
”History is always written by the victor.” -Joachim Peiper Jo ach im Pe iper quotes on a variety of topics including leadership, war, and history. He died in 1976 while serving his sentence. Pe iper was sentenced to death, but his sentence was later comm uted to life in prison. He was responsible for leading the 1 st SS Panzer Division during the Battle of the Bul ge, and was later convicted of war crimes for his role in the Mal med y Massacre. Inside the dead body of the former German Nazi was found.Jo ach im Pe iper was a famous German SS commander during World War II. A few days later Peiper’s home was on fire. In 1976 a former French resistant recognized Peiper and revealed to the media who Joachim Peiper really was. He found a job in the car industry and moved to France, where he translated history books. After the war Peiper was found guilty for war crimes and sentenced to life, but in 1956 he was secretly freed on parole. Peiper and his soldiers escaped afoot, leaving behind hundreds of vehicles. Finally the unit ran out of fuel and was enclosed by American troops in the village La Gleize. Peiper and his unit were responsible for the Massacre of Malmedy, where, according to the official report, 86 American soldiers were killed as well as 164 civilians in Stavelot. This new tank weighed 70 tons, but had a very high consumption of fuel. His task was to conquer the bridges on the Meuse, for which he had the support of the most powerful material of the Nazi army: the Tiger II. From December 1944 onward he played an important role in the Ardennen Offensive. In the Nazi press Peiper developed a reputation as an outstanding leader and became Obersturmbannführer (lieutenant colonel) at the end of 1943. Between 19 he led several combat units in the Soviet Union, in Italy, where he was responsible for the massacre of 22 civilians, and in Ukraine. Peiper soon became Hauptsturmführer (captain) in a SS combat unit. At the age of 26 the German SS adjutant Joachim Peiper participated in Operation Barbarossa, Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.
