VICTORY WAS BEYOND THEIR GRASP: With the 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division from the Huertgen Forest to the Heart of the Reich

1-228290

New, revised edition.

Often confused with the Volkssturm (Home Guard militia), Volks-Grenadier Divisions have suffered an undeserved reputation as second-rate formations, filled with young boys and old men suited to serve only as cannon fodder. VGDs were conceived as a new, elite corps loyal to the National Socialist Party composed of men from all branches of Hitler's Wehrmacht and equipped with the finest ground combat weapons available.

Whether fighting from defensive positions or spearheading offensives such as the Battle of the Bulge, VGDs initially gave a good account of themselves in battle. Using previously unpublished unit records, Allied intelligence and interrogation reports and above all interviews with survivors, the author has crafted an in-depth look at a late-war German infantry company, including many photographs from the veterans themselves. In this book we follow along with the men of the 272nd VGD's Fusilier Company from their first battles in the Huertgen Forest to their final defeat in the Harz Mountains. Along the way we learn the enormous potential of VGDs . . . and feel their soldiers' heartbreak at their failure.