Important note
Photos provided on this website are not an endorsement of any political idea or of war. War is one of the most regrettable human activities.
All photos on this page are copyrighted Robert Mary and may only be reproduced with my express permission. You may contact me here for any question or comment on this webpage.
The museum
What this
museum is
about ?
This Museum is
about
the
murder of 84 American POW's by SS men of Kampfgruppe Peiper
during
the
Battle
of
the
Bulge.
The defeat of the German troops was imminent. Contrary to all expectations and
the surprise of everyone, Hitler deployed all his troops in a powerful counter-offesnive
on 16 December 1944 called the "Von Rundstedt Offensive".
The tanks of Colonel Peiper's Kampfgruppe (armoured battle group) of the 1st
SS Panzer Division moved into the Region of Baugnez the very next day at the
crack of dawn. The aim of this offensive was to gain possession of the bridges
spanning the Meuse River in orderto reach Antwerp harbor via Liège city.
The Kampfgruppe's offensive in the Region has gone down as a terrible tragedy
in
the annals of history as a result of 84 American prisoners being machine gunned
and killed at Baugnez/Malmedy crossroads.
The first momument to be built after the war was followed only a few years later
by the present one. Against the background of the region's duty to remember its
past, the "Baugnez 44 Historical Center" has been inaugurated 63 years later on
the actual site where the massacre took place. Materials, photographs, and films
of the time brimming with history and feelings offer an insight into
how the Battle unfolded.
Origins of the museum
The museum has been inaugurated on 18 December 2007.
The museum features several dioramas including one on the massacre.
Visitors are able to view WW2 material and original wartime documents,
several of which are directly linked to the massacre. Photos of soldiers
as well as as wartime vehicles and mannequins are displayed.
Museum authorities
can be contacted here.
The website of this museum stands here.
Location information
The museum is located
in Baugnez:
10, route de Luxembourg
4960 Baugnez/Malmedy
Belgium
Tel/Fax: +32 (0) 496 65 18 22
Opening Hours : to be added.
Personal note
Originally a German Panther tank had to be present but this is not the
case (it would have been the fourth one in Belgium). This is a brand
new museum visitors should not miss. The museum shop offers the possibility
for re-enactors and any other enthusiast to purchase US uniforms.