In 1943, Germany needed to raise a fighting force to repace losses at Stalingrad. It was hoped that volunteers would come forth to fill the ranks of the new SS panzer division 'Hitlerjungend'. Some would come from other units, but the majority was expected to be new recruits. Not surprising was a lack of the sort of response that was hoped. Still, it was a start and the ranks could be filled eventually. They were, like most SS units, provided with the best there was and given the job of holding back the expected invasion of France. Their task was to hold the town of Caen.

Once the invasion was underway, this division was ready. They fought against Montgomery's units and were quite successful in stemming the British onslaught. Their bravery and tactics were such that it wasn't until six weeks after Montgomery tried to take the city that the 12th SS panzer division was finally so reduced that they could no longer hold out and were retired from the battleground.

This is basically the story of the battle for Caen and starts with the formation of the division until its withdrawl from this battle. The author has provided pretty much a day to day history of this event, spiced up with first person recollections of those who were there as well as archival information gleaned from unit records on both sides.

The book is superbly illustrated with photos taken during the battle as well as some nicely done maps and charts to help provide a greater understanding of the battles. Like other books in Casemate's Illustrated series, this one is a great read and most highly recommended.

September 2022

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