December 17 1944...The Malmedy massacre ; was a war crime in which 84 American prisoners of war were murdered by their German captors during . The massacre was committed by members of Kampfgruppe Peiper (part of the 1st SS Panzer Division), , during the Battle of the Bulge.
A sad (and sadly forgotten) event. Rest in peace, men. . .
Probably the most detailed and reliable account of this notorious atrocity is captured in the 2012 book "Fatal Crossroads" by Danny Parker. Of course there is an Engineer connection to this heinous event. The 291st Engineer Combat Battalion was the only unit standing in defense of Malmedy at the time of the massacre. The 291st commander. Lt. Col. David Pergrin, gave warning to the column that their planned route may not be safe. The 291st became the first to learn of the massacre when later the survivors made their way into the 291st area of operations. Nearly a month later on January 14, 1945 a squad from the 291st, using mine detectors, helped locate the bodies which by that time had been buried in snow. If you have never read this book I put in the category of a "must read", highly recommend it. Have a good one everybody!
I had the honor and privilege of talking with Col Pergrin on the phone. He was such a humble and sweet man and oh so knowledgable. Even in his late 80's, he was still sharp as a tack. He later sent me two signed books.