European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By de Cunningham yank staff correspondent a Snow covered Field three Miles from this town lie the bodies of 100 or fore american Soldier prison ers of War who were murdered there by the Ger mans on the first Day of marshal Karl von Rund stents counteroffensive along the Western their Frozen corpses May still be where they with some of the bodies lying across other As German pcs later described the we do not know whether the nazis even extended them a decent for the Region is still in enemy but we do know the details of the carried out in open violation of the Geneva Early in the afternoon of a Convoy of Battery b of a Field artillery observation Bat Talion was moving along three Miles South of Almedy on the Road leading to about 300 Yards beyond the crossroad of the cutoff to the Convoy was hit by enemy machine gunners and mortar men hidden in the surrounding All the american vehicles halted the men jumped off and took cover in ditches lining both sides of the several minutes later they were flushed out of their hiding places by Tiger tanks from a German armoured column which lumbered along the ditches spraying a Chin gun other tanks quickly knocked out some 24 american trucks and other armed Only with Small the americans were taken these germans had earlier captured some other among them five two ambulance a mess several medical corps infantrymen and some members of an armoured reconnaissance All the were about herded up the Road where they were searched and stripped of their cigarettes and their captors or dered them to line up in a Snow covered Field South of the the German officer in the car stood up and took deliberate aim with a tank machine guns mowed Down the Tiger tanks and Hal tracks took its turn fit eng on the prostrate one tank and several German soldiers were left behind to finish off those who had not been the nazi guards walked among the Amer ican soldiers shooting at those who Lay groaning in they kicked others in the faces to see if they were really dead or just those who moved were shot in the one american medic got up to Bandage the wounds of a seriously injured Man from his own company id the nazis permitted him to finish the shot both him and the fortunately the guards were not too thorough in their search for Ameri cans who were pretend ing to be several of the prisoners had not been wounded at All and others were Only slightly about an hour after the armoured column several of the survivors including some of the to make a break for free fifteen men made the first while the guards were some distance away they jumped up and ran North along the Road toward Almedy amid machine gun fire from their sur prised at the Crossroads they were while the americans were lining an enemy fired on by another machine gun Crew stationed Hal track mounting an 88 gun tried to swing around to cover them but instead the germans parked tanks at either end of the where their machine guns had full sweep Over the just then a German command car Drew the German officer in the car stood took deliberate aim with a pistol at an american med ical officer in the front rank of the prisoners and As the medical officer the German fired again and another american immediately two tanks at the end of the Field opened up with their machine guns on the de senseless some of them noncombatant medical corps men with medic Brassard and red Cross marked All of the prisoners in the Field were standing with their hands raised Over their when the massacre the unfounded dropped to the ground along with those who had been Flat on their stomachs with their faces pushed into Snow and the americans were raked by machine gun and Small arms fire from this frightened 12 of the fugitives into taking cover in a nearby House while the other three continued to the the House was a death trap for the 12 Ameri closing in on their the germans set up a machine gun in front of the which they then set on As the americans tried to escape through the door and windows of the blazing they were mowed All died buried beneath the falling the three who had continued running hid in the Woods until then made their after the first several other prisoners made similar some succeeded in get Ting Back to the american lines while others were most of the successful Breaks were made after some of the wounded did not make the attempt until after lying in Snow for 11 hours or of the approximately 150 american prisoners rounded up As human targets for the nazi Marks Only 43 Are definitely known to have escaped the German and More than eyewitnesses who escaped from the scene describe the German murder of 100 Soldier prisoners of War captured in a column of tanks which had begun to move three quarters of these were Only 25 along the Road 25 Yards each of 25 to 50 men of Battery is roster of 138 have been re ported there May be others but this is Imas the area is still in German As is customary in All atrocity the in Spector generals department of the army made an immediate investigation to determine the authenticity of stories told by five wounded soldiers were interviewed less than 12 hours after their ordeal when the details were still fresh in their thirty two men were questioned thoroughly and their stories were found to coincide in All except minor the inspector generals department has released some of the survivors statements with the guar Antee that they Are an essentially Correct account of what happened on 17 in the Snow covered Field 13 Miles South of questioning of German prisoners later verified most of the Story told by the Here is the testimony of Theodore Jay As recorded and certified by the inspector generals department Battery b of a Field artillery observation battalion was in a Convoy going South from they stopped the Convoy at 1330 when mortar fire was we got out of the trucks and jumped in a ditch beside the then some men took off when they saw they were be ing they the germans took gloves and cigarettes from then put us inside a tanks passed for 15 everything was All right until a command car turned the at that time an officer in the command car fired a shot with his pistol at a medical officer who was one Yard to my then he fired another shot to my at that time a tank following the command car opened fire on approximately 175 men inside the we All fell and Lay As still As we every tank that passed from then on would fire into the group laying at one time they came around with pistols and fired at every officer that had bars an officer put mud on his helmet to cover his the tanks stopped passing about at 1500 someone said lets at that time 15 men got up and started to run North from where we were laying on the other Side of the twelve of the men ran into a House at the North Western part of the Crossroads and three of us kept there was a machine gun at the Crossroads plus four when we got in Back of the they  fire the machine gun at they burned the House Down into which the 12 men when the three of us were in Back of the we played dead again because a German in a Black uniform came around with a looking us we Lay there until dark when we rolled to a hedgerow where we we rent under laying there was a staff sergeant shot in the we started to walk but stayed 200 to 300 Yards from the main in about a Quarter of a mile we met a medic who was shot in the foot and also a fellow from my four of us came into a first lieutenant who was wounded and therefore must remain unidentified was the Only Battery b officer available for questioning by the in Here is his summary we made a turn to the right of the crossroad to head toward we got about 300 Yards Down the Road and at that time mortar and Small arms fire opened up on our the fire seemed to come from the East and South some of the men got out on the Road with their hands they told me a German tank was coming Down the Small arms was All we we put our hands up and they one of the officers in the tank stuck his head out and was going to shoot but i changed my position and he started to shoot at the Captain he missed both i jumped into a ditch which was i submerged myself in the Stream and covered myself with grass and mud so that i want All during this time i was Lay ing in the Stream and playing i dont know whether they saw me or for about an hour after they first started firing into the group of All of the tanks that passed fired into forty Hal tracks that passed fired i Lay in the Stream for approximately two hours and after that time was so numb that i  move the lower half of my but by crawling and dragging myself i made my Way to some i rubbed my legs to get Back circulation and then by Means of my Compass found my Way Back to the i went Down the Road until i was halted by a Friendly guard and was taken to an Aid William Reem is another of the few Battery b men who escaped the germans took his watch and ring after routing him out of a ditch where he had taken Reem said that some of the americans who didst have their hands up when the germans approached were summarily Reem said under oath at this time about three or four tanks came Down the they told us to take off to the rear of the column and questioned some of the men about jewelry and such my medical Corporal requested permission to give first Aid to the wounded but while we were in the an officer shot into those of us who were not we fell to the ground and Lay there motionless while they continued to shoot into the it was withering i was wounded twice in the foot while lying on the apparently that group then after a while More German soldiers came up the As they passed the Field they took pot shots at we were lying in the Field about an hour or hour and a then we made a for i found shelter in a no Man in our group tried to make a break before we were first fired we had our arms Over our none of us had any weapons while in the one member of a Field artillery t5 Warren escaped the massacre by crawling into a Small Stream and covering him self with grass and after his Convoy was Schmitt jumped into a ditch along with his Battery but As mortar and machine gun fire he sought shelter in a Stream Only one foot he reached this 40 feet from the by crawling on his estimating that the germans had 40 Tiger Schmitt said in his sworn statement they stopped our and men in Black uniforms dismounted and began rounding up v they Thot both the medic and his wounded some of the boys were and they the germans came around and shot them i  understand what the germans were but they laughed and talked and then they they shot one fellow twice in the leg while he was laying they took something off of him he is a he was laying about 15 feet away from me and i talked with him while i was laying i heard them shoot the germans were standing right at his i think they took his Wristwatch or something he was hollering no and then they shot i asked him if he was hit and he said but he came in with there were two others who escaped who were medics i didst know them As they we rent from my they the germans shot three of our medics some other medics were also there were three or four lieutenants from my Battery i think one got when i looked i saw one with a Green Raincoat and a White Stripe on his i dont know whether he got away or i  Tell How Many men got men were running in All quite a few 10 in the Bunch that i was Roy an ambulance Driver from was driving his ambulance South of Almedy on his Way to waives when he had to Stop behind a it was Battery is antiaircraft trucks and who wore his medical corps Brassard on his was rounded tip in the fenced Field with the Artil he said under oath that there were Sev eral other medical soldiers in the group who were also wearing he told How an Ameri can medical wearing a red Cross bras Lay next to him in the shot in the Anderson also testified that before the first shots were fired into the he saw no one trying to make a break and saw no Ameri cans with when machine guns first opened up on the con t5 Charles who was driving one of b batters ton thought they were Friendly gunners firing at Buzz which were then coming Over very but when the bullets got the men in his truck yelled for him to he this is his sworn account of what happened after that we All Dove into a ditch on the righthand Side of the where we continued to receive machine gun fire and a few mortar one or two tanks then came along the Road and strafed the ditch with machine gun another Man and i got up and raised our we were motioned to get out on the we were then formed in a and As the tanks went by they would Stop and Call us Over individually and re Lieve us of our wristwatches and they penned up the whole of b Battery in a Circle and then told us to go Over a Fence into a Field Southwest of the they had us there in a Circle for about 10 or 15 one Ger Man pulled out his pistol and fired Pointblank into the and a fellow to the left of me he fired again and someone at my Back then almost immediately they opened up with their machine gun the account of How two medical corps men were shot in cold blood after one had treated the others wounds was Given by Kenneth Ahrens of a member of b Ahrens knew both men and their names Are listed in his official one american Soldier was held prisoner in a German Hal track for three hours before being herded into the Slaughter a mess sergeant from an infantry he was captured by a German tank while driving his jeep along the Road near the mess sergeant was put on the nazi and he Rode around with his captors for three finally when the Ger mans had rounded up their he was forced into the Field with the other he was wounded in the Arm by machine gun but eventually he Man aged to the testimony of the German pcs captured after the massacre has substantiated the account of the atrocities Given by the americans who is Here is an extract of the testimony Given by one German a member of the 1st is Panzer division on at about i saw approximately 50 dead american soldiers lying in a Field near an intersection where paved roads radiated in three this Point was near Almedy and be tween two and three Kilometres from the bodies were Between 30 and 40 meters from the Road and were lying indiscriminately on the in some instances the bodies were lying across each there was a burning House at the intersection and a barn and a i also saw a line of disabled jeeps and trucks on the Road near this i did not Stop at the but continued on with my questioning of the German together with the description of is uniforms and insignia sup plied by the has convinced first army officials that members of the is Panzer division Are responsible for the atrocity at Mal the burning building wot covered by German guns Medy most of the germans in the particular company involved Are believed to have been killed in the recent Battle against american forces in Eastern one German a member of the 1st is Panzer division but not of the particular out fit that carried out the when asked if the appearance of the bodies had made any impression on replied it was such an unusual i thought it was another told of the killing by fellow said i have no idea Why it was there Are people among us who find Joy