MASSACRE REVEALED
In the early afternoon of 17 December 1944, 43 US POWs wo survived the massacre emerged from hiding from the Waffen-SS and then sought help and medical aid from the nearby city of Malmedy,which was held by the U.S. Army. The first of the 43 survivors was encountered by a patrol from the 291st Combat Engineer Battalion at about 2:30 pm on 17 December, just hours after the masacre.
The inspector general of the First Army learned of the Malmedy Massacre aprroxomately four hours after it happened; by evening time, rumors that the Waffen-SS were summarily executing POWs had been communicated to the rank and file of U.S. soldiers. Consequently the commander of the 328th Infanttry Regiment issued Fragmentary Order 27, that said: "No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner, but will be shot on sight."
After that, the soldiers of the 11th Armored Division summarily executed 80 Waffen-SS POWs in the Chenogne Massacre on 1 January 1945.
--GreGen
