Evening star., 1945-01-02
BY HAL BOYLE,

I'VE have confirmed reports of
similar killings In other sectors" he
added.
Their SIS troops have been more
cruel here than anywhere else. We
heard of many instances in other
places where they shot down Belgian
unarmed men for no reason, but
this is the first place I have known
them to kill women and children"
The Germans practiced similar ex-
cesses in this area in August, 1914,
when they marched across Belgium.
In addition to atrocities against
civilians in the Stavelot area, Ger
man troops probably massacred more
than $50 American troops. This is a
very conservative figure.
The State Department has pro-
tested the slaughter Of 135 out of
$50 Americans unarmed soldiers
lined up In q field and machine
gunned near Malmedy. In other
cases American truck drivers,
trapped by fast-moving panzers,
were pulled from vehicles, disarmed
and shot.
Crimes Investigated.
Atrocities against civilians around
Stavelot have been thoroughly docu-
mented by Army officers through
questioning Of survivors and volun-
tary statements by captured Ger
mans who acknowledged the part
they played in the killings.
Most revolving was the massacre
of 20 to Is Belgian men, women and
children herded into barn and shot
by engineers from the 1st Hitler
Panzer Division. The Germans then
fired the barn to destroy the evil
dence. The bodies were so badly
burned only 10 or IL were identified
In the next house a middle-aged
woman was stabbed and shot. Two
boys between 6 and 10 were found
with bullet holes in their foreheads
Scattered about were the bodies OF
several other civilians. One old
woman was killed by rife butt
and young man was shot through
the head by troops who then stole
his boots.
Another young man was shot
through The wrists and head. A
married couple was shot to death in
their home. Near a foxhole were
found the bodies of a 13-year-old
boy and 15-year-old girl who ap-
parently were shot as they tried to
run away.
Child Found Shot.
"In one house I saw the body of a
woman lying on a bed where she
had been shot, and In the kitchen
we found her 2-year-old daughter
also shot-lying on the floor" said
Capt. Handville. Zone man ran into
his house and hid in the attic. He
heard firing in the house, locked out
the attic window and saw two SIS
soldiers leaving. He went down and
found his wife and two children
dead. The soldiers had shot them.
Captured SIS troopers said they
had been instructed by at least two
German officers before the start oi
the breakthrough to kill on sight al
Belgian civilians they met. Prison.
ers taken from an engineering
platoon which participated in tht
mass slaughter Of the group in thu
barn said they were acting under
orders of their platoon leader.
= =
and was taken prisoner but died ir
an American hospital before hs
could be questioned.
Killings Admitted.
But men under him admitted thai
Belgian civilians who were slair
indiscriminately had been guilty o.
no attempt to interfere with German
military operations.
One prisoner told of the killing.
in these words:
1--WE had a mission to take Stave.
lot Shortly before Stavelot mer
and women were shot by the Sc
without any reason. They all vert
driven into barn. I was standing
on a road and some other SIS mer
drove about 20 Belgian civilian,
into a barn, whereupon two SIS
soldiers shot into it with machine
guns. also witnessed how two
Belgians were shot. They wert
coming down a road and failed tx
halt. They tried to escape, where.
upon lieutenant and other Sc
men shot them. Not one of tn,
civilians had any weapons.
'"The barn in which the civilian,
and dead lay, and another hous,
were burned down. I haveni
knowledge why the civilians wer,
shot. Civilians also were shot IL
Stavelot. / saw bodies there. I be.
lieve to the best of my knowledgt
these civilians were shot by an en-.
| Egineering platoon of an engineering
battalion of the 1st SIS Adolf Hitlel
Panzer Division"
Officers Ordered Killed.
Of the other seven prisoners VIII,
volunteered information on atroci
ties three admitted they had killed
civilians under orders from of1cer.
and one said he had burned dowr
the barn at Parfondruy with tn,
help OF paratrooper.
AS result Of the slaughter o.
Belgian civilians and American
troops In the Malmedy- -Stavelo
area Yanks who later cracked intt
the Elite 1st SS Armored Division
fought with a vindictive hate lackinf
on other battlefields.
In a series of savage battles NOR,
than so per cent Of the division wal
wiped out and the division itself /,
no longer potent fighting outfit.
One German officer complained X
an American major.
do you really believe all tn,
propaganda against Himmler ane
Hitler?" he asked. do your mer
regard our SIS panzer divisions as /
bunch Of criminals and gangsters?'
The major answered both ques.
tions in the affirmative and the per.
formance Of the American Army
against Hitler's IS troops shows 4
knows how to deal with them.
Make the sweet bye and bye, thu
aWAnk kAna ana nM~-n nsas>aAnpk tIsH