 Sepp Dietrich, in charge of the Sixth Panzer Army, had charged his best colonel, Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper, commander of a Kampfgruppe from 1st SS Panzer Division, with leading the push to Antwerp.Peiper led a composite kampfgruppe built around the 1st SS Panzer Regiment (SSLAH), reconnaissance, infantry and associated elements of the LAH Division and 501st Schwere Panzer Abteilung, equipped with a mix of Tiger and King Tiger tanks.The unit finally arrived in Lanzerath just after midnight, having been delayed 12 hours by horrendous road traffic, blown bridges, and ultimately the tenacious defense of the American soldiers.