Jochen Peiper: Battle Commander, SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler
19. Apr 2019
A different look at a man history condemned
This book look at several aspects of the way Peiper the spearhead commander of the Ardennes offensive was treated after the war. While I do not condone the actions of his men in that battle it is easy to sit back and “ armchair “ quarterback the whole situation. Most people were not there and can not say what happened but this book does show both sides trending towards sympathy towards Peiper. I do believe the author falls into the trap of idolizing the figure studied, but you can’t blame a true historian of military science as Peiper was a brilliant battlefield commander that can teach us all a lesson in leadership under stress. I recommend this book as a career military man and as a doctoral candidate I think it’s a good alternative read to most cookie cutter books out there on ww2 history