| Original caption: “American soldiers, stripped of all equipment, lie dead, face down in the slush of a crossroads somewhere on the western front. Note the bare feet of the soldier in the foreground. Captured German photograph.” 2 dead American soldiers at a road intersection in Honsfeld, Belgium, close to the German border at Losheimergraben, December 17, 1944. German soldiers commonly looted captured American soldiers and their equipment due to constant shortages of German equipment and material. A total of 22 soldiers of the 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion died in Honsfeld on December 17, 1944. At least 7 of these, according to accounts of witnesses, had not surrendered but were killed in combat. 2 of the 3 medics attached to the battalion were carried off by Kampfgruppe Peiper on that day; they have never been found and must be assumed to have perished. All told, at least 6 American soldiers were shot down in cold blood after surrendering in Honsfeld on December 17, 1944. A mass grave of American soldiers was exhumed on February 5, 1945, containing both those that died in combat and also were executed after surrendering. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0340.jpg |
| Image Size | 933.93 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2310 x 2892 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Kriegsberichter |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 16, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Ardennes |
| State or Province | Wallonia |
| Country | Belgium |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-198245 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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