To the river Meuse
Peiper is made aware of the offensive in the Ardennes only in detail on December 14 and learns that his unit under Sepp Dietrich's 6. Panzer Army shall function as a spearhead. The great aim is called Antwerp. It is Peipers task to break through the American lines at Hollerath and Krewinkel, not to get involved in actual fighting but to reach the river Maas in a direct push. To achieve this he has been assigned all Panzers of the LAH as well as all King Tigers of the Korps. Hitler hopes for panic under the Allies and a repetition of the Blitzkrieg back in 1940.
Peipers main problem is called fuel supply. On December 15, he learns during a briefing at corps headquarters, that two fuel trains have not arrived. Reasons are not mentioned. Instead, he and the other commanders are made aware of Allied fuel dumps by the military secret service, the "Fremde Heere West" They shall use these depots as gas station. This is also urgently necessary since its operational target is 150 km far from his initial position his vehicles however, only have fuel for 100 km on board. Furthermore Peiper hears of two secret operations which shall support his thrust: The paratrooper operation of August Baron von der Heydte in the area of Baraque Michel and the use of the group "Greif" (griffin) under Otto Skorzeny. Skorzeny who manages to fetch Mussolini off the Gran Sasso in a dare-devil operation shall realize an idea of the Führer. Germans in American uniforms and vehicles shall operate behind the lines to arouse confusion among the U.S. units.
On December 16, the attack begins against 05.30. The Maas already can, first day, reach it in evening, Peiper which still believes in his first euphoria to reach the Maas already in the evening of day 1, gets a curb already within the first hours. The resistance of the Americans in Losheimergraben delays the complete plan and the unbelievable chaos on the roads adds on to it. Skorzeny who shall manage to get deep behind enemy lines immediately gets stuck in the traffic. Only some of his unit succeed in breaking through and accomplish their actual task.
Only after Peiper receives the order to advance via a by-road, movement comes into the operation. Only December 17 is the lucky day. Honsfeld is conquered and Büllingen taken. Peiper knows about the fuel depot of the Americans in this place and manages to safeguard it. Here it also hears about a US HQ in Ligneuville. There he hopes to acquire information about US positions and conducts his task force via Möderscheid, Schoppen, Ondenval and Thirimont on a direct way.
In Thirimont, the apparently shorter way through the valley proves useless. Georg Preuss who has taken the lead gets stuck in the mud of the valley with his half-tracks (SPW=Schützenpanzerwagen) and Panzers. Because of that Peiper must take the detour via Baugnez compulsory. Little later the head of the column reaches the crossroads of the N23 and the N34, approx. four km south of Malmedy. A convoy of the US B-battery 258. Field Artillery, on the way from Schevenhütte to St. Vith, approaches the same spot exactly at this time
the leading Panther (Panzer V) opens fire at 12.45 on the vehicles. Peiper who considers the U.S. trucks as welcome booty has the fire ceased.. He himself then follows the head of his unit on the N23. Directly behind him is the 11. SS Panzergrenadier Kompanie with their SPWs.
the leading Panther (Panzer V) opens fire at 12.45 on the vehicles. Peiper who considers the U.S. trucks as welcome booty has the fire ceased.. He himself then follows the head of his unit on the N23. Directly behind him is the 11. SS Panzergrenadier Kompanie with their SPWs.
