Third Battle of Kharkov
During his career with Himmler, Peiper witnessed implementation of SS policies of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Eastern Europe; he persistently denied or obfuscated this fact following the war. Transferred to a combat role, Peiper served in the SS Division Leibstandarte on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, commanding first a battalion and then a regiment. He fought in the Third Battle of Kharkov and in the Battle of the Bulge. Peiper's command became known for atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war.