SS, Kampfgruppe  Peiper of the 1st SS Division, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (German  for "Adolf Hitlers Bodyguard Regiment") that was responsible for  the Malmedy massacre of American prisoners depicted in the film.  After the War, he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to  death. The sentence was commuted by the American Occupation Force as  the trial had been fraught with illegalities, and he served only 11  years in prison, despite having perpetrated war