Footsteps of WWII · Belgium & Luxembourg
Baugnez: Malmedy massacre memorial
Memorial · 17 Dec 1944
The story
On 17 December 1944 the vanguard of Kampfgruppe Peiper met a convoy of Battery B, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, at the Baugnez crossroads south-east of Malmedy. After a brief fight the Americans surrendered and were assembled in a field beside the road, where they were machine-gunned; many were then shot in the head. Eighty-four prisoners died. Some feigned death or ran, and 43 survivors reached American-held Malmedy, spreading word of the killings. At the Dachau trials in 1946, 73 men were convicted and 43 sentenced to death, Peiper among them. No death sentence was carried out, and Peiper was paroled in December 1956.
What to look for
A low stone wall at the junction carries a plaque explaining the events and stones naming the dead. The field where the prisoners were assembled and shot lies beside the road. Across the junction stands the building of the former Baugnez 44 museum.
Plan your visit
Roadside memorial, free and accessible at all times; take care at the busy N62/N632 junction. The Baugnez 44 Historical Center opposite was reported closed in 2023 and its old web address now shows unrelated content, so do not plan on visiting it.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- St Vith · 15 km
- December 44 Historical Museum, La Gleize · 16 km
- Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery · 35 km
- Houffalize and its Panther tank · 36 km
- Museum Hürtgenwald 1944, Vossenack · 38 km
- Recogne German war cemetery · 46 km
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