12.ϟϟ-Panzerdivision „Hitlerjugend“

SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 (Ardenne Abbey)

SS-Panzergrenadier of the Hitlerjugend (Calva)

MG 42 machine gunner of the Hitlerjugend (Ardenne Abbey)

During the fighting in Normandy, the 12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend proved to be implacable foes to both the British and the Canadians, repeatedly blunting ground commander Bernard Montgomery's offensives, fighting with skill and a degree of determination well beyond the norm. These young volunteer soldiers held their positions in the trenches tenaciously, defying all attacks by the enemy who was so very superior in numbers and materials. Together they fought on despite huge disadvantages, namely constant Allied air attack, highly destructive naval gunfire and a chronic lack of combat supplies and replacements of men and equipment. According to Professor Emeritus of History and author George H. Stein the Hitlerjugend losses during the fighting in Normandy, in the three months from June to September 1944, amounted to 80% of its troops, over 80% of its tanks, 70% of its armored vehicles, 60% of its artillery and 50% of its motor vehicles. The vehicle insignia of the division was a skeleton-key, dietrich in German, in a shield chosen after the Corps commander Josef Sepp Dietrich with the addition of the single Siegrunen of the Hitlerjugend movement. Credit: Saunders and Hone. Top image: SS-Schütze Sepp Bund, MG-42 Gunner Klaus Schuh and Günther Hamel being awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for actions on June 9 1944. Both Bund and Schuh were killed in action on June 26 1944 near Cheux. Only Hamel made it out alive. They were all born in 1926. Photo by SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo on June 12 1944 in the orchard of the Ardenne Abbey near Caen, command post of SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer's SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25. Credit: Karl Mensburg. Commons: Bundesarchiv. Middle image: an unidentified SS-Sturmmann of the Hitlerjugend in Calvados in June 1944. Credit: Jiří Macháček. Bottom image: another unidentified youngster of the Hitlerjugend outside the monastery walls of Ardenne Abbey in July 1944. He is carrying an MG-42 configured as a light support weapon. American G.I.s called the MG-42 Hitler's buzz saw because of the way it cut down troops in swaths. Photo by Wilfried Woscidlo. These photos displays the wide vareity of camouflage uniforms used by the Waffen-SS. Not only was the SS one of the original organizations to implement military issued camouflage, but it was unequivocably the most prolific developer and user of camouflage designs during World War II. Commons: Bundesarchiv.