The little town of Schoppen is located on the main way that comes from Dom Bütchenbach (East) and goes to Amel (Amblève) (West). Going down on this road you’ll see a small crossroad with 4 roads pointing to your left to Mirfel, and to you right to Shoppen. This was the direction used by the 501. Schwer SS Panzerabteilung (1. SS Panzerdivision LSSAH) also know under the name of Kampfgruppe Peiper when they decided to go from Büllingen (Bullange) to Ligneuville (Engelsdorf) while going trough Möderscheid, Schoppen, Thirimont, Baugnez.
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Jan
13
2010
Aug
31
2009
The following is a report of the action taken by Task Force Hansen (99th Infantry Battalion Separate)(Norwegian Vikings) in the vicinity of Malmedy, Belgium, December 1944.
Sunday, December 17 1944 at 1800-H the 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) less A Company moved to Malmedy from Tilff for the propose of blocking the further advance of the Germans in that sector. Attached to this Battalion was the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion and B Company of the 825th Tank Destroyer Battalion to form Task Force Hansen. Lt Col Hansen and Maj Bjornstad proceeded ahead of the Battalion and arrived in Malmedy at 3130-H. By that time the town had been evacuated by all military personnel with the exception of approximately 60 men of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion under the Command of Lt Col Runkin. The Engineers had established road block consisting of mines and were prepared to dynamite bridges and trees to further block the approaches to the town.
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Mar
05
2009
Category : War Trials Related
Joachim Peiper (SS #132) was born in Berlin, Germany, on Jan 30, 1915. His father, Waldemar Peiper, was a career Army officer in German’s Imperial Army who fought in East Africa during World War I. He married, in 1909, Charlotte Marie Schwartz from Berlin. Joachim Peiper had two brothers, Hans-Hasso and Horst (both in the SS, one drowned with the Bismark while the other was ’suicided’ in Poland for obscure reasons.
Peiper was just 18 when, in 1933, he decided to join his brother Horst in the Hitlerjugend. In order to learn riding, he first enlisted in the 7. SS Reiterstandarte, on Oct 12.
In 1934 he caught the attention of SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler who convinced him to enlist with the SS Verfügungstruppe. In 1935, Peiper attended the SS officer’s training school (Junkerschule) in Braunschweig and was commissioned the following year.
On Apr 1, 1936, he was transferred to the Leibstandarte, where he was later appointed adjutant to Himmler. He held this position until Aug 1941. During this period, he temporarily left his duties and actively took part in the Battle of France.
In August 1941, he returned to the front lines and commanded various infantry and panzer units within the Leibstandarte, by now expanded to a full division.
While on Himmler’s staff, Peiper also met and married his wife, Sigurd ‘Sigi’ Hinrichsen, (she war working in Himmler’ General Staff) with whom he had three children : Hinrich, Elke, and Silke. Himmler was particularly fond of Peiper and took a keen interest in his ascension towards command. By age 29, Peiper was a full colonel of the Waffen-SS, well respected and a holder of one of wartime Germany’s highest decorations, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, personally awarded to him by Adolf Hitler.
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Mar
02
2009
If the Krauts crack the defenses in the North Shoulder, they won’t surround the 101/AB Division in Bastogne, but the entire 1st Army in Belgium.
