History /
Poles and Falaise pocket - WWII [90]
They took so long mainly because of a ferocius resistance from a bunch of 17year olds from the SS Hitlerjugend....
Kurt Meyer's 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, supported by tanks from the 101st Heavy Tank Battalion and the remnants of the 89th Infantry Division, was fighting to held a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) front against the Canadians.[31] Despite initial gains on Verrières Ridge and near Cintheaux, the offensive was delayed repeatedly on 9 August,[32] due to strong German resistance, as well as poor Canadian unit leadership and fighting power,[33] resulting in heavy casualties for both the 4th Canadian and 1st Polish Armoured Divisions.[34]
historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-boy-soldiers.htm
The HJ were off to face an enemy that now had overwhelming air superiority and would soon have nearly unlimited artillery support. The Allies, for their part, were about to have their first encounter with Hitler's fanatical boy-soldiers.
The shocking fanaticism and reckless bravery of the Hitler Youth in battle astounded the British and Canadians who fought them.
They sprang like wolves against tanks. If they were encircled or outnumbered, they fought-on until there were no survivors. Young boys, years away from their first shave, had to be shot dead by Allied soldiers, old enough, in some cases, to be their fathers. The "fearless, cruel, domineering" youth Hitler had wanted had now come of age and arrived on the battlefield with utter contempt for danger.
