Joachim Peiper - The Eastern Front and Return To France

The Eastern Front and Return To France

In February 1941, Himmler told Peiper about the German plan, Operation Barbarossa, to invade the Soviet Union. The operation began on 22 June 1941. Behind the front lines, the Einsatzgruppen, under the control of the SS-Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich Main Security Office), conducted a war against "the Untermenschen", murdering communists, Jews, gypsies and partisans. Peiper's duties as first adjutant included providing Himmler with statistics from the Einsatzgruppen units about the mass killings on the Eastern Front.

During the later summer of 1941, Werner Grothmann became Himmler's first adjutant. Although Peiper was transferred to a combat unit, he remained in close contact with Himmler. In their ongoing correspondence through to the end of the war, Himmler addressed Peiper as “my dear Jochen”.

Although no longer Himmler's official first adjutant, Peiper continued to write in Himmler’s diary until mid-September 1941. Peiper may have been dispatched to the LSSAH earlier as an observer for the Reichsführer-SS, but available records show that he formally transferred to the LSSAH before October 1941. When he rejoined the LSSAH, it was engaged on the Eastern Front near the Black Sea. Peiper spent several days at its headquarters when an injury to a unit commander gave Peiper an opportunity to take command of the 11th Company.

The 11th Company fought at Mariupol and Rostov-on-Don. Peiper was noted for his fighting spirit, although his unit suffered high casualties as a consequence of his aggressive tactics. The company killed a number of prisoners of war, a practice in which both the Soviets and Germans were known to engage.

During its combat action, the LSSAH was followed by Einsatzgruppe D, responsible for organising the extermination of Jews and communists. Einsatzgruppe D continued its operations even when winter weather suspended active military operations. It shared the same winter quarters at Taganrog on the Azov Sea as the LSSAH and, on occasion, the division assisted Einsatzgruppe D with its operations.

In May 1942, Peiper learned of the death of his brother Hans-Hasso. During the same month, the LSSAH was transferred to France for rest and refit. En route to France, Peiper left his unit and met with Himmler at his headquarters on 1 June. The meeting included a dinner attended by Reichsführer-SS secretary Rudolf Brandt and Heinz Lammerding, a member of the staff headquarters SS Totenkopf division. In July 1942, Peiper again met with Himmler and did not rejoin his battalion until August 1942.

During its stay in France, the LSSAH was reorganised into a Panzergrenadier division and Peiper was promoted to commander of its 3rd Battalion. Peiper took advantage of the unit's time in France to recruit young officers who matched his attitude and willingness to fight. At the end of 1942, Peiper received permission to visit his family. On 30 January 1943, he was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the German situation had seriously worsened, especially in the battle for Stalingrad. Peiper’s battalion left its quarters in France on 31 January 1943 for Lyubotin, near Kharkov. It was immediately dispatched to the front.