Title: The Life and Death of Joachim Peiper: The SS Spearhead in the West – Part Two

Episode Summary:

In the second instalment of our series on Joachim Peiper, we shift the focus from the Eastern Front to the Western theatre of war—where Peiper would once again find himself at the forefront of Nazi Germany’s most ambitious and destructive campaigns.

Now in command of a powerful armoured formation, Peiper led the tip of the spear in Hitler’s final gamble: the Ardennes Offensive, better known as the Battle of the

Bulge.

This episode explores:

• Peiper’s massacre of civilians in Boves, Italy, and continued brutality in the West
• His promotion to command the 1st SS Panzer Regiment and his personal connection to Hitler
• The catastrophic campaign in Normandy, and Peiper’s nervous breakdown under pressure
• His role in leading Kampfgruppe Peiper, the most heavily armed SS formation in the Ardennes
• The opening days of the Battle of the Bulge—logistical chaos, captured fuel dumps, and the encounter near Baugnez that would soon become infamous

This episode ends just before the events at Malmedy—where Peiper’s name would become etched into history for reasons that had nothing to do with battlefield tactics.

📌 Content Warning: This episode includes references to war crimes, civilian massacres, and genocide.

Key words:

Joachim Peiper

Waffen-SS

Battle of the Bulge

Ardennes Offensive

Kampfgruppe Peiper

1st SS Panzer Division

Normandy 1944

Operation Wacht am Rhein

SS war crimes

Boves massacre

Hitler’s last offensive

WWII Western Front

SS atrocities

Malmedy (prelude)

Militia Historia podcast

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