WWII
Division: Normandy, France – 1944

The 12th SS Panzer Division or Hitlerjugend Division (Hitler Youth) was a mechanized division of the Waffen SS unit known as “breaking” the enemy lines. Its main feature was to be formed primarily by soldiers born in 1926, former members of Hitler Youth, while the officers were generally veterans of the Eastern Front. Aware that the Division should be ready for combat as quickly as possible, their commander Gen. Fritz Witt ignored some orders and regulations, focusing on training in realistic combat scenarios and live fire exercises. The result is that the morale of the men of the Hitler was exceptionally high and their relationship with the officers and sergeants was quite informal, but based on mutual respect and loyalty.

In March 1944, with about 20,500 men, Hitlerjugend was deemed ready for active service and was ordered to move to the region of Caen in Normandy, where he would be part of the 1st SS Panzer Corps. The Division was equipped with 81 Panther tanks, 104 tanks Panzer IV, Jagdpanzer IV fighter tanks, armored anti-aircraft Wirbelwind, Wespe and Hummel self-propelled guns and several smaller vehicles for troop transport, reconnaissance and command.

On June 6, when the Allies launched Operation Overlord (D Day), landing on the beaches of Normandy, the 12th German SS unit was the closest to the enemy. In moving toward the beach called “Sword” and “Juno” was severely attacked by Allied bombers that caused delays in the movement of armored enough to take them the element of surprise. With three mechanized infantry battalions and two companies of tanks, General Kurt Meyer had orders to stop the advancement of Canadian troops in that sector, preparing them to an ambush south of Franqueville. With his men maintaining excellent tactical discipline and showing great courage to attack the 12th SS took Canadians disorganized, forcing them to retreat with the battalion Authie Meyer in pursuit. The Hitlerjugend took the towns of Authie and Franqueville, and captured about 150 soldiers of the regiment of Highlanders in Nova Scotia and the crews of the 27th Tank Regiment. Despite the ferocity of the counter-attacks of the 12th SS in the whole battle front on his own responsibility, the Division failed to fail to push the Allies back to the beach.

Fighting in a narrow defensive perimeter on the outskirts of Caen, the remains of the 12th SS was suffering like the rest of the German Army, with a shortage of ammunition, supplies and fuel. Even with all the difficulties the members of this valiant unit would continue fighting in the Normandy region in September 1944 until losing in the period between about 12,000 men killed, wounded or missing. After a brief rest and replenishment, the Division Hitlerjugend still would fight the U.S. Army at the Battle of the Bulge and the Army would face Reds near Budapest, Hungary. In 1944 the camouflage uniforms were already widely used by German Army units, though most with the status of elite troops. This Division of the Hitler soldier is wearing a jacket and pants with Italian camouflage pattern, with the helmet also covered with fabric in the same pattern. In the final period of the war was common to see German units using uniforms supplied by the Italians, since its crippled industrial capacity could no longer meet the demand of its military. He carries a machine gun MG 42, 7.92 mm, which was famous for its reliability, robustness, ease of handling, but mainly for their ability to produce and maintain an impressive volume of fire.