Victims of the Malmedy Massacre

Hi Timo--ill try to get back here tomorrow to post more on the German version for you--lately I have'nt had time.

 

Found this one today:

http://www.skalman.nu/third-reich/warcrimes-trials-malmedy.htm


Malmedy Massacre Trial (12 May 1946 - 16 July 1946)

Josef Dietrich : Life Imprisonment
Fritz Krämer : 10 Years Imprisonment
Hermann Priess : Life Imprisonment (Commutted to 20 Years Imprisonment)
Jochen Peiper : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Friedrich Christ : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Jupp Diefenthal : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Oskar Klingelhöfer : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Gustav Knittel : Life Imprisonment
Hans Gruhle : 20 Years Imprisonment
Benno Junker : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Oswald Siegmund : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Manfred Coblenz : Life Imprisonment
Otto Wichmann : 10 Years Imprisonment
Georg Fleps : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Roman Clotten : 10 Years Imprisonment
Theodor Rauh : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Gustav Sprenger : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Fritz Eckmann : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Heinz Godicke : Life Imprisonment
Erich Rumpf : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Freidel Kies : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Georg Preuss : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Erwin Szyperski : Life Imprisonment
Hans Hennecke : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
August Tonk : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Dr Kurt Sickel : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Wolfgang Richter : Life Imprisonment
Max Hammerer : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Hans Trettin : Life Imprisonment
Axel Rodenburg : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Siegfried Jäkel : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Erich Werner : Life Imprisonment
Willi Braun : Life Imprisonment
Ernst Goldschmidt : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Heinz Tomhardt : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Dr Arndt Fischer : 15 Years Imprisonment
Erich Maute : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Fritz Gebauer : Life Imprisonment
Hubert Huber : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Georg Kotzur : Life Imprisonment
Max Rieder : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Willy Hendel : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Paul Ochmann : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Willi von Charnier : Life Imprisonment
Rolf Ritzer : Life Imprisonment
Hans Hillig : 10 Years Imprisonment
Rudolf Schwambach : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Fritz Rau : Life Imprisonment
Joachim Hofmann : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Werner Sternebeck : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Herbert Stock : Life Imprisonment
Arnold Mikolascheck : Life Imprisonment
Heinz Rehagel : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Edmund Tomczak : Life Imprisonment
Marcel Boltz : Acquitted & Released
Anton Motzheim : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Heinz Hofmann : Life Imprisonment
Franz Sievers : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Hans Pletz : Life Imprisonment
Werner Kuhn : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Heinz Stickel : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Gerd Neuske : Life Imprisonment
Paul Swigart : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Kurt Briesemeister : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Heinz Friedrichs : Life Imprisonment
Willi Schaffer : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Freidel Bode : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Armin Hecht : Life Imprisonment
Gustav Neve : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Valentin Bersin : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Johann Wasenberger : Life Imprisonment
Hans Siptrott : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Gunther Weis : The Death Sentence (Commutted to Life Imprisonment)
Arvid Freimuth : (Committed Suicide on the ?th ? 1946)


A group of ex-Waffen SS officers of the 1st Panzer Corps, were convicted before an American military tribunal at Dachau, from the 12th May 1946 - 16th July 1946. Seventy-two were found guilty and forty-two were sentenced to death, all being subsequently commutted to life imprisonment, one committed suicide & one was acquitted, the remainder were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

 

Darned good post Kai, I still had not had time to get to more stuff on this subject--being that I still unfortunately have to use the public libraries computers and kids get to play games on them and I hardly get an unterrupted sitting here making concentration very difficult

 

Thanx Carl!

I just happened to find it in my favourite list on my computer and as I had not seen one earlier I thought it could be useful here.

One thing still I don´t understand...

Marcel Boltz, was released because he was a French citizen by virtue of having been born in Alsace when it belonged to the French. When Alsace became part of the Greater German Reich after the defeat of France, Boltz was recruited into the Waffen-SS. Because he was a citizen of an Allied country, Boltz was automatically innocent and charges against him were dropped


If someone can find another reason for freeing this man, ok, but otherwise I´d say this court was quite...something...

 

Well, Dutch SS-untersturmfuehrer Arend de Bruin was also aquitted of the charges against him. He stood trail with Skorzeny on charges of killing pow's, stealing red cross parcels and fighting in the uniform of the enemy.

I don't think he was aquitted because he was Dutch though. But I really don't know anything about the circumstances of his aquittal...

 

Given the number of French members of the Waffen-SS executed after the war I think its highly unlikely that he was indeed released for being "automatically innocent" as a citizen of an Allied country.

 

Quite welcome Kai, and ill have access to the German version and will be here Tues to post more. Im still in a rush unfortunately.

 

Thank you, Guys! Stevin, Timo, Carl!

As well quite a many things jumped up here on my mind.

Anyone know more of this de Bruin fellow? I went after him in Skorzeny´s memoirs but did not find a trace so far.

Timo. Thanx for the information. Do you happen to have more detailed info on these foreign Waffen-SS men executions? Usually the SS on your collar meant rather a quick death, and only the French legion to my knowledge could save you, if even that. Sometimes I think even that´s a legend only.

Thanx, Carl! I would have never got hold of the Malmedy massacre story otherwise, or maybe when I was 70...

 

Quite welcome Kai. Also--I have heard of De Bruin--but I dont know what or where BUT-I have heard about him.

Ill try to be back here this evening with nothing but more on the Malmedy Massacre and maybe some Bios if there is time.

 

Carl, does Bauseman give any info on Knittel that is worth mentioning?

 

Sorry Timo--Believe it or not--Bauserman doesnt mention his name in anything in this book. I would have figured on something even one sentence.

 

Heres more on ther German version.

Unterscharfuhrers Wolfgang Altkruger, Friedel Bode and Willi Bilochetski pulled up in their SPWs near Witkowskis SPW. Sturmmann Gustav Sprenger was in Altkrugers SPW. He saw appx 50-80 prisoners laying in the field. He stopped his SPW directly across from Beutners SPW which was parked on the left side of the road. He saw a group of German officers and soldiers in the field.

The prisoners who lay in the field were stil twisting and turning in their own blood and moaning in pain. Beutner walked up to Sprenger and said: "Go and shoot those that are still alive," or something similar. Sprenger left his vehicle and went into the field where Altkruger and Bilochetski already were. All three fired their Sub machineguns at the Americans who lay on the ground and that were showing signs of life. Sprenger fired 32 rounds into five Americans who had not yet died.

Members ofBode's SPW gave evidence of their role in the massacre. Pioneer Johann Wasenberger stated that he saw Unterscharfuhrer Friedel Bode talking to Beutner Bode turned and fired at the POWs lying on the ground--twisting in pain. Wasenberger also stated that Pioneer Werner Jirassek fired from the SPW into the POWs with his Machinegun.

Sturmmann Herbert Losenski told Wasenberger to fire at a POW that was still alive--which Wasenberger proceeded to do. Sturmmann Friedel Kies admitted that he also fired his weapon into the POWs lying in the field. Oberscharfuhrer Willi Schafer said he saw Beutner in an SPW behind Rumpf's SPW which was located east of the crossroads heading towards Waimes. in a statement Schafer said: "he saw Beutner, Hammerer and Goldschmidt go into the pasture and give "Mercy Shots" to the POWs still alive."

Also noted: "While in Russia, the 1st SS gave "Mercy Shots" to their own badly wounded so that they would not be captured by the Russians."

These statements confirmed depositions made by American survivors which implicated Beutner as the opne who gave the order for the "Mercy Shots." These statements also implicated the men who gave the "Mercy Shots" which pointed to some evidence that these men were from the Penal Platoon of the 9th Panzer pioneer Kompanie being the main culprits in the shooting even though most of the reprehensible statements belonged to members of the 3rd Panzer Pioneers.

It took between 15-20 minutes for the "Mercy Shots" and then the Germans returnes to their vehicles. and headed South on N23 to Ligneuville. As the rest of the Kampfgruppe Peiper drove South on N23, they fired on the bodies of the Americans. this action continued til 4:00pm on December 17 1944. As these vehicles were passing--several of them stopped, including Panzer # 624 Commanded by Oberscharfuhrer Hubert Huber. Sometime after 3:00PM or 3:30PM, Huber arrived at the crossroads North of Ligneuville.

((((More tomorrow due to lack of time))))

 

More--


Huber dismounted and saw what appeared to be dead soldiers lying in the field on the right side of the road. He left his Mk IV and entered the field where he saw two Americans lying in the field and he moved one body and the one underneath moved. Huber grabbed him by the clothing around his neck, and ordered him to get up. It was apparent to him that the American was "playing dead."

Immediately he ordered the American with gestures--to remove his field jacket, wrist watch and overshoes. While the POW took off his shoes, Huber shot him in the back of the nect at point blank range. The POW fell to the ground and he shot him again in the Heart, then one in the chest and the final one in the center of his forehead. When Huber shot the American, the prisoned had no weapon on his body and was not trying to escape.

Prior incidentd placed Huber in bad graces with his Battalion Commander Poetschke, and his Kompanie Commander, Obersturmfuhrer Benoni Junker. Huber had recieved orders from them to show no mercy and to shoot everything alive before his gun barrel. When he founf the POW at the crossroads, Huber wanted to prove to his officers that he was a good soldier and that he obeyed their orders, so he shot the American. On Hubers arrival at Ligneuville, he told Unterscharfuhrer Wrabbitz and Sturmmann Kurt Detlefs that he had shot an American Soldier. Huber wanted the word to spread around to his Kompanie and battalion officers, that he obeyed orders in shooting everything before his gun. That meant: Soldiers, Civilians, and everything else alive.

Unterscharfuhrer Hans Hillig, of the Communications Platoon, Headquarters Kompanie, 1st SS Panzer Regiment, corroberated Hubers statement. He said: "On the afternoon of December 17/ 1944, I witnessed Hubers first shooting of an American POW during the Eiffel Offensive. It occurred at the Baugnez Crossroads near Ligneuville while the Kampfgruppe stopper for a few minutes. Here I saw Huber walk into the pasture on the right-hand side of the road, and make an American prisoner get up after kicking him. Huber then ordered the prisoner to take off several pieces of clothing, finally motioning him to turn around, after which, he shot him. Huber fired several shots into the prisoner after he fell to the ground."

After the main part of the Kampfgruppe passed, several vehicles had fallen behind for mechanical reasons, came by the crossroads at different times. Panzer # 114--a Panther, commanded by Unterscharfuhrer Kurt Briesemeister arrived at the crossroads on N32 at about 3:30PM, December 17/ 1944. He stopped about 20 yards East of the crossroads on N32 because of damage to the Panzer. South of the crossroads was a field where 50-60 American POWs lay. Some were evidently wounded, but most were dead. During this time Briesemeister was at the crossroads when several of those POWs ran out of the field toward the woods N.W of the field. Many of them ran behind the cafe and then headed West towards a small patch of woods near the road to Hedomont. One of the Panzer Crewmen ran after the Americans trying to kill any of the survivors that he could. "Briesemeister shot at them without calling halt. He was not certain whether he hit any or not and believed they all succeeded to get away."

When Briesemeisters crew had succeeded to repair the tank, members of his crew went into the field to loot the bodies. While in the field--they shot some Americans who had survived the earlier shootings. Briesemeister went near the field and watched his crewmembers open fire. He then returned to his Panzer and, with the aid of a crewmember, dismantled the radio operator's machinegun and carried it to the field where the American POWs were lying. He fired about 70-to-80 rounds into the POWs while a crewmember held the MG on his shoulder. He assumed that the greater part of his shots had hit the bodies of the Americans lying on the ground.

Just before leaving the scene, Briesemeister pointed his cannon barrell at Henry Lejoly's house and fired. Lejoly and another man came running out and told him that they were Germans. Briesemeister gave them a piece of paper with his name and post number so they could be reimbursedfor the damages that he caused. Before leaving, the crew of Panzer #114, set fire to Cafe Bodarwe to preven the Belgian Resistance from using the building as a hiding placefor guns and ammunition.

After Briesemeister's Panzer left, the crossroads became very quiet. In the previous three hours, one of the most infamous atrocities of the war had taken place near this peaceful Belgian Crossroads. The depositions of the American survivors on the event of the Malmedy Massacre corroborated the statements of the members of the 1st SS Panzer Regiment,otherwise known as: "Kampfgruppe Peiper."

~~~~More Later~~~~

[ 22. January 2003, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

 

Thanks Carl. Strange indeed, or perhaps not as he focused on Baugnez.

 

Quite welcome and ill try to post more for you tomorrow. Today has been a trying day for me.

 

More:

The Germans tried to condone what happened at Baugnez with one explanation saying that the ground fog partly concealed the Americans as the main body of the Kampfgruppe approached the crossroads. The Germans thought the AMericans were armed and thus fired at them. The Germans said they did not know the Amis were Prisoners because of the distance and ground fog made it too difficult to recognize anything.

Another story was that while the German guards watched, the Ami POWs were jostling around, stomping their feet trying to stay warm. One of the guards possibly thought that the POWs were moving too much, so he fired a warning shot which went low and hit an American. this caused a major movement by the POWs. At that time, 1st Lieutenant John Munzinger (B-Battery) shouted: "Stand Fast"!!! and the Germans interpreted this as a signal for them to make a break for it, and the Germans opened fire. This seems to be a far-fetched thoery--based on testimony. Othe rreasone given by the Germans were even more far-fetched such as, the POWs suddenly made a mass break for freedom or they grabbed their weapons and attempted to do battle with the few Germans guarding them.

After the war, members of Kampfgruppe Peiper were found in various allied detention camps and brought to Dachau for trial as war criminals. Several who took an active part in the shooting at Baugnez were not brought to trial because they had been killed in action before the end of the war--and others were not needed as the prosecutors felt they had enough men brought to trial. Beutner and Witkowski were killed at Stoumont, a few days after the massacre and Poetschke was killed in Hungary shortly before the end of the war.

On May 16 1945, 74 suspects were brought to trial before an American Military Court at Dachau. Of the 74, 43 were sentenced to death, 22 were sentenced to life imprisonment, 2 recieved Twenty years, and 5 recieved Ten Years imprisonment. One of them was returned to France for trial for crimes he supposedly committed there and was acquitted. Of the 74 tried, only 30 were involved in the shooting of the American POWs at the Baugnez Crossroads.

Peiper was sentenced to death, incarcerated at Landsberg Prison, Landsberg Am Lech, Bavaria. On April 12, 1948, the Counter Intelligence Corps recieved info that former members of the Peiper Kampfgruppe would attempt to liberate their commander. Five Germans would travel to the prison dressed in US Army Uniforms. Before they arrived--the imposters would place a phone call to prison officials stating that five members of the War Crimes Commission were being sent to question Peiper. Once inside, they--on seeing their ex-CO, would attempt to overcome the guards and liberate their former CO and other condemned comrades.

The Guards had been alerted and armed with an MG and placed in a concealed position covering the entrance. This attempt to liberate him never came about for whatever reasons.

Due to the political situations in the early 1950's, none of the death sentences were carried out, and all of the men who were convicted--were paroled. Peiper was released from prison just prior to Christmas in December 1956--the last of Kampfgruppe Peiper to be released.

On July 14, 1976, Peiper was killed in Traves, France, by an "unknown" group "the Avengers." They set his house on fire and slashed the local fire company's hoses. Peiper died in the fire and the subsequent investigation proved that the body pulled from the burned out rubble, was definately Peiper. ((What is so conviently left out is))that Peiper fought with his attackers using a Shotgun and a .22 cal rifle. There was much evidence of him firing many many rounds in defense of his home.))

Peiper did not die a coward.

 

I guess Peiper was ready to die, because he would not leave his house to be burned. Instead he died with the house burned. And he was warned by many people not to stay there...

I am quite sure Peiper did not shoot towards the people who killed him, because with all the experience he had I am sure he would have killed a couple of those "enemies" for sure if he wanted.But he saw no more use in killing and gave himself as a sacrifice, I think.

R.I.P. Jochen!

By the way: . His son, Hinrich, now lives in the States, where he hopefully found a better life.

Anyone heard of him? Well, he might have changed his name altogether considering the circumstances.

 

Well said Kai, and I agree with it. I also think that he (Peiper) did not want to kill any of his attackers and was well capable of doing so. Darn shame he was murdered by some fools filled with rampant hatred.

I had not heard that his son lived here but--one of Erich Topps sons lives here--Michael Topp.

 

Of course you had Peiper the SS soldier and Peiper the Blow-Torch king and Peiper the Butcher of Boves! While the American trial concentrated on Malmedy, (and why not as the Malmedy murdered were Americans), Peiper’s ‘Blow-torch’ brigade were also wanted for civilian massacres in the Ukrain, Belgium and Italy. They got the ‘Blow-torch’ tag as they left a trail of burnt villages - and people inside them. Despite the fact they were the only Germans at Boves in Italy, they claimed its wasn’t them. Of course, to have admitted it was would have also had to admit they, the mighty SS, had the sh/t blasted out of them by a rag-tag band of Partisans! Which they did of course, and instead of attempting a counter attack destroyed 350 house and murdered 43 people including a priest and an industrialist who were trying to mediate, (Father Giuseppe Bernardi and Alessandro Vassallo). They gave them a tour of the destruction then burnt them alive in their car. By all means go to Boves and visit the historical centre and speak with survivors, I have.

Around his trial there were issues connected with the Cold War/Soviets, but also technicalities that confessions were ‘extracted’ by American investigators. Missing dentures, broken bones and a lot of defendants who could no longer father children.

When released Peiper went back to West Germany where a German investigation was opened in 1964. However, aided by his connections and expensive lawyers, nothing came of this other than he being forced to resign from Porsche. He also had to leave Volkswagen when they found his presence was not condusive to business as far as the German people were concerned! He moved to France as a translator and in 1975 French journalist Pierre Durand wrote an expose on the "SS butcher" living quietly in the French countryside near Vesoul. A year later a French ironmonger and Communist Party member recognised Peiper from his picture in the "Brown Book", (a directory of ‘wanted’ people compiled by the East Germans). For two weeks he received death threats and a sign was placed along the road to his house, ‘Peiper SS’.

A CIA agent in Bern, Switzerland, claimed to have unmasked Peiper and passed on the information? Yet Peiper's residence was not a real secret. A group calling themselves the "Avengers" (supposedly composed of former members of the French resistance) claimed responsibility for Peiper's death. But it is believed that Israel's Massed was actually responsible? They were operating in France at the time against Palestinians and thought to have the motivation and means to kill him, and Simon Wiesenthal had also suddenly started up a campaign against Peiper. Why, Peiper’s Blow-torch'ers often camped at Dachau – what for, the fishing?

Peiper owned a pistol and was lent a .22 rifle. On the night of Bastille Day, neighbours only heard one shot around 22:30. The remains were found around 01:00 next morning. A roasted torso on the bedroom floor about a metre long and minus hands and feet, which were never found.

No.9

 

Waffen-SS certainly has a bad name for attrocities, but still I would like names and places here, and sources. I am not saying that they did not exist, I just want more to prove it.

On Boves I dont´see Peiper saying he was not there:

On 18.9.43, Peiper found himself in Cuneo, together with his SPW-Batallion and SS-Aufklärungsabteilung 1. It was their mission to disarm the now capitulated Italian Army. SS-Obersturmführer Dinse was Cuneo’s military commander. An Italian Lt. Colonel introduced himself to Peiper as being a diplomatic member of the Italian Fourth Army, and told Peiper to leave the province of Cuneo within the next 24 hours, otherwise his Batallion would be completely destroyed. He remarked that Peiper did not stand a chance in the mountains. Peiper’s reaction was quick, and he ordered leaflets to be dispersed which stated that the Italian Army was to surrender. Peiper drove to Boves to point out to the Mayor what the consequences were, what would happen to civilians in accordance with international low, who fought together with the regular army or partisans. SW of Cuneo, Peiper’s battalion stood against a large formation of the Italian Fourth Army, reinforced with partisans. The city of Boves and the slopes of Monta Bisalta behind the city, about 6 km S of Cuneo, was the center of partisan activity. A detailed overview of what happened that day is needed, as it would lead to a juridical investigation in 1965 against Jochen Peiper and his Kompanieführer; Erhard Gürhs and Otto Dinse. On the morning of 19.9 SS-Oberscharführer Karl Wiezoreck and SS-Unterscharführer Kurt Butenhoff drove from Cuneo to Boves in a Kübelwagen, they were looking for spare parts in an abandoned depot of the Italian Army. When they arrived on the local market, they were taken ‘prisoner of war’ by Italian soldiers. They saw how Italian civilians were loading ammunition and food in trucks. Then they were blindfolded, and taken to the mountains S of Boves. They were questioned and locked up in a tower next to a chapel. Dinse heard from the Italian police officers, that two of his men were captured by the Italian Army. Peiper ordered Dinse to get them back. He left with a truck and one SPW, 10 soldiers, 11 with Dinse included, to Boves. When he arrived he found an abandoned city, but he heard from the local police that the two captured SS men were held in a camp in the surrounding mountains. Dinse left, searching for the camp. Outside Boves he was ambushed by Italian soldiers. He reported this to Peiper through the radio. Peiper told him to drove back to a point where he would meet him. At that time, the Italian soldiers opened fire, wounding several and killing SS-Sturmmman Willi Steinmetz. Under the cover of smoke grenades, the others pulled back. Peiper arrived with 13 and 14 Kompanie at 13:00 in Boves. SS-Untersturmführer Erhard Gührs went left and Peiper went, together with Dinse’s unit, through the centrum of Boves. Peiper recalls how:

“We were ‘welcomed’ with heavy rifle and machinegun fire, from the houses and the surrounding hills, hand grenades were thrown at us from above, very dangerous for opened-topped SPW. There were several men wounded and some dead, I had holes in my uniform and my radio was destroyed. I ordered a withdrawal, and ordered the Grillen (Mechanized artillery) to open fire on that part of the town where the enemy was. Several houses caught fire, and under cover of the smoke, soldiers and civilians withdrew in a part of the town we could not observe.”

Peiper went forwards, driving through Boves and reached the unit of Dinse at the other side. He talked with Dinse and Gühr about the possibility, to release the two captured men and to remove the body of their fallen comrade, Steinmetz. They went forwards and found his body. At that time, mortar and grenade fire opened up on them. Peiper ordered the Grillen to answer the fire. The Italians fled and Wiezoreck and Butenhoff escaped. They waved with tissues to show their location to Peiper. The firing was ceased, and the units went back to Cuneo. The Grille platoon stayed in Boves, to destroy the remaining weapons and ammunition. Peiper:

“When I returned in Cuneo, the Prefect, General Salvi, offered me his apologies for the incident at Boves, he told me that the Communists were to be blamed.”

In 1968 the German Minister of Justice declared that there was no reason to persecute Peiper, and the case was dismissed on 23.12.68.

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in Northern Italy in the summer of 1943 two of Sturmbannführer Joachim Peiper's NCO's were kidnapped by the Italian Army (who had now changed sides) in the small town of Boves. Peiper's reaction was to shell the town. This resulted in the death of 37 civilians. In 1968 an attempt was made to bring Peiper to trial by the Italians but the case was later dropped due to lack of evidence.

http://www.forces70.freeserve.co.uk/Waffen%20SS%20Text+Images/ATROCITES.htm
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Sept 19: Reacting to a report that renegade Italian troops have captured 2 SS officers & are planning to attack the division, SS-standartenführer Joachim Peiper shells the town of Boves with 150mm SP guns. 34 (37?) Italian civilians are killed. In 1968, Italian authorities accuse Peiper of war crimes for the attack, but the charges are dropped for lack of evidence.*

* source: Michael Reynolds The Devil's Adjutant

http://www.wssob.com/atrocities.html#

1964: West German government opens official investigation into SS-Standartenführer Joachim Peiper role in the massacre of civilians during antipartisan operations near the Italian city of Boves. No charges are filed, but Peiper loses his job at Porsche as a result of his noteriety

http://www.wssob.com/conclusion.html
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I hope you have more on this...I mean never heard of this so I hope you have clear evidence on this?

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Just to see on your point of view in whole, what is your opinion on allied attrocities or where there none? Or were they legally explained as counter measures?

I myself know many dreadful things and think they should not have happened. But without clear evidence mistakes are bound to happen. Just like in Ardennes two American soldiers were shot as spies ( thought as Skorzeny´s spies ) and I think that´s two too many? With reason I bet they would have survived. I cannot think of a worse way to die than die by the system you defend and shot for possibly not knowing who Mickey Mouse is?