Kurt Meyer ( 23 December 1910 – 23 December 1961 ) was an SS commander and war criminal of Nazi Germany . In World War II , he served in the Waffen-SS , the combat branch of the SS , and participated in the Battle of France , Operation Barbarossa , and other engagements . Meyer commanded the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend during the Allied invasion of Normandy and was a recipient of the Knight 's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords . Having ordered the mass murder of civilians and prisoners of war ( POWs ) several times during the conflict , Meyer was convicted of war crimes for his role in the Ardenne Abbey massacre , the murder of Canadian POWs in Normandy . He was sentenced to death ; the sentence was later commuted to life in prison . Meyer was one of the last German war criminals to be released from prison
Ardenne Abbey massacre
Ardenne Abbey massacre
Kurt Meyer