ϟϟ-Hauptsturmführer der Waffen-SS Wittmann

Michael Wittmann as SS-Obersturmführer during the Normandy campaign

Tiger ace Michael Wittmann in the cupola of Tiger n°231

Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101

During SS-Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann's (April 22 1914 – August 8 1944) many campaigns both on the Eastern front and in the West, Wittmann was to make a name for himself with his exceptional skill and bravery, and was highly respected both by friend and foe alike. While his skill had been recognised on the harsh battlefields on the Eastern Front, his exploits during the Normandy campaign of 1944 - and the famous assault of elements of the British 7th Armoured Division, during the Battle of Villers-Bocage on June 13 1944 - were to elevate him to the status of a legend. While in command of a single Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger, Wittmann destroyed up to 14 enemy tanks including Cromwells, Sherman Fireflys and M3 Stuart tanks and two 6-pounder anti-tank guns and several armoured Universal and Loyd Carriers and half-tracks in a very short time in and around Villers-Bocage. Michael Wittmann, nicknamed 'The Black Baron, is credited with the destruction of 138 tanks and 132 anti-tank guns, along with an unknown number of other armoured vehicles making him one of the worlds top scoring Panzer aces, together with Hauptmann Johannes Bölter (schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502), SS-Oberscharführer Ernst Barkmann (2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich), Lieutenant Otto Carius (schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502) and Feldwebel Kurt Knispel (12.Panzer-Division) who was the top scoring ace of World War II with 168, possibly as high as 195, tank kills. Michael Wittmann was killed aged 30 on August 8 1944 while taking part in a counterattack ordered by SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer of the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend to retake tactically important high ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. There is however considerable conflict surrounding the exact details of Wittmann's death. The unmarked field grave of Tiger n°007's crew was discovered in 1983. It was possible to identify the remains by Wittmann's dental records and his driver SS-Unterscharführer Heinrich Reimers identification tag. They were then reinterred together at the German war cemetery of La Cambe in France. Units: 1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101. Awards among others: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords. Here's a link to an interview with Michael Wittmann recorded by KB SS-Hauptscharführer Dieter Menninger shortly after the Villers-Bocage action on June 13 1944. Clip and screenshots: Michael Wittmann as SS-Obersturmführer shortly after the award of the Swords. The film was shot only a few weeks before he met his end in a fiery ambush in Normandy. Footage from Die Deutsche Wochenschau. FU.

ϟϟ-Untersturmführer der Waffen-SS Günther

Alfred Günther as SS-Hauptscharführer

Alfred Günther (April 25 1917 – June 15 1944) from Magdeburg in Sachsen joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1937 and commanded 3.Kompanie of SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1 of the Leibstandarte SS until 1943. He became the first member of the Assault Gun Battery to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Alfred Günther then joined the schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101 where he later came to command Tiger n°311. Each Panzerkampfwagen Tiger was given a three-figure turret number – the first signified the company, the second the platoon, and the third the individual vehicle number. Alfred Günther was killed aged 27 in Évrecy in Normandy when his tank received a direct hit by an aircraft bomb on June 15 1944. Most sources give his final rank as SS-Hauptscharführer, however a photograph exists of him wearing SS-Untersturmführer insignia during 1944. John P. Moore also gives his final rank as SS-Untersturmführer in the publication Führerliste der Waffen-SS. Alfred Günther is buried at the German war cemetery of La Cambe in France: Block 30 Row 8 grave 303. Image: Alfred Günther pictured here as a SS-Hauptscharführer after receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on March 3 1943. Photo by SS-Kriegsberichter Johan King. Credit: Bekors. Commons: Bundesarchiv.

Operation Wacht am Rhein – the Ardennes Counteroffensive (I)

German fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109 of Jagdgeschwader 1 Oesau

Ardennes Offensive/Battle of the Bulge

Waffen-SS Jagdpanzer IV/70 during the Ardennes Offensive

SS-Panzergrenadiers at Poteau

The Battle of the Bulge fought from December 16 1944 – January 25 1945, was the German offensive launched toward the end of World War II through the Ardennes Mountains region of Wallonia in Belgium. At 05.30 on December 16 1944 three German armies struck the Allied troops on an 80 kilometers wide front. For the Americans the Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle that they fought in World War II. The Wehrmacht's code name for the offensive was Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein after the German hymn. In the northern sector SS-Oberstgruppenführer Josef Dietrich's 6.SS-Panzerarmee assaulted Losheim Gap and Elsenborn Ridge in an effort to break through to Liège. It was entrusted with the offensive's primary objective, capturing Antwerpen. SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Prieß I.SS-Panzerkorps consisted of 1.SS-Panzer-Divison Leibstandarte SS, 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend and schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501. The 9.SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen was involved in the fighting around Bastogne, taking heavy casualties and losing much equipment to the incessant attacks of Allied ground attack aircraft. Casualty estimates for the battle vary widely. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, American forces suffered 89,500 casualties including 19,000 killed and 23,000 missing. The German High Command estimated that they lost 81,834, of which 12,652 were killed and 30,582 were missing. The German casualty reports and the historian Hermann Jung estimates a much lower rate of German casualties than the German High Command. Top image: a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 of Jagdgeschwader 1 with the III.Gruppe emblem pictured on an earlier occasion. The wing fought in the Battle of Bulge, despite the bad weather, the Luftwaffe attempted large-scale close air support missions to support the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. On December 18 1944 JG 1 was one of the few German wings to reach the battle area near Monschau and Malmedy. The decimated Luftwaffe provided very little assistance by late 1944 in Allied-dominated skies. Credit: Richard James Molloy. Commons: Bundesarchiv. Middle screenshot is believed to show a Jagdpanzer IV/70 from SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 12 of the Hitlerjugend. Its tank-destroyers were used with the support of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 when the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division positions guarding the first line defense trenches at Krinkelt-Rocherath villages were overrun on December 18 1944. There was heavy fighting that lasted the whole day, but the Hitlerjugend withdrew the next morning expecting reinforcements and supplies. Credit: Julius Jääskeläinen. Bottom screenshot: men of the Leibstandarte SS advancing past abandoned American equipment during the clashes in Poteau on December 18 1944. Credit: Royston Leonard. Screenshots from a captured SS-PK film. U.S. NARA.

ϟϟ-Hauptsturmführer der Waffen-SS von Ribbentrop

Rudolf von Ribbentrop as SS-Obersturmführer

Original SS-Division Hitlerjugend Cuff Title

At the start of World War II Rudolf von Ribbentrop, son of the German diplomat and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, enlisted as a recruit in SS-Standarte Deutschland. After the invasion of Poland and the Western Campaign von Ribbentrop was sent to SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig. He was commissioned on April 20 1941 as a SS-Untersturmführer and given command of a platoon in SS Nord Reconnaissance Battalion. Upon the invasion of Soviet Union, SS-Kampfgruppe Nord was sent to Finland where von Ribbentrop was to distinguish himself and was awarded the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty. After being wounded he was reassigned to the newly formed Panzerregiment of the Leibstandarte SS. During the retreat from Kharkov in Feb. 1943 von Ribbentrop was shot in the right shoulder blade and left shoulder. During the action, Soviet sniper wounded Ribbentrop through lung. He refused to be pulled back to a hospital, but instead went to rescue wounded soldiers. von Ribbetrop was awarded the Iron Cross First Class for his personal bravery in these battles. He then took command of 7.Kompanie (II./SS-PzRgt 1) during the recapture of Kharkov in March 1943. One month later he was awarded the Knight's Cross. von Ribbentrop was later transferred to the newly formed 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend and appointed commander of 3.Kompanie (I./SS-PzRgt 12). On June 3 1944 on the way to Le Neubourg, his car was attacked by a Spitfire, and von Ribbentrop was wounded for the fourth time. By June 9 1943, he was back in command of his company. During the defensive battles in Normandy, von Ribbentrop was awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Panzer Assault Badge. Following the breakout from the Falaise Gap, von Ribbentrop was made Regimental Adjutant to SS-Panzer-Regiment 12. It was in this capacity that he saw action during Op. Wacht Am Rhein. On Dec. 20 1944 he was wounded for the fifth time with a shell fragment in his mouth. He was awarded the Wound Badge in Gold, and was given command of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12, which he commanded until the Hitlerjugend surrendered to the Americans on May 8 1945. Rudolf von Ribbentrop is born on May 10 1921 in Wiesbaden and is still alive in 2011. Top image: Credit: Julia Kotterias. Private Collection. Fair use.

ϟϟ-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Bremer

Gerd Bremer as SS-Obersturmführer

During the Normandy Invasion the Leibstandarte veteran SS-Sturmbannführer Gerhard Bremer (July 25 1917 – Oct. 29 1989) from Saarbrücken was trapped with his Battalion of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 of the 12.SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in the Falaise Gap, but was finally able to withdraw to the Maas river covering the retreat of the 5.Panzer Army for which he was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross. He was next involved in the Ardennes Offensive in Dec. 1944 and Operation Spring Awakening in March 1945 in Hungary and ended WWII in the area of St. Pölten in Lower Austria. Bremer was kept as a POW by the French Government from July 1948 to 1954. After his release Bremer moved to Dénia on the Costa Blanca in the Alicante province of Spain. SS-Obersturmbannführer Gerhard Bremer died on Oct. 29 1989 in Alicante in Spain. Awards among others: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and the German Cross in Gold. Image: Gerd Bremer pictured in the SS white summer jacket carrying the Knight's Cross in 1942. This photo was taken in Ukraine by Paul Augustin who served as a SS-Kriegsberichter with the Leibstandarte SS from at least 1940 until his death on March 9 1943. During that period, Augustin took many hundreds of photographs of his unit, and a collection of those photographs is maintained by the U.S. National Archives. Another photo of Bremer taken by Adolf Hitler's personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann appears on the front cover of Waffen-SS Knights and their Battles: The Waffen-SS Knight's Cross Holders Vol 1: 1939-1942 by Irish-born author Peter Mooney. U.S. NARA.

ϟϟ-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Tychsen

Christian Tychsen as SS-Sturmbannführer

Christian Tychsen  (December 3 1910 – July 28 1944) first joined the 50.SS-Standarte in 1931 before being transferred to the newly formed SS-Verfügungstruppe and SS-Standarte Germania in 1934. During the war he commanded various units within the Waffen-SS before he became commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 of the 2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich in November 1943. After being wounded more than nine times in total, Tychsen was severely wounded in Normandy on the afternoon of July 28 1944 while his VW Kübelwagen was ambushed and fired upon by an American M-4 tank of the 67th Armored Regiment. He died as temporary commander of Das Reich aged 33 of his wounds in American captivity, and was stripped of all his decorations and all other types of identification for souvenirs - as a result SS-Obersturmbannführer Tychsen was buried as an unknown soldier. Tychsen was finally identified in the 1970's and rebuired with full honors. Awards among others: Knight's Cross with Oakleaves, German Cross in Gold and Wound Badge in Gold. Image: a formal studio portrait of the Reich veteran Christian Tychsen. He was awarded the Knight's Cross after the recapture of Kharkov on March 31 1943 and the Oakleaves on December 10 the same year. The photograph was taken by the South Tyrol-born war correspondent SS-Kriegsberichter Friedrich Zschäckel. Commons: Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Waldmüller

SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Waldmüller

SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Waldmüller (September 13 1912 – September 8 1944) joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe at 22 years old in 1934 and was assigned to the SS-Standarte Deutschland. He was transferred to the motorized infantry regiment Leibstandarte SS in the summer of 1940 for the Battle of France. He then took part in the Balkans Campaign and Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Waldmüller was one of the many Leibstandarte SS officers selected for transfer to the newly formed 12.SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in 1943. Here he became the commander the 1.Battalion of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25. Waldmüller held the right flank position of the Hitlerjugend for weeks against the hardest attacks, under constant naval artillery. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross on August 27 1944 for his unit’s defensive achievements during the fierce battles around Caen in Normandy. Waldmüller stood in the midst of his men, the very soul of resistance, according to SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer. During the German retreat through Belgium, Waldmüller, age 31, was lured into an ambush by Belgian communist partisans near Basse-Bodeux between Werbomont and Stavelot on September 8 1944. When Waldmüller's mutilated body was recovered by his troops it was slashed open, the genitals were cut off and his body was dumped into a drainage pipe. He had fought bravely for five years and was known for his adventurous and daring acts. Hans Waldmüller – along with SS-Untersturmführer Karl Markart who was murdered by headshot in the same incident – rests at the German military cemetery at Düren-Rölsdorf near Aachen in Germany. Awards among others: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, German Cross in Gold and Wound Badge in Silver. Image: Knight's Cross holder SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Waldmüller wearing an Italian M29 Telo Mimetico camo smock. Photo taken only a few days before he got murdered. PD.

12.ϟϟ-Panzerdivision „Hitlerjugend“ (I)

Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt observing exercises conducted by Hitlerjugend

Pz.Kpfw. V Panther n°314 at Mailly-le-Camp training center

Pz.Kpfw. IV n°635 of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend en route to Normandy

Pz.Kpfw. IV n°615 of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend en route to Normandy

The 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend, with 20,540 personnel, first saw action on June 7 1944. It was the first Waffen-SS division into action in the Normandy Campaign, blocking the Anglo-Canadian advance toward the strategically vital town of Caen during the first couple of days of the Allied invasion. The division was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the German youth organization Hitlerjugend born as late as in 1926, while the officers were generally veterans of the Eastern Front. About 1,000 experienced Waffen-SS officers and NCOs had been transferred from the 1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS during its formation and training in 1943. SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 of the Hitlerjugend trained at Mailly-le-Camp in France until it was transferred to the Beverloo Camp in Belgium where it joined the rest of the division in January 1944. In early April 1944, the Hitlerjugend was ordered to move to Normandy in France. It continued training exercises in the peaceful area around Caen, familiarizing itself with the terrain. This proved invaluable in the months that followed. Although its training had not been completed and some units of the division were still on exercises, upon being alerted to the Allied landings the Hitlerjugend division and its panzer regiment were among the first German armoured units to be thrown into battle. SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 arrived on the morning of June 7 1944 to spearhead the division's counterattack. Their Panzers proved bulwarks of the German defence in Normandy. However, they were not immune to Allied bombing. Top image: Prussian Generalfeldmarschall und Oberbefehlshaber West Gerd von Rundstedt standing on a Sd.Kfz.7 half-track while observing exercises conducted by SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 at the Beverloo Camp in March 1944. From left to right: Regimental Commander Kurt Meyer, Divisional Commander Fritz Witt, Corps Commander Josef Sepp Dietrich and Commander-in-Chief West Gerd von Rundstedt. Top middle image: Panther n°314 at the shooting range at Mailly-le-Camp training center in France. Credit: Rui Manuel Candeias. Bottom middle image: Panzer IV n°635 commanded by SS-Oberscharführer Johann Terdenge was captured by the British around Caen during Operation Epsom in late June 1944. It ended up being sent back to the U.K. for technical evaluation at STT. A notable feature of the newly formed SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 panzer uniform was the wearing of leather surplus from Germany's U-boat arm. Credit: Royston Leonard. Bottom image: members of this young tank crew have painted their girlfriends´and mothers´names on their tank. Information based on original photographs of wrecked vehicles: Panzer IV n°615 was later captured at the Battle of Buron where the Canadians had been badly mauled in the fierce fighting on June 8 1944. By 1944 the Panzer IV was in widespread use within the Waffen-SS. It was fitted with armoured skirts to provide protection from Allied antitank rockets. Photos by KB Bernhard Kurth (PK 698). Commons: Bundesarchiv.

Panzer Commanders of 7./ϟϟ-Panzerregiment 5 „Wiking“

SS-Obersturmführer Otto Schneider of 7./SS-Panzer-Regiment 5

SS-Obersturmführer Ulf-Ola Olin of 7./SS-Panzer-Regiment 5

SS-Obersturmführer Otto Schneider was born in Böhmisch-Leipa in Czechoslovakia 1921. After having served with the Sudetendeutsches Freikorps he joined the SS-VT in 1938. Schneider saw combat with the SS-Standarte Germania during the Polish Campaign and entered the SS-Junkerschule in 1940. He commanded a reconnaissance platoon in SS-Division Wiking during Barbarossa and from Feb. 1942 a tank platoon in the Reich. In Nov. 1943, he then again entered the ranks of the Wiking and was later assigned to command the 7th Company of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5. Schneider participated in the breakout of Korsun-Cherkassy and was awarded the Knight's Cross on May 4 1944 in recognition of his command on April 5 1944 during the liberation of Kowel. Part of Schneider's Knight's Cross recommendation reads as follows: Schneider was exceedingly hard and tough, and led at the head of his Kompanie during the fighting. He showed a dogged determination in finding a way through and was a role model of bravery and operational readiness for his subordinates. During the course of the fighting his tank was knocked out. Nevertheless he immediately got up again, took command of a different tank, and continued to lead his Kompanie. Schneider's 7th Company destroyed or captured one anti-aircraft battery, 27 heavy anti-tank guns, five light anti-tank guns, one assault gun and four light anti-aircraft vehicles, thus enabling a successful breakthrough of the SS-Kampfgruppe Gille. In May 1945, he and several comrades escaped captivity on their own. After a shootout with the U.S. military near Steiermark in Austria, he was long considered missing. In fact, he settled under a different name in West Germany and graduated from the University of Agriculture and Forestry. He was successful in the field and was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit as a government adviser for hunting. Otto Schneider died aged 80 on Nov. 6 2001 in Bayerbach in Bayern. Credit: Florian Berger. Still from Die Deutsche Wochenschau. Knight's Cross winner Schneider was succeeded as company commander by the Finland-Swede SS-Obersturmführer Ulf-Ola Olin. Olin was born in Helsinki in Finland 1918 and served in the Russo-Finnish Winter War as a 2nd Lieutenant. After the war ended, he was sent to Germany to join the Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS in 1941. The Finnish battalion fought in operation Edelweiß in which he participated. When the battalion disbanded in July 1943, Olin joined the SS-Panzer Regiment 5, where he commanded a Panther tank platoon in 7th Company under Schneider. His successful leadership in the fighting east of Warszawa on Aug. 10 1944 was rewarded with the German Cross in Gold on Feb. 28 1945. The recommendation for the DKiG was made by Adolf Hitler's former personal adjutant SS-Obersturmbannführer Fritz Darges. At Maciejow the Soviets launched a massive attack by a force of approx. 400 armoured vehicles and tanks in an east-west direction. The tanks advanced under a massive umbrella of fighter-bomber attacks. Olin, who had moved into a decoy position with several Panthers had the mission of opening fire first and drawing the enemy's attention. SS-Standartenführer Johannes Mühlenkamp ordered him to allow 10 tanks to pass before engaging the enemy. With nerves of steel, he allowed 10 tanks to move past before knocking out the lead vehicle, then the tail vehicle. In total, Olin destroyed 11 anti-tank guns and two T-34s. The engagement lasted half an hour and ended with 103 Soviet tanks knocked out or destroyed without the loss of a single Panther. Olin led his tanks in many famous battles against the Soviets and is credited with destroying 34 enemy tanks during the war. He stayed in West Germany after Germany's capitulation and was an active member in the postwar organization HIAG. Ola Olin died aged 77 on Jan. 11 1995 in Kassel in Hesse. Private Collection.

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 subordinated to Waffen-SS

17.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen in Normandy

The Lions of Carentan: Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 in Normandy

Dressing station of the Fallschirmjäger airborne infantry around Carentan

Major baron Friedrich von der Heydte's elite Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6, equal in status to Waffen-SS units in recruiting, weaponry and training, were subordinated to the German-Latin 17.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen around Carentan. The battle-hardened German Paras, known as the Green Devils by Allied forces, fought ferociously during the Normandy Invasion. They were perhaps the best armed infantrymen in World War II and played a key role defending positions in Normandy against much larger forces. The main weakness of the Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 was the same as all of the German regiments and divisions in Normandy – they simply lacked any real transport capability. The regiment was operating with 2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich when American forces launched Operation Cobra. U.S. Army General Ike Eisenhower said: The Waffen-SS armoured and airborne units had the highest morale, both in attack and defense, the troops fought with fanatic courage. Top clip: SS-Panzergrenadiers of the Götz von Berlichingen ride on a Sd.Kfz. 251 armored vehicle in Normandy in June 1944. In the center is the Austrian SS-Sturmbannführer Ludwig Kepplinger, commander of the SS-Panzer-Abteilung 17 of the division. Kepplinger was murdered by the French maquis southeast of Laval on August 6 1944. Footage from Die Deutsche Wochenschau. Fair use. Middle clip: frontline footage of a German paratrooper or Fallschirmjäger armed with a MP 40 often erroneously called Schmeisser by the Allies, Normandy in 1944. Bottom image: field dressing station shared between units of the Fallschirmjägerregiment 6 and the Götz von Berlichingen giving first aid in the area around Carentan in June 1944. Credit: Karl Mensburg. c. Bundesarchiv.

Allied Second Bombing of Caen in Anglo-Canadian Operation Charnwood Followed by Massive Carpet-Bombing in British Operation Goodwood

RAF Avro Lancasters taxing out for another bombing mission over Normandy

Survivors of Allied carpet bombing of Normandy's cities and towns

Unidentified Leibstandarte SS Panzergrenadier captured by the Brits

The Germans ordered all remaining civilians to leave Caen on July 6 1944. By the time Caen was bombed again in a controversial bombing raid on the evening of July 7 1944, only 15,000 inhabitants remained. 467 Lancaster and Halifax bombers of RAF Bomber Command attacked the city in preparation for Operation Charnwood. Although their delayed-action bombs were aimed at the northern edge of Caen, massive damage was again inflicted on the city centre. The bombers missed virtually all the German positions on the edge of the city and instead reduced the centre of Caen to rubble. 350 civilians were killed in this raid. The southern part of Caen was not taken until July 18 1944, when the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division advanced through it as part of Operation Goodwood. On this morning, starting at 06.15 hours, 850 heavy bombers of the RAF attacked three targets – the Colombelles–Mondeville and Touffreville–Emiéville areas and Cagny in the Calvados. At 07.00 hours, over 340 American and British medium bombers struck Giberville, Cuverville, Démouville and Manneville. From 08.30 to 09.30 hours, over 640 American Liberator heavy bombers attacked three locations – two areas located along the northern face of the Bourguébus Ridge and Bures–Saint-Pair region on the extreme eastern flank. Franklin D'Olier (chairman of U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey) quoted in 1949 the survey’s summary report: The German experience suggests that even a first class military power - rugged and resilient as the Wehrmacht was - cannot live long under full-scale and free exploitation of air weapons over the heart of its territory. Top image: Avro Lancaster B Mark IIs of No.514 Squadron RAF taxi onto the main runway in Cambridgeshire for an early daylight attack on villages east of Caen during Goodwood on July 18 1944. Photo by RAF official photographer Flight Lieutenant S. A. Devon. Credit: Nathan Howland. Imperial War Museums. Fair use. Middle image: a civilian couple walk through ruins of the heavily bombed Normandy in 1944. Photo by American photographer Frank Scherschel. LIFE photo archive. Fair use. Bottom image: British Military Police Officers question a Leibstandarte SS stormtrooper in Normandie on July 20 1944. According to the caption the SS-Sturmmann was found to be carrying a large quantity of Soviet banknotes. Imperial War Museums. Fair use.

17.ϟϟ-Panzergrenadier-Division „Götz von Berlichingen“ (Op. Cobra)

B-17 Flying Fortress of USAAF enroute to targets over Nazi controlled territory

SS Non-commissioned officer of the Götz von Berlichingen

SS-Panzergrenadier of the Götz von Berlichingen

Pz.Kpfw. V Panther in the Normandy bocage

From the very first moment of the Normandy invasion the Allies had absolute air supremacy. Heavy and medium fighter-bombers hammered railheads, junctions, and bridges and devastated exposed Panzers and infantry. U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower remarked: If I didn’t have air supremacy, I wouldn’t be here. Allied air superiority took a heavy toll on German forces in Normandy. During the fighting, 17.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen, despite its fanatical resistance, was all but annihilated. It was heavily engaged in the Normandy battles, fighting alongside 2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich in a stubborn but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to prevent the American breakout. The division's manpower strength was 18.354 officers and men in June 1944 when engaged in the fighting for the Bocage country near Saint Lô and Coutances were it suffered heavy losses. Götz von Berlichingen was then in the line of advance for Operation Cobra, and again suffered heavy losses attempting to halt the Allied offensive. Cobra was an offensive launched by the U.S. Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings to break out of Normandy. It commenced on July 25 1944 with a concentrated aerial bombardment from thousands of Allied aircraft. The largest air bombardment in support of ground forces yet. Simultaneously, the British launched Operation Goodwood and the Canadians Operation Atlantic. The division was encircled by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division around Roncey where it lost most of its armored equipment and by the end of July 1944, its strength was reduced to 8,530 men. Top image: Boeing B-17 heavy bombers of the USAAF 381st Bombardment Group on a bomber mission in 1944. The Group supported the Normandy invasion in June 1944 and bombed suspected positions in advance of ground forces at Saint-Lô in July 1944. The B-17 is accounted for over 290,000 sorties during World War II. USAFHRA. PD. Middle clips: an SS non-commissioned officer and a SS-Panzergrenadier during the battles in Normandy, both presumed to have belonged to Götz von Berlichingen. Clips from Die Deutsche Wochenschau: Normandie am 12. Juni 1944. Fair use. Bottom image: a Panther tank move through the Normandy bocage. Part of translated German caption on photo reverse: 'Panthers' roll forward to reinforce. Normandy, July 5 1944. Credit: Jakob Lagerweij. Commons: Bundesarchiv.

Waffen-SS use of Camouflage Clothing

Camouflage helmet covers and smocks utilized by the Waffen-SS

Camouflage Zeltbahn utilized by the Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was the first military organization in the world to use mottled camouflage clothing. Its combat units used various patterns from 1935 onwards. They had pioneered camouflage zeltbahns, smocks and helmet covers in distinctive spotted patterns, and subsequently made wide use of a perplexing variety of season patterns and colors. Camouflage zeltbahns and smocks were designed to be reversible, providing camouflage for two seasons, whether summer and autumn, or summer and winter. Distribution was limited to the Waffen-SS, ostensibly because of a patent. The camouflage patterns were designed by Johann Georg Otto Schick, a Munich art professor and then the director of the German camouflage research unit. The Waffen-SS camouflage development truly blossomed as a science and an art. Insignia were not supposed to be worn on camouflage uniforms, but this regulation was widely ignored among the Waffen-SS and the SS sleeve eagle, though unofficial, were often seen worn on the upper left arm, which went aginst regulations. In 1944 the Waffen-SS introduced a complete tunic-and-trousers camouflage uniform. The German names used for the plane tree, palm and oakleaf patterns were invented post-war. Left image: Waffen-SS machine gun crew wearing camouflage smocks in 'Eichenlaub and rare camouflage face veils. Commonly associated with sniper equipment, it was actually issued to all types of Waffen-SS close combat ground forces. The photo was probably taken by SS-KB Hans Cantzler who served with the battle-hardened SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf during Zitadelle in 1943, better known as the Battle of Kursk. U.S. NARA. Right image: a conscript of the infamous 7.SS-Freiwilligen Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen in a Zeltbahn in Serbia in 1944. The tent quarter is separated into two different camo patterns, the Eichenlaub and Platanen pattern. Credit: Johannes Dorn. Fair use.

12.ϟϟ-Panzerdivision „Hitlerjugend“ (II)

Pz.Kpfw. IV n°536 of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend

Pz.Kpfw. Panther n°128 of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend

Pz.Kpfw. Panther n°128 of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend

Although fanatical in their determination and tenacity to fight to the death, it did not take long for the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend to suffer horrendous casualties. In their first engagement with the Canadians, the division destroyed 28 Canadian tanks while losing only 6 soldiers for their efforts. They fought with a very high degree of determination. However, the odds were against them in the long run. In slightly over one month of combat, the Hitlerjugend Division had lost over 60 percent of its forces due to combat actions. The main tanks fielded by the Hitlerjugend Division were the Panzer IV, deployed in 1.Bataillon of the division's armoured regiment and the Panzer V Panther tank. The Panther weighed 44.1 tons, mounted a 70-calibres long 7.5cm gun and possesed well-sloped armour protection. It outperformed Allied tanks in terms of combined lethality and survivability. In addition to these two tank types, the division also deployed Jagdpanzer IV's tank destroyers. Top image: Panzer IV n°536 commanded by Hitlerjugend panzer ace SS-Unterscharführer Willy Kretzschmar of the 5.Kompanie of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12. This photo is taken after an artillery round blew off the tanks' track immobilizing it in Buron about 6 kilometres north-west of Caen in June 1944. Willy Kretzschmar and his SS panzer crew is accounted for at least fifteen Allied tanks during the desperate defensive battles that the Hitlerjugend conducted in Normandy but the exact number is unknown. Commons: Bundesarchiv. Bottom clips: Panther n°128 of the division's most potent combat unit fires on British-Canadian positions north of Caen during the Normandy campaign in June 1944. Footage from Die Deutsche Wochenschau. Fair use.

„Hitlerjugend“ counterattack from Caen towards the beaches

Pz.Kpfw. IV of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend

Pz.Kpfw. IV of SS-Pz.Reg.12 Hitlerjugend

SS-Pz.Grenadiers of SS-Pz.Gren.Reg. 25 Hitlerjugend

After much confusion, the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend got moving at about 14:30 hours on June 6 1944, over twelve hours after the first reports of the Allied landings had been received. The divisions advance to the areas near the British–Canadian landing beaches of Sword and Juno Beaches proceeded slowly due to Allied air attacks. Experienced Waffen-SS veterans understood what was coming. They also knew how much would depend upon the fresh-faced teenagers assembling around them. At 10:00 hours on June 7 1944, the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25, along with 50 Panzer IV tanks of the SS-Panzer-Regiment 12, moved into position north-west of Caen. They were ordered to break through to the beach but were halted by naval and anti-tank fire and Allied air interdiction. Regiment commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer countermanded the divisional commander's order on his own initiative, feeling that objective unrealistic, and hoped merely to stop the flow of Canadian units inland until the situation could be stabilized. Late on June 7 1944, the divisions sister regiment, the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 arrived on the battlefield. It crossed behind Kurt Meyer's regiment and took post to the west. The 1.Bataillon launched an attack towards Norrey-en-Bessin, defended by the Regina Rifle Regiment of 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, orders were to overrun the Canadians and force a deep wedge between them and the British to the west. No reconnaissance of the Canadian positions was done. Bessin was well-defended by the Regina Rifles, with firmly established positions and with artillery support, and the attack failed. The attack at 03:30 hours on June 8 1944 had little initial success. The 1.Bataillon managed to break into the village of Putot-en-Bessin and surround several companies, pushing the Canadian Royal Winnipeg Rifles out of the village by 13:00 hours and inflicting 256 casualties – of which 175 were taken prisoner. Later that day, a counter-attack by the Canadian Scottish Regiment, with artillery, tank and tank-destroyer support, re-took Putot. A company of Panther tanks finally appeared on June 8 1944, and Kurt Meyer personally led a night attack toward the village of Rots, which they reached at midnight. Credt: Welsh historian Jon Latimer and Wikipedia inter alia. Top clips: Panzer IVs of the Hitlerjugend en route to the Normandy Front on June 6 1944. Footages from Die Deutsche Wochenschau. FU. Bottom image: Hitlerjugend regrouping after the failed attack in Norrey-en-Bessin near the town of Rots on June 9 1944. The wounded officer with the back to the camera is SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche, commanding officer of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12. The officer to the very right is the diplomat's son SS-Hauptsturmführer Rudolf von Ribbentrop of the same regiment. Photo by SS-KB Wilfried Woscidlo. Credit: David W. Stradal. Commons: Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 (Norrey-en-Bessin)

SS-Panzergrenadiers of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 Hitlerjugend

Commanding officer of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 Hitlerjugend

These famous photographs of the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend were taken by the eminent SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo. They were taken just before these young volunteers of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 were moving out from Rots on June 9 1944. In the 1.Bataillon 65 percent were under 18 years old. Only 3 percent were over 25. Top image: in the foreground stands the 18-year-old SS-Sturmmann Otto Funk in a Italian pattern camouflage smock. He was involved in heavy fighting in and around the French town of Caen in the summer 1944. A total of 2,600 British tons of bombs reduced Caen to rubble and caused many civilian casualties. In the summer of 1944 there was extremely violent fighting in these ruins. Otto Funk was the ammo-carrier of MG gunner SS-Schütze Klaus Schuh. The pressure of combat, battle fatigue, is shown on the faces of these young SS volunteers of the Hitlerjugend. Many of these World War II photographs capture something special. It may be calm before the storm, it may be a moment of horror, or it may show a simple humanity often lost in the fray of battle. Credit: Whitedeath. Bottom image: SS-Hauptsturmführer Rudolf von Ribbentrop, son of the Nazi diplomat and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, sits in the sidecar of a motorcycle after paying a visit to survivors of SS-Hauptscharführer Wilhelm Boigk's 3rd platoon of the 15th Kompanie. The motorcycle is driven by the commanding officer of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche. Rudolf von Ribbentrop is born on May 10 1921 in Wiesbaden and is still alive in 2011. Scan: Stuttgarter Illustrierte Nr 25 (1944). Commons: Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 (Norrey-en-Bessin)

12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend

12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend

At the late morning on June 9 1944 an combined arms attack was planned together with the panzers of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 to seize La Villeneuve, as a starting point for a future offensive up north of the 12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend. After hours of confused fighting, the 15.Kompanie of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 were forced to withdraw. These photos are taken in the village of Rots in the Calvados region just after the failed attack on Norrey-en-Bessin. Photos show exhausted volunteers of SS-Hauptscharführer Wilhelm Boigk's III. Zug before grimly carry on their battle. Willy Boigk himself was killed in action on July 4 1944 and is buried at the Soldatenfriedhöf Reyes-Bazenville. Left image: in the foreground gunner Klaus Schuh armed with an MG-42 general-purpose machine gun. Schuh was killed in action on June 26 1944. In the centre stands SS-Unterscharführer Paul Koslowski. Right image: an unidentified soldier of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 taking a quick nap in full camouflage kit carrying the indestructible Zeiss field glasses. Both photos by SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo. Scan: Stuttgarter Illustrierte Nr 25 (1944). Commons: Bundesarchiv.