RESPONSIBILITY
In 1948, a U.S. Senate investigation concluded that German soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper murdered between 538 and 749 U.S. POWs. Other investigations, however claimed the Waffen-SS killed far fewer, putting the number of murdered POWs by them at between 300 and 375 and 111 civilians.
WAR CRIME TRIAL
The Malmedy Massacre Trial, from May to July 1946, established that the commanders in the field bore responsibility for the Waffen-SS killing POWs, specifically Waffen-SS General Josef Dietrich and Werner Poetschke and Joachim Peiper.
Regarding command responsibility for the actions of his soldiers and officers, Dietrich said he had received orders from Hitler that no quarter was to be given to enemy soldiers. Peiper said the same thing and also that no pity was to be shown to Belgium civilians.
Given the American public's demand to avenge the Malmedy Massacre it was decided not to try the German officers and soldiers in the United States. The Dachau Trials were held in the deactivated Dachau Concentration Camp in occupied Germany from 1945 to 1947.
These trials resulted in imposing 43 death sentences, 22 life imprisonment and 8 for short imprisonment.
--GreGen
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