Malmedy Massacre actually occurred 3.5 miles SE of Malmedy at Baugnez called Five Points by the Americans. (Life Photo)

Malmedy Massacre looking SE down the road to Ligneuville. (US Army Photo)

Looking Southwest. (US Army Photo)

Aerial View. (US Army Photo)

Belgium magazine with first Malmedy Massacre monument and service dated July 29th, 1945.

Nov. '45 photo of cross

Capt. Bill Druckenmiller, Executive Officer, Co. I, K, L and Anti Tank Co., 117th Infantry Regiment

When I first saw Malmedy I was impressed.  While not a large town, the buildings were three to four stories of masonry construction.  Not a window was broken.  There was no sign of human beings.  My unit was ordered to move to a rural area with crossroads running west to east and north to south.  At this location we discovered a large house with farm outbuildings.  We started a fire in the fireplace.  As many men as the rooms would hold laid down to sleep.  From time to time the men in the outbuildings were brought in rotating with those first to occupy the house.  It was extremely cold and a bright moonlit night.  In looking across the intersection there was a small field.  It looked like many mounds of dirt, but because of the deep snow I had no idea what they were.  I found out later this was the location where the German SS, having captured a large number of G.I.s lined them up and in a withering fire from machine guns mounted on their tanks mowed them down like corn stalks.  The frozen bodies were the mounds I saw. 

Lt. Bob Peters, Antitank Officer, I & R Platoon, 117th Infantry Regiment

When out on Recon work my platoon sergeant was the first to discover the bodies of the infamous "Malmedy Massacre".  It took place at a location we called "Five Points".  There was a bombed out house or some kind of building we arrived at on recon late in the day.  We set up positions with the guns to stay the night.  There was quite a bit of snow on the ground.  The next AM someone in the platoon found some GI bodies- they had been covered by the snow so were not readily visible.  I think we found maybe a dozen.  It turned out that there were many more.  We didn't go looking for them.  In fact, I simply reported back my findings and we continued on with our recon work, trying to make contact.  There have been several TV programs that purport to recount the massacre, but none has accurately described the initial finding.