Pentagon praises Nazi war criminal on anniversary of World War II battle

The Department of Defense and two units within the U.S. Army posted a tribute to a Nazi war criminal on Monday, which was the 75th anniversary of World War II’s Battle of the Bulge.

The Battle of the Bulge was the last gasp from Adolph Hitler’s Nazi war machine before its ultimate defeat at the hands of the Allied Forces, which ended the Atlantic phase of World War II.

The Facebook post featured a photo of Joachim Peiper, a German commander who ordered the massacre of 84 American prisoners of war during the battle. The actions, called the Malmedy massacre, were a war crime. The post accompanying the photo noted, “The fate of his beloved nation rested on his ability to lead his men.”

The post was shared by the Department of Defense, the XVIII Airborne Corps of the Army, and the Army’s 10th Mountain Division on their respective Facebook pages.

“I am dumbfounded by the decision to prominently display a Nazi on military social media on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge,” wrote Lt. Col. Brian Fickel, an Army public affairs officer.

After his post the Defense Department and the Mountain Division deleted their posts, while the XVIII Airborne Corps removed Peiper’s photo from their story.

The XVIII  Airborne Corps defended the post, writing, “Sometimes in movies, the movie will create a sense of tension by introducing a bad guy.” The official page added that “it is a technique of effective storytelling.”

There have been several recent developments revealing connections between the military and racist and fascist groups.

The military recently launched an investigation into cadets attending the Army-Navy game flashing “white power” hand signs.

In December, the Army football program stopped selling merchandise that used the motto of the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood gang.

In March, seven members of the military were identified as members of the white supremacist group Identity Evropa.

Donald Trump, who in his role as president also holds the title of commander-in-chief of the U.S. military, referred to neo-Nazis protesting in Charlottesville, Virginia, as “very fine people,” and when criticized for it claimed that he responded “perfectly” to the issue.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.