Saturday, December 16, 1944
On 16 December 1944, Kampfgruppe Peiper—the spearhead formation of 1. SS-Panzer-Division ‘Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler’—awaited the commencement of the Ardennes Offensive from its staging area near Blankenheim.
As the vanguard element of 6. Panzerarmee, Peiper’s mechanised force was tasked with exploiting the anticipated breakthrough by 12. Volksgrenadier-Division, which would engage the American 99th Infantry Division’s positions, before advancing westward towards the Meuse (Thomas, 2012; Pallud, 1987).
| Time | Location / Event | Details & Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Attack (since Nov 18) | Kaiserhaus Forest House (Route 51) | Units slotted into their assigned positions in the march column and waited at the Kaiserhaus Forest House along German Route 51. (Agte 1999) |
| Pre-Dawn | Blankenheim Forest | The Kampfgruppe moved from its assembly zone in the Blankenheim forest to the immediate departure zone behind the front sector. (Pallud 1986) |
| 02 h 00 | I. SS-Panzer-Korps / Higher HQs | I. SS-Panzer-Korps reported the completion of the approach march to the 6. SS-Panzer-Armee; many men were highly excited during the ice-cold night. (Agte 1999) |
| 05 h 30 | Ardennes Front | An artillery bombardment signaled the start of the Ardennes Offensive. (Agte 1999) |
| 08 h 00 | Forward Assembly behind 12. VGD | Peiper’s units were placed immediately behind the 12. Volks-Grenadier-Division, tasked to advance to Büllingen once the breakthrough was achieved, opening attack route D. (Agte 1999) |
| Daytime (Halt) | Losheim / Losheimergraben | 12. VGD was delayed—taking Losheim only after considerable fighting—and failed to capture the Losheimergraben railroad station (Buchholz). Peiper waited at the division command post for the order to move. (Agte 1999) |
| 14 h 30 | Losheimergraben (Destroyed Railway Bridge) | Peiper arrived at the destroyed railway bridge east of Losheimergraben; the column was caught in a massive traffic jam. He ordered a bypass over the embankment and rails. (Pallud 1986) |
| 16 h 30 | Order to Move Out | Peiper received the order to bring the Panzergruppe into action. (Agte 1999) |
| Shortly thereafter | West of Scheid (Demolished Bridge) | The column reached a point ~1 km west of Scheid where a bridge had been demolished; engineers of 12. VGD were unable to repair it. (Agte 1999) |
| Evening / Toward Sundown | Railway Embankment & Ravine (near Losheimergraben) | The group skidded down the railway embankment and crossed the steep ravine a few meters from the railway bridge; the crossing was completed toward sundown—effectively the embankment bypass of the obstacle. (Agte 1999; Pallud 1986) |
| Evening / Night | Losheimergraben | The Panzergruppe reached Losheimergraben, which was under heavy artillery fire. (Agte 1999) |
| Late Evening | Losheim (Main Road) | The Kampfgruppe arrived on the main road near Losheim. (Pallud 1986) |
| 22 h 00 | Losheim | The heavy tank battalion (s. SS-Pz. Abt. 501), closing the rear of the column, arrived in Losheim. (Pallud 1986) |
| Night (Route Change) | Hüllscheid (Minefield) | Corps HQ ordered a swing west to Lanzerath instead of the original route; while turning into Hüllscheid, lead tanks struck an uncleared German minefield and lost two Panthers. (Agte 1999) |
| Before Midnight / Toward Midnight | Lanzerath | The Kampfgruppe reached Lanzerath just before midnight, having already lost vehicles to minefields; FJR 9 reported heavy resistance from the Büllinger Forest, and Peiper was ordered to use attached Fallschirmjäger to break that resistance the next morning. (Pallud 1986; Agte 1999) |
As the offensive commenced, Kampfgruppe Peiper moved out from Blankenheim, Germany, beginning its advance westward into Belgium.
| Unit | Type | Tactical No. | Commander | Role/Status | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stab I./SS-PzRgt 1 | Panther | 151 | Werner Poetschke | Battalion command tank | Cited in notes; page to confirm | Uploaded notes |
| 1./SS-PzRgt 1 | Panther | UNK-1-01 | Placeholder pending archival/source confirmation | — | ||
| 1./SS-PzRgt 1 | Panther | UNK-1-02 | Placeholder pending archival/source confirmation | — | ||
| 1./SS-PzRgt 1 | Panther | UNK-1-03 | Placeholder pending archival/source confirmation | — | ||
| 1./SS-PzRgt 1 | Panther | UNK-1-04 | Placeholder pending archival/source confirmation | — | ||
| 1./SS-PzRgt 1 | Panther | UNK-1-05 | Placeho
|