Canadian and Waffen-SS troops of 12 SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend
faced one another in a series of bloody battles following the D-Day
landings of June 1944. The Canadian units were drawn from a number of
distinguished regiments, while the Hitlerjugend Division were drawn
from the ranks of the Hitler Youth organizations. Officers and NCOs were
joined by inexperienced teenagers, and clashed with the Canadians
repeatedly, notably at Authie, Bretteville, and Hill 168. The struggle
quickly took on an especially bitter nature, fueled by the massacre of
Canadian prisoners by Hitlerjugend personnel.
Employing first-hand accounts and the latest research, as well as
specially commissioned artwork and carefully selected archive
photographs, this absorbing study investigates the origins, ethos,
training, fighting techniques, and weapons of both sides during the epic
struggle for Normandy.