Chenogne Massacre: U.S. Troops Executed German POWs After Malmedy in WW2

The Chenogne massacre saw U.S. troops execute German prisoners of war in retaliation after SS atrocities during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. The massacre at Chenogne remains one of the most controversial and little-known chapters of the Second World War. In the final winter of the conflict, as Germany launched its last major offensive in the West—the Battle of the Bulge—violence on both sides escalated beyond all previous limits. Hitler’s order that “no quarter” be given resulted in a series of atrocities carried out by Waffen-SS troops, including the infamous Malmedy massacre, where dozens of American prisoners of war were shot after surrendering. Survivors described machine-gun fire, executions at close range, and attempts to finish the wounded. In total, some 350 unarmed American soldiers and around 100 Belgian civilians were killed during these days of chaos. News of these killings spread rapidly across the Allied lines, igniting fury among the troops now pushing back against the German offensive. On 1 January 1945, soldiers of the U.S. 11th Armored Division—exhausted, embittered, and shaken by the brutality they had seen—carried out a retaliatory massacre near the Belgian village of Chenogne. An estimated 80 German prisoners of war were killed. Men who witnessed the event later spoke of the moral conflict they felt, knowing they were committing the very crimes they condemned. While none of the American perpetrators were ever punished, the SS soldiers responsible for Malmedy did stand trial. In 1946, 74 members of Joachim Peiper’s unit were convicted of war crimes, with many initially sentenced to death. Yet none were executed; allegations of coerced confessions and political pressure during the early Cold War eventually led to all sentences being commuted. But history delivered its own reckoning. Peiper, who had commanded the SS unit involved in the massacre, was killed in France in 1976 when his home was set on fire by anti-Nazi activists. For many, it was a fate grimly fitting for a man whose unit left such devastation behind.This episode is part of the series The Forgotten Massacres of Defenseless Soldiers in WWII.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv