Mansolas, Angelos 12. SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in the Ardennes, Hungary and Austria

December 1944 - May 1945

Re-equipped and reorganised after the Normandy campaign, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Youth took part in the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944. Tasked with securing the right flank of the offensive, the division fought hard and encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from US forces. Despite repeated efforts and heavy losses, it never managed to break through. By the end of January 1945, as American reinforcements poured into the front, the division had been pushed back to its starting positions. In early March, the division took part in Operation Spring Awakening on the Eastern Front, an attempt to recapture the Hungarian oil fields. After initial successes, the advance was halted by increasing Soviet resistance. On 16 March, the Soviets launched a counterattack and threatened to encircle the German troops. The 12th SS Panzer Division was engaged in desperate rearguard actions until it was forced to retreat completely to Vienna. On 8 May 1945, the 10,000 survivors surrendered to the US forces. Proud and defiant to the bitter end, they refused to raise white flags, ignored orders to the contrary, and marched into captivity in perfect formation, as if on parade, with their vehicles decorated with their national flags.