Memorial US 9th Armoured Division

Monument dedicated to the eight American prisoners of the 9th Armoured Division executed in cold blood near the Hotel du Moulin by the vanguard of Kampfgruppe Peiper, led by SS Obersturmbannführer Jochen Peiper. He commanded the 1st SS Panzer Regiment (of the 1st SS Panzer Corps of the 1st SS Panzer Division), during the Ardennes Offensive. They were heading for the Meuse River and on their way through Baugnez passed through Engelsdorf, an area in German-speaking Belgium now known as Ligneuville.

All eight of them were shot through the head at close range after being captured !

The name of Staff-Sergeant Lincoln ABRAHAM was initially incorrectly copied on the monument. The monument indicated it was Abraham LINCOLN (the same name as the 16th President of the United States). Recently when the monument was refurbished, this was corrected. He was 29 years old and was reburied in the United States after the war.
PVT Gerald Carter (aged 37 yrs) and Nick Sulivan (aged 22 yrs) were also repatriated and reburied in the United States after the war.

TEC 5 John Borcina (27 yrs) , SSGT Joseph Collins (32 yrs), PFC Michael Penney (22 yrs), TEC 4 Casper Johnson (25 yrs) and PVT Clifford Pitts (36 yrs) are buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery (B).

The memorial is located near the Hotel du Moulin.

The same 1st SS Panzer Regiment led by ObSBF Peiper was also responsible for the Malmédy Massacre, where earlier in the day near Baugnez, 67 US soldiers from mainly the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion were shot dead in a meadow after surrendering. From panservoirs, SS soldiers fired machine guns at the Americans. Afterwards, anyone still showing signs of life was killed at close range.

This Artillery Observation Battalion was on its way to Stavelot, and was surprised by the Germans' offensive that had just started.

See the monument at Baugnez.

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Source

• Text: Barry van Veen en Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski