Malmédy Massacre Trial: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Malmédy Massacre Trial was held in May-July 1946 in Dachau to try the German Waffen-SS soldiers accused of the Malmédy massacre of December 17, 1944. It attracted great attention because of the nature of the crime and the later disputes about the conduct of the trial. The trial is repeatedly brought up by the German extreme right-wing.

The Trial

The highest-ranking defendant was the former SS General Sepp Dietrich.

The Malmédy Massacre Trial was held before the Dachau International Military Tribunal. The way this tribunal conducted its trials has been critizised, not only by extreme right-wing groups but also in the USA. In the case of the Malmédy Massacre Trial the defense was not permitted to dispute if the crime had actually taken place. Guilt was established beforehand, the defendants were required to prove their innocence. Some witnesses were paid to testify, other witnesses were not made available for cross-examination. The chief defense lawyer did not speak German, had never defended anyone in a criminal trial before and had never fought in combat. Some of the people involved in the trial, including investigators and translators, had suffered personally from the Nazi regime.

On July 16, 1946 the verdict was delivered on 73 members of the Kampfgruppe Peiper.

• 43 sentenced to death by hanging
• 22 sentenced to life imprisonment
• 2 sentenced to 20 years imprisonment
• 1 sentenced to 15 years imprisonment
• 5 sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
• the former Colonel Joachim Peiper was sentenced to death.

The sentences were commuted by an US Senate armed services subcommittee led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. In no case was a death penalty carried out.

Criticism of the Malmédy Massacre Trial verdicts is one of the frequently appearing points in the Germany extreme right-wing and neo-nazi organizations.