https://goresee.com/videos/watch/12da4fbf-d168-4aec-980b-53f864fbf9d9 HENRI-CHAPELLE, PROVINCE OF LIEGE, 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, 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 (sergeant), Billing was an Oberfähnrich (officer cadet/ensign) and naval communications officer, and Schmidt was a Gefreiter (corporal). At the time of their execution, Pernass was 23, Billing 21, and Schmidt 24. Their mission was to infiltrate American lines wearing captured American uniforms, using an American vehicle and forged identity papers, 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 provide the correct password, and a subsequent inspection revealed their true identities, the forged documents, and the German equipment. A U.S. military tribunal subsequently found them guilty of espionage and sentenced them to death. Their case rested primarily on the fact that they were operating in enemy uniforms and impersonating American soldiers. Following the verdict, they were executed by a U.S. Army firing squad on December 23, 1944, in Henri-Chapelle. Before the execution, U.S. military police led them to the site, tied them to posts, and blindfolded them. The execution was filmed and photographed by U.S. military cameramen. It was the first of several groups of German commandos sentenced to death by U.S. military tribunals during the Battle of the Bulge for operating in U.S. uniforms. Wed, 11 Nov 2026 22:33:27 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://goresee.com https://goresee.com/lazy-static/avatars/8a2d859c-3edb-47ea-baa2-45e71cb804dc.png https://goresee.com/videos/watch/12da4fbf-d168-4aec-980b-53f864fbf9d9 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://goresee.com/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.