Operation Wacht am Rhein – the Ardennes Counteroffensive (II)

Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein - The Battle of the Bulge

Men of Co. H, 3rd BN, 504th Para. Inf. Reg. with a captured SS-Pz.Gren.

War crimes were committed on both sides during the campaign. British author Gordon Williamson writes: Like the elite of other formations, the soldiers of Waffen-SS fought ferociously, intent on killing the enemy before the enemy killed them. Undoubtedly some Waffen-SS soldiers went too far and overstepped the bounds of acceptable behavior, even in the heat of battle. That said, so did Allied soldiers. For many years after World War II atrocities committed by Allied troops were hushed up. Reports of brutalities, murder and rape by Soviet troops were well known, but among Western Allies any atrocities that had not already come to public 

SS-Ostubaf. Otto Skorzeny's commandos lined up for execution

attention tended to be omitted from the official histories or glossed over as mopping-up operations. In recent years, however, more and more accounts have come to light of looting and the murder of captured German soldiers by Allied troops, not just from the Red Army but also among the Western Allies. In one case American troops cold-bloodedly shot down German troops who were unarmed and surrendering under the cover of a white flag. Cameramen were on the scene to film the atrocity, and the film has subsequently been in television documentaries. Contrary to Allied claims, no written order has ever been found from a German commander to his troops that no prisoners be taken. On the other hand, such orders by Allied commanders to their troops were issued in writing and are a matter of record. Source: Loyalty Is My Honor. Top screenshot: soldiers of the Leibstandarte SS among the wreckage after SS-Kampfgruppe Hansen's attack against Task Force Mayes of the U.S. 14th Cavalry Group in Poteau on December 18 1944. Credit: Julius Backman. U.S. War Department Film. Middle image: soldiers of the U.S. 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of U.S. 82nd Airborne Division bring an unidentified Waffen-SS soldier back to American lines following the German counter-offensive. He was captured on December 22 1944 while on reconnaissance patrol outside of Bra west of Stavelot were seven SS troopers were killed in the clash. Airborne member and interpreter the later Lieutenant Colonel George Douglas Heib told that shortly after this photo took place he drew his gun and put it against the head of the young man in order to get information out of him. There is no further information about his fate. Photo by Swedish-American photojournalist Emil David Edgren. Credit: Doug Banks. U.S. Army Signal Corps Collection. Bottom image: Manfred Pernass, Günther Billing, and Wilhelm Schmidt of the 150.SS-Panzer-Brigade are prepared for execution in Henri-Chapelle on December 23 1944. As part of the Ardennes offensive English-speaking demolition commandos were charged with infiltrating American lines in Operation Greif. 23 of the Austrian daredevil SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny's troops were captured behind American lines disguised in American uniforms. They were all aware that any of them captured while wearing U.S. uniforms would be executed. Photo by American photographer John Florea. Credit: Jakob Lagerweij. LIFE photo archive. Fair use.