Quote:
Originally posted by Erich Brown:
Andy :
check your post again please. Werner was not an NCO but a Major and I beleive he was not in the area of Malmedy. Besides if Timo's deductions are correct with his interviews of 1st SS vets then Pz. IV's, Panthers and Königstigers were not even in the area of the road junction and fields on this date......
E
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Yet another version of what happened comes from Hans Siptrott, the LSSAH tank commander who was accused of giving the order to shoot.
He says that the Americans at Baugnez surrendered to the "Panzerspitze" (front guard) of Peipers advance column. The Panzers, including Peiper, Pötschke and also Siptrott's Panzer IV, had orders to move on as quick as possible so the POW's were told to wait for the infantry that followed the tanks. However, after the German tanks left it took some time before the infantry arrived on the scene and the Americans decided to pick up their guns again and sneak out. At that moment the German infantry did show up. They had received orders by radio from the "Panzerspitze" to collect the waiting prisoners and to move them behind the front. Finding the POW's armed caused quite a shock to the approaching Germans, which resulted in a fire fight which killed many Americans.
This is HIS version of what happened on the Baugnez crossroads on December 17, 1944. But it's as plausible as every other version of what happened there, because the truth cannot be found in the smokescreens which were created after the war.
Just another 2 cents,
Timo
[ 02. January 2003, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Timo ]