12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend

12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend Volume 2 - From Operation Goodwood to April 1945 Format:Paperback Dimensions:8" x 10" Pages:128 Photos:B&W and color illustrations Publisher:Casemate ISBN:9781636243146 Item No. 9781636243146 Formed in 1943 with the express purpose of blocking the forthcoming Allied invasion in the West, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend carved out a reputation as one of the Wehrmacht’s foremost panzer divisions, as witnessed by its tenacious defense of Caen following the Allied invasion of Normandy.The British Operation Goodwood against Caen in July 1944 was followed by Totalize in August, which bypassed Caen and attacked the Hitlerjugend positions. Within a week thousands of German troops were encircled in the Falaise Pocket. Around ten thousand Hitlerjugend soldiers escaped piecemeal, regrouping to fight in the battles along the Maas and the ill-fated Ardennes offensive of December