Norbert Szamveber | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

SS Armour in Normandy presents the combat history of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 and SS-Panzerjager-Abteilung 12 in the Battle for France from June to the end of August 1944 based on transcriptions of their original unit war diaries from the Military Historical Archive in Prague. Both armoured units belonged to the 12th SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend". The SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 was fully-equipped with Panzer IV and Panther tanks. The main AFV of the SS-Panzerjager-Abteilung 12 was the Jagdpanzer IV L/48 tank-destroyer.

Written and footnoted by the author based upon original wartime files in Prague that have remained almost unknown, the book starts with the story of the units' establishment and training in 1943/1944, including for example the shipments of equipment, order of battle and tactical numbers of the tanks. Also, a daily chronology of the combat actions is described in great detail, from the 12th SS-Panzer-Division traveling to the Caen sector to the Operation Totalize and withdrawal to the Seine River.

Documents from SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 presented in the book include the following: combat reports, list of knocked-out enemy tanks, German personnel and tank losses, combat orders, summary of acquired combat experiences and others.

This is an impressive look at tactical-level events and command decisions, highlighting the German armoured combat tactics which were able to stop Montgomery's Army Group from breaking through the German line for two months near Caen. In addition, the book has benefited from the contribution of rare information, photographs and documents from the archive of noted Waffen-SS historian Mark C. Yerger.