Josef " Sepp " Dietrich ( 28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966 ) was a German politician and SS commander during the Nazi era . He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was elected to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic in 1930 . Prior to 1929 , Dietrich was Adolf Hitler 's chauffeur and bodyguard . He received rapid promotions in the SS after his participation in the extrajudicial executions of political opponents during the 1934 purge known as the Night of the Long Knives . Despite having no formal staff officer training , Dietrich was , along with Paul Hausser , the highest-ranking officer in the Waffen-SS , the paramilitary branch of the SS . Reaching the rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer , he commanded units up to army level during World War II . As commanding officer of the 6th Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge , Dietrich bore responsibility for the Malmedy massacre , the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in December 1944 . After the war , Dietrich was convicted of war crimes at the Malmedy massacre trial , conducted by the U.S. military tribunal , and later in West Germany for his involvement in the 1934 purge . Upon his release from the U.S. prison , he became active in HIAG , a lobby group established by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel . Dietrich died in 1966
Malmedy massacre
Malmedy massacre
Sepp Dietrich