Malmedy Massacre Memorial

Malmedy, BE

The **Malmedy Massacre Memorial** at the Baugnez crossroads commemorates the **84 American prisoners of war** shot by SS troops of **Kampfgruppe Peiper** on December 17, 1944. The memorial stands at the field where the prisoners were herded and executed — the worst single atrocity committed against American POWs on the Western Front. The site includes a monument, an information panel describing the events, and a small museum. The massacre had immediate tactical consequences: news of the killings spread rapidly through the American Army and stiffened resistance across the entire front, with some units reportedly fighting more aggressively and taking fewer prisoners in response. After the war, the **Malmedy Trial** (1946) prosecuted 73 SS members for the massacre and other atrocities committed during the Ardennes offensive. The proceedings were controversial due to allegations of evidence tampering, and the death sentences were eventually commuted — a decision that provoked significant debate about post-war justice. The memorial at Baugnez remains one of the most solemn and visited sites of the Battle of the Bulge.