Who Is Joachim Peiper? Age, Biography and Wiki
Joachim Peiper, who would have turned 110 in 2025, is often remembered for his role during the Second World War. His biography is marked by his leadership in the Waffen-SS and his notable involvement in incidents like the Malmedy Massacre. Peiper’s actions led to his trial and conviction for war crimes after the war, but he has remained a controversial figure in discussions surrounding military history and ethics.
Occupation | Murderers |
---|---|
Date of Birth | January 30, 1915 |
Age | 61 Years |
Birth Place | Wilmersdorf, German Empire |
Horoscope | Aquarius |
Country | France |
Date of death | 14 July, 1976 |
Died Place | Traves, Haute-Saône, France |
Popularity
Joachim Peiper's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific physical statistics are not typically a focus for historical figures, documentation suggests that Peiper stood at approximately 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and had a military build reflective of his time as a soldier. Unfortunately, no current data exists regarding his weight and body measurements—an area less commonly recorded in historical contexts.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Joachim Peiper was married to a woman named Leni Peiper, and the couple had two children. Their relationship endured through Peiper's trials and tribulations during and after the war. Presently, as Peiper has passed, discussions around his family primarily revolve around their experiences in the aftermath of his controversial legacy.
His father, Woldemar Peiper, had served as an officer in the Imperial German Army and fought in the 1904 campaign in German South West Africa. He later contracted malaria and received a severe wound which demobilised him from active duty in German Africa. In 1907 Woldemar resumed active duty in the Prussian army.
He rejoined the colours in the First World War and was for a time deployed to Ottoman Turkey, where he suffered chronic cardiac problems consequent to the previous malarial infection. Poor health then demobilised Woldemar from active duty in Asia Minor.
Net Worth and Salary
Although Joachim Peiper is not a figure known for contemporary earnings or investments, estimates regarding his net worth and income during his lifetime fluctuate due to his military pensions and post-war endeavors. However, contemporary estimations of historical figures do not retain relevance regarding consistent, reliable earnings or salary figures as found in active celebrities.
Career, Business and Investments
Peiper's career, primarily as an SS officer, has overshadowed any business or investments he pursued post-war. After his release from prison, he worked as a car salesman and later relocated to France, where he lived a relatively quiet life until his death. Historical significance rather than financial acumen defines Peiper; thus, his contributions remain largely limited to military history rather than entrepreneurial ventures.
During the European interwar period, Woldemar joined a company of mercenary soldiers within the paramilitary Freikorps and actively participated in suppressing the Polish Silesian Uprisings (August 1919–July 1921) which aimed to annex German Silesia to the Second Polish Republic.
In the Weimar Germany of the 1920s, the antisemitic canards of Nazi ideology – the Stab-in-the-back myth, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, The International Jew, et cetera – had much appeal to the political conservatives and to the political reactionaries such as the Freikorps mercenary soldier Woldemar Peiper who were angry that Imperial G
ermany had lost the Great War.
Social Network
Given the historical context of Joachim Peiper, social networking was quite different during his lifetime. The absence of modern communication platforms means any engagement with social networks today would only reflect on historical discussions, documentaries, and scholarly articles regarding his life and actions.
As adjutant to Himmler, Peiper witnessed the SS implement the Holocaust with ethnic cleansing and genocide of Jews in Eastern Europe; facts that he obfuscated and denied in the post-War period.
As a tank commander, Peiper served in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) on the Eastern Front and on the Western Front, first as a battalion commander and then as a regimental commander.
Peiper fought in the Third Battle of Kharkov and in the Battle of the Bulge, from which battles his eponymous battle group – Kampfgruppe Peiper – became notorious for committing war crimes against civilians and PoWs.
Education
While specific details surrounding Joachim Peiper's education are scant, it is known that he pursued a military career early on. He graduated from the prestigious SS-Junkerschule, which prepared him for leadership roles within the Nazi regime. His military training played a critical role in shaping his strategic capabilities during the war.
On 23 January 1934, he was promoted to SS-Mann (SS Identity Card Nr. 132.496), which made Peiper an "SS Man" before the Schutzstaffel was independent of the Sturmabteilung (SA) within the Nazi Party.
Later that year, Peiper was promoted to SS-Sturmmann at the 1934 Nuremberg Rally, where his reputation attracted the notice of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, for whom Peiper personified Aryanism, the master-race concept promoted by the Nazism taught at the SS officer school.
Despite not being as tall, blond, and muscular as the Nordic recruits to the SS, Peiper compensated by being a handsome, personable, and self-confident SS officer.