Early Life and Family
Peiper was born on 30 January 1915 into a middle class family from the Silesian region of Germany and Poland. His father Captain Waldemar Peiper was in the German Imperial Army and fought in the colonial campaigns in East Africa. He was awarded the military cross in 1904, wounded several times and became infected with malaria. When World War I broke out, his father resumed service and was sent to Turkey. In 1915, however, cardiac troubles resulting from his exposure to malaria forced him to retire from active duty. After the war, he joined the Freikorps and took part in the Silesian Uprisings.
Peiper had two brothers, Hans-Hasso and Horst. Hans-Hasso attempted suicide but was left in a vegetative state. He died of tuberculosis in 1942. Peiper pursued a normal academic education at Goethe Oberrealschule but did not obtain the grades needed to continue to university. In 1926, Peiper followed his other brother Horst and joined the Scout movement. It was during this time that he developed an interest in a military career. Peiper’s brother Horst joined the SS, eventually reaching the rank of Hauptsturmführer. Horst participated in the Battle of France with the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf before being transferred to Poland, where he died in an accident.
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