Army Facebook post featuring Nazi war criminal sparks pushback

The post appeared on the verified Facebook page of the XVIII Airborne Corps — which fought in the monthlong battle between Allied and German forces in 1944 — and featured a prominent photo of Joachim Peiper, a Nazi SS-Standartenführer, roughly equivalent to a colonel.

Peiper, who led thousands of men in Germany’s last major offensive, was convicted of war crimes for a massacre of U.S. prisoners of war during the battle.

The post was followed by a description of Peiper’s mission during the battle — although it didn’t mention his role in what became known as the Malmedy Massacre.