Joachim Peiper

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Joachim Peiper was a high-ranking officer in the Waffen-SS during World War II, best known for his role in the Battle of the Bulge and as a commander of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. He was involved in the Malmedy massacre, where 84 American prisoners of war were executed by his troops in December 1944. Peiper’s actions during the war led to his post-war trial for war crimes. In 1946, he was sentenced to death, later commuted to 12 years in prison. He was released in 1956. On Bastille Day, 14 July 1976, French communists attacked and set fire to Peiper’s house in Traves which killed him.