Fatal crossroads : the untold story of the Malmédy Massacre at the Battle of the Bulge

On December 17, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, more than eighty unarmed United States soldiers were shot down after having surrendered to an SS unit near the small crossroads town of Malmedy, Belgium. Although more than thirty men lived to tell of the massacre, exactly what took place that day remains mired in controversy. The author spent fifteen years researching original sources and interviewing more than one hundred witnesses to uncover the truth behind the Malmedy massacre, and the result is riveting. Read more... Abstract: From a leading expert, the gripping tale of the largest single atrocity committed against American POWs on the Western Front in World War II Read more... On December 17, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, more than eighty unarmed United States soldiers were shot down after having surrendered to an SS unit near the small crossroads town of Malmédy, Belgium. Although more than thirty men lived to tell of the massacre, exactly what took place that day remains mired in controversy. Was it just a “battlefield incident” or rather a deliberate slaughter? Who gave the orders: infamous SS leader Jochen Peiper or someone else? Fatal Crossroads vividly reconstructs the critical events leading up to the atrocity—for the first time in all their revealing detail—as well as the aftermath. Danny S. Parker spent fifteen years researching original sources and interviewing more than one hundred witnesses to uncover the truth behind the Malmédy massacre, and the result is riveting. Content: L I S T O F M A P S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Prologue 1 "Like a Storm Wind" 2 Men of the 285th 3 Malmédy 4 "It Don't Look Good Boys" 5 "Those Beautiful Trucks ... " 6 Killing Field 7 "Bump Them Off!" PICTURE INSERT 8 "Let's Go!" 9 Fateful Hours 10 Escape 11 Baugnez 12 Shock Epilogue APPENDICES APPENDIX I Survivors and Victims APPENDIX II Order of March: 285th FAOB APPENDIX III Order of March: Kampfgruppe Peiper at the Baugnez Crossroads APPENDIX IV MALMÉDY: In Search of the Truth NOTES I N D E X.