Baugnez — Malmedy Massacre Site

Malmedy, BE

The **Baugnez crossroads** — known as the Five Points — is the site of the **Malmedy Massacre** on December 17, 1944: one of the worst atrocities committed against American prisoners of war in the European Theatre. Elements of **Kampfgruppe Peiper** captured approximately 150 American soldiers of the **285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion** near the crossroads and marched them into an open field. SS troops then opened fire on the unarmed prisoners, killing 84 and wounding many others who lay feigning death. Some survivors escaped into the surrounding woods despite being pursued and shot. News of the massacre spread rapidly through the American Army and had a profound effect on morale and combat behaviour. For the SS troops involved, it represented the application of **Eastern Front** tactics — where the killing of prisoners was routine — to the Western Theatre. After the war, 73 members of Kampfgruppe Peiper were tried for war crimes at the **Malmedy Trial**; several were sentenced to death, though none were ultimately executed due to procedural controversies.