![]() Peiper's unit gained the nickname the "Blowtorch Battalion" as a result. This tactic often set the building's straw roofs on fire and contributed to panic among enemy troops. ![]() He developed the tactic of attacking enemy-held villages by night from all sides while advancing in his armored half-tracks at full speed, firing at every building. On, Peiper was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold for his achievements in February 1943. The Soviets alleged that the Germans set fire to two villages and massacred their inhabitants during Peiper's attack. Peiper ordered his men back behind the Soviet lines to find another exit, and they managed to return to the German lines with few casualties. ![]() The repaired bridge, however, would not support the unit's heavy-armored half-tracks and assault guns. His unit fought through the city and repaired the bridge, securing an exit route for the ambulances back to the German lines. Leading the ambulances back to the German lines, he found his route blocked by a Soviet ski battalion that had destroyed the main bridge across the Udy River. ![]() During the Third Battle of Kharkov, Peiper led the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Panzergrenadier Regiment which broke 48 kilometres (30 mi) through Soviet lines to rescue the encircled 320th Infantry Division. ![]()
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