Changes

The movie focuses on Colonel Hessler, commander of the SS Panzer brigade that is in the forefront of the German offensive. The character Hessler was played by the British actor Robert Shaw, who dyed his black hair blond for the role. In reality, there was no Colonel Hessler but the character is based on Joachim Peiper one of the most important Nazi commanders in the Ardennes. However, Peiper was still alive in 1965 and he did not want his role in the battle to be shown and he threatened the movie makers with a libel suit. The producers then decided to change the name of Peiper, to Hessler , but the character is still meant to represent Pieper. The name change saved the producers from a libel case <ref> Whiteclay and Cuthbert, p. 134</ref>. What is perhaps inexplicable is the fact that the German commander's real role in the Malmedy massacre is not shown and he is even exonerated of any involvement in the outrage. Men under his command in the movie were responsible for the killing of 90 American G.I.s who had surrendered and were in transit to prison camps in Germany<ref> Parker, p. 123</ref>. In the movie, Robert Shaw’s character, who is based on Peiper, is shown as surprised and angered by the killings of the G.Is by his men. This was not the case, Peiper had a long record of killing prisoners and he even ordered the cold-blooded murders of civilians during the offensive and was lucky to escape prosecution for war crimes. The character of Hessler did not represent the real Peiper or his role in the Battle of the Bulge and this is a major shortcoming of the movie.