HENRI-CHAPELLE, LIÈGE PROVINCE, BELGIUM – DECEMBER 23, 1944 Three German soldiers – Manfred Pernass, Günther Billing, and Wilhelm Schmidt – were executed in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. All three were members of the special unit Einheit Stielau, which was formed as part of Operation Greif, a secret German operation led by Waffen-SS officer Otto Skorzeny during the Battle of the Bulge. Pernass was an Unteroffizier, Billing an Oberfähnrich and naval communications officer, and Schmidt a Gefreiter. At the time of their execution, Pernass was 23 years old, Billing was 21, and Schmidt was 24.
Their mission was to infiltrate behind American lines wearing captured American uniforms, using an American vehicle and forged identification documents, and to carry out reconnaissance, sabotage, and other operations. The three reached the vicinity of Aywaille, where they were stopped at an American checkpoint on December 17, 1944. The soldiers were unable to give the correct password, and a subsequent inspection revealed their true identities, forged documents, and German equipment.
A U.S. military tribunal subsequently found them guilty of espionage and sentenced them to death. Their case was based primarily on the fact that they were operating in enemy uniforms and impersonating American soldiers. Following the verdict, they were shot by a U.S. Army firing squad on December 23, 1944, in Henri-Chapelle. Before the execution, American military police escorted them to the execution site, tied them to posts, and blindfolded them.
The execution was captured on film and in photographs by American military cameramen. It was the first of several groups of German commandos to be sentenced to death by American military courts during the Battle of the Bulge for operating in American uniforms.
