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Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1965; Stotz,
Charles M.Outposts of the War for Empire: TheFrench and English in Western Pennsylvania:
Their Armies, Their Forts, Their People.Pittsburgh:
University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985.PEIPER, JOCHEM
Peiper, Jochem
(January 30, 1915–July 14, 1976)
German Waffen-SS Officer
B
rilliant, daring, and utterly brutal,
Peiper was among the best tank com-
manders and small-unit tacticians of
World War II. In 1944, he was personally cho-
sen to spearhead Adolf Hitler’s Ardennes of-
fensive against American forces, and he was
implicated in the Malmedy Massacre.
Joachim (Jochem) Peiper was born in
Berlin on January 30, 1915, the son of a World
War I officer. He matured in a Germany torn by
internal dissent and economic hardships, con-
ditions that occasioned the rise of Adolf Hitler
to power by 1933. Peiper, handsome, well-edu-
cated, and fluent in French and English, passed
through the Hitler Youth and was allowed to
join the dreaded SS (Schutzstaffeln,or protec-
tion squads) in 1934. This was a political force,
separate and distinct from the Wehrmacht, the
German regular army. It had its origins as
Hitler’s personal bodyguard and was charac-
terized by black uniforms and fanatical brav-
ery. Peiper, as part of the Leibstandarte-SS,
subsequently trained under the direction of
Josef Dietrich, rising to lieutenant the follow-
ing year. Curiously, although the SS swore loy-
alty only to Hitler and was therefore steeped in
Nazi ideology, Peiper expressed little interest
in politics. Throughout his long association
with the SS, he never joined the Nazi Party and
was simply intent upon being a good soldier.
Peiper therefore applied himself strenuously,
and in 1938 he gained distinction by serving as
an aide to the infamous Heinrich Himmler, the
SS commander.
By 1939, the SS had been expanded into
several formations, and Peiper accompanied
his company into Poland. He subsequently
fought in France as a battalion commander,
winning the prestigious Iron Cross for brav-
ery. The following year the ambitious 25-year-
old soldier had risen to regimental com-
mander and accompanied the invasion of
Russia. This was a no-holds-barred conflict
pitting two totalitarian ideologies in a war to
the death. Prisoners were only infrequently
taken by either side, and the SS reigned as
one of the war’s most merciless butchers. The
extent of Peiper’s participation in such
slaughter is unknown, but by 1943 he was a
battle-hardened veteran with a reputation for
speed, cunning, and ruthlessness. This made
him an ideal candidate for promotion within
the ranks of the SS. As the war in Russia
turned against Germany, several desperate ac-
tions were fought to stop the surging Russian
tide. Peiper was closely engaged at Kharkov
in February 1943, where his tanks proved in-
strumental in stopping the Soviet Third Tank
Army literally in its tracks. This brought him
to the attention of Hitler, who awarded him
the Knight’s Cross and, later, the oak leaves
for gallantry in action. At the age of 29, Peiper
became a lieutenant colonel in one of the
world’s premier fighting forces.
In the summer of 1943, Peiper’s command
was transferred to Italy for a well-deserved
refit. His orders were also to help disarm Ital-
ian forces to prevent them from joining the