from the United States who do.

LT

British Free Corps · Post by **British Free Corps** » 29 Jun 2003 10:21

To my knowledge, there does not seem to be any evidence that links SS-Standartenfuhrer Jochen Peiper with an order given to execute American POWs. The Malmedy Incident is what history has used to exclude Peiper from the likes of Hausser, Rommel, Guderian, von Manstein and "Sepp" Deitrich - something which does not hold water with me...
Given the (apparent) absence of evidence against Peiper, instinct leans me towards the "No" column. I find it easier to believe it was a spontaneous act, rather than one of pre-meditation...

Regards,
Matt

Tom Houlihan · Post by **Tom Houlihan** » 29 Jun 2003 22:11

I voted no, but I don't have a shred of anything tangible to back it up. I don't have anything to justify a yes, either. It's just a feeling based on my own understanding of what was going on that day, that week, etc.

wenty · Post by **wenty** » 29 Jun 2003 23:19

I don't think it was planned either....i mean, why would it need to be planned? Cheers.

Witch-King of Angmar · Post by **Witch-King of Angmar** » 30 Jun 2003 00:28

hohenstaufeninthehood wrote:do you think the massacre was preconceived by the LAH or was it just a matter of prisoners making a break or pulling concealed weapons?

It must have been preconceived, because usually when prisoners are making a break, guards are entitled to use their own weapons, so what sense did it make to sentence the LAH officers in that case?

~The Witch-King of Angmar

hohenstaufeninthehood · Post by **hohenstaufeninthehood** » 30 Jun 2003 01:57

It must have been preconceived, because usually when prisoners are making a break, guards are entitled to use their own weapons, so what sense did it make to sentence the LAH officers in that case?

simply because noone is certain as to what happened that day at the crossroads. the prisoners might have ran, drawn weapons, or the guards might have been given the orders. i have heard it might have been a case of prisoners pulling weapons and trying to make a break, which developed into a battlezone with prisoners on one side and the 1st ss troops on the other, which ended with most of the prisoners killed or wounded by the mg's of the ss. possibly after, young fresh ss troops scared and angered walked through the bodies shooting anyone still left alive. it is all a big mystery, which might never be uncovered truthfully.

Panzer willy · Post by **Panzer willy** » 30 Jun 2003 07:26

I don't think that there is any doubt that the Malmedy massacre was not planned in advance. I feel it was a spontaneous occurence triggered by the vague 'no mercy' orders issued by Peiper and the fact that many of the german troops involved were either inexperienced, or used to the more brutal conditions of the eastern front ... Whatever the case, the episode seemed to galvanize US army resistance to the offensive, and in the end was a severe blow to an already doomed attack...

Ps. I don't belive that the massacred prisoners made a pre-emptive run for it...

Deterance · Post by **Deterance** » 01 Jul 2003 03:17

Panzer willy wrote:I don't think that there is any doubt that the Malmedy massacre was not planned in advance. I feel it was a spontaneous occurence triggered by the vague 'no mercy' orders issued by Peiper and the fact that many of the german troops involved were either inexperienced, or used to the more brutal conditions of the eastern front

Ps. I don't belive that the massacred prisoners made a pre-emptive run for it...

I second PanzerWillys' well balanced assesment.

In addition to the large group off murdered POWS, I think there were two smaller killings of about 14 POWS ordered by NCOS or Junior Officers immediate preceeeding the main one.

tonyh · Post by **tonyh** » 01 Jul 2003 14:27

What were the "vague 'no mercy' orders" issued by Pieper?

Tony

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Was the Malmedy Massacre planned?

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