12th SS PANZER DIVISION HITLERJUGEND: Volume 1 - From Formation to the Battle of Caen

1-235331

Casemate Illustrated edition is a fully illustrated account of the infamous 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, from their formation through to the four battles fierce battles for Caen. Includes 150 photographs and maps.

The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was formed in 1943 from members of the Hitler Youth who had been born in 1926, primarily as an emergency response force in France to repel the expected Allied invasion from the sea. Training was initially haphazard due to lack of equipment, however in March 1944 it was attached to I SS Panzer Corps and transferred to Normandy. Based around Caen, it was intended to repel a possible and expected invasion from the sea. When the invasion came in June, it was one of the two closest panzer divisions to the landing beaches, engaging Allied paratroopers at dawn. Once the Allied bridgehead was established, Hitlerjugend deployed to Caen.