12th Historical Society

General History

The Schutzstaffel (SS; also stylized as  with Armanen runes; literally "Protection Squadron" was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz ("Hall Security") made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich. In 1925, Heinrich Himmler joined the unit, which had by then been reformed and given its final name. Under his direction (1929–45) it grew from a small paramilitary formation to one of the most powerful organizations in Nazi Germany. From 1929 until the regime's collapse in 1945, the SS was the foremost agency of security, surveillance, and terror within Germany and German-occupied Europe.

The two main constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS (Armed SS). The Allgemeine SS was responsible for enforcing the racial policy of Nazi Germany and general policing, whereas the Waffen-SS consisted of combat units within Nazi Germany's military. A third component of the SS, the SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV), ran the concentration camps and extermination camps. Additional subdivisions of the SS included the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) organizations. They were tasked with the detection of actual or potential enemies of the Nazi state, the neutralization of any opposition, policing the German people for their commitment to Nazi ideology, and providing domestic and foreign intelligence.

The 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" was a German armored division of the Waffen-SS. Specifically we are the 25th Infantry Regiment Stabs Kompanie 12SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend,” and the designation of the armored portion of our group, the SS Sturmgeschutz 1. Abteilung 3. Kompanie LAH. The majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were from other Waffen-SS divisions, mostly the 1st SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LAH). The division first saw action on 7 June 1944 as part of the German defensive operations at Caen. At their withdrawal on 7 July, one month later, the 25th had suffered 20% killed, and another 40% wounded or missing in action. By 29 August, after eight weeks of straight combat, the 12th withdrew from holding open the Falaise Gap for the German Army’s retreat from France. At this time, the 12th had lost their Commanding General, 80% of its personnel, 80% of its tanks, 70% of its armored cars and self-propelled weapons, 60% of its guns, and 50% of its vehicles.

In December 1944, the division was committed against the US Army in the Ardennes offensive. After the operation's failure, which became known as the Battle of the Bulge, the division was sent to Hungary to participate in fighting around Budapest. The division eventually retreated into Austria and surrendered to the 7th US Army on 8 May 1945.