The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division

by Hubert Meyer

This defining work on Hitler's elite fanatical boy soldiers details the creation and training of these teenage warriors and their baptism of fire in the Normandy campaign in World War II. Written by the division's former chief of staff, Volume 1 details all aspects of the division's history with a balanced mix of tactical and strategic accounts.

584 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2021

Reviews

[Deckmaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly detailed account of the famous 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend. The Author was the first General Staff officer of said division and has done quite the meticulous job acquiring all kind of information about the organisation, training and combat operations of the young soldiers of the who constituted this famed combat unit. Mind you the book is fact heavy but there are a lot of personal entries from people who fought and bled on the battlefields of Normandy.

This volume ends with the end of Operation Goodwood and the start of Operation Cobra. The second one I'm currently reading concerns the last battles in Normandy, the Ardennes offensive and Operation Spring awakening in Hungary.

All in all I recommend it to anyone with keen interest in the Normandy campaign in general and in the Waffen SS in particular. Top book.