TOP W-SS Photo Album – SS-Pz.-Gren.-Rgt 2 “LSSAH” – Oct 1944 – Kampfgruppe Peiper / Tomhardt Malmedy

Provenance: Personal-made album, likely compiled by Hans Brückner (?), based on names and notes contained inside.
Unit: 11. Kompanie / SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2, 1. SS-Panzer-Division “Adolf Hitler”
Timeframe: Primarily October 1944, photographed in Venne shortly before the Ardennes Offensive.

Content & Highlights

• Small album with 28x photographs of which numerous high-quality, sharp, with detailed captions.

• Shows officers, NCOs, and group scenes from 11./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 “LAH” — nearly all names are written in the album, providing rare and precise identification.

• Two photographs include Obersturmführer Heinz Tomhardt.

• Also one of the photographs shows Alwin Schlüter, a veteran that later also wrote his memoirs in a book (Veteranen der Waffen-SS Berichten).

Historical Context: Heinz Tomhardt & Malmedy

• Heinz Tomhardt (SS-Obersturmführer, b. 1921 – d. 1946) was a company commander in SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2.

• He served under Kampfgruppe Peiper during the Ardennes Offensive (December 1944).

• After the war, Tomhardt was implicated in the Malmedy Massacre, in which American POWs and civilians were murdered by elements of Kampfgruppe Peiper near Baugnez crossroads. He was sentenced to death at Dachau in 1946, later commuted to life imprisonment.

• His appearance in this album adds a direct and rare connection to one of the most infamous war crimes of WWII.

Significance

• This album documents men and moments from a frontline SS-Panzergrenadier company just weeks before their participation in the Ardennes Offensive, making it a unique primary source.

• The connection to Kampfgruppe Peiper, the naming of individuals, and the inclusion of Tomhardt photographs greatly enhance the historical importance.

• Once-in-a-lifetime collector’s item — very few such intact, personalized albums have survived.

Condition

• As seen in photos: compact, personal-sized album with period handwriting and annotations.

• Photographs remain crisp with strong contrast; captions are legible.