The regiment's second squad leader, Helmers-Bauck (the equivalent of a Wehrmacht sergeant), also considered it an unusually dangerous march: "The meadows and fields were as if they had been ploughed over, and within a few kilometres there were scenes of bombing. Grenades, shells, and all sorts of ordnance were blown up everywhere, and dead and wounded brothers could be seen on both sides of the road."

On the morning of 7 June, most of the 12th SS Panzer Division finally reached the area north of Caen.

The soldiers were exhausted by more than a day of continuous marching. It was at this time that reports confirmed that the British and Canadian troops who had landed had broken through the coastal defenses in some sections and had already begun to attack inland. Meyer had a hunch that the Allied tanks were coming straight for Caen at this time. Caen was attacked by Allied heavy bombers.

Many streets are blocked by the wreckage of buildings, making it impassable for vehicles at all. The 12th SS Panzer Division has already decided not to engage in urban warfare. Their goal was to hold the perimeter of the city at all costs and buy more time for the retreating German troops.

That morning, the fanatical German panzergrenadiers went into battle. Meyer described the situation before the Panzergrenadier Battalion took part in the battle:

"The commander of the 25th battalion of the 1st regiment came to report to me. He only gave a quick and brief introduction of the situation, a short and powerful handshake expressed everything, we all knew that it was a difficult task to face, the grenadiers of this battalion quickly dismounted, and then the trucks disappeared into the darkness, there were no vehicles to cross the city, they had to make a detour to the south., the grenadiers stayed behind and listened to my command, they were calm and composed, with unwavering confidence, they were about to be baptized by the fire! "

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, Meyer gave the order to attack at the temporary command post of the Monastery of Adenas. An hour later, the first tank was launched.25 Regiment of the Plitzer 1st Commando Squadron Commander (equivalent to the Wehrmacht captain) recalled. An assault force of about 50 tanks was ready to go, and in the warm morning sun, the tanks began to move towards the assembly area. In front of the tank is an Panzergrenadier wearing a green, yellow and brown spotted camouflage combat uniform.

As the Type IV tanks, camouflaged in straw and twigs, began to approach the enemy in front of them, the round olive green "Sherman" tanks of the Allied forces could be discerned from the tank control towers moving slowly. Head to the Caen-Bayeux road.

Suddenly the 75-mm gun of the Type IV tank opened fire. A tank "Sherman" was hit, and a puff of smoke came out . Then a fire broke out, and other Allied tanks were also hit by the volley of Type IV and "Leopard", and lost their combat effectiveness.

Then the young German Panzergrenadiers, hidden in the trenches, quickly and frantically entered the battle, launching a fierce attack on the British and Canadian troops. Before you know it, the battle has been going on for a quarter of an hour, and the boys, under the cover of machine guns and grenades, are constantly storming the Allied lines.

The ensuing bombardment prevented the Germans from attacking with a possible victory and inflicted considerable losses on the infantry of the 12th SS Panzer Division. In the vicinity of the village of Marlon, teenage grenadiers stubbornly held their positions. They quietly tracked down the Allied tanks that broke through the line and wiped out most of them with deadly bazookas.

During the battle, the grenadiers destroyed a total of 28 Allied tanks. Himself lost only 6 vehicles. Many Allied soldiers were shocked to see their teenage children in SS uniforms, and this was the first time they encountered soldiers of the SS "Hitler Youth" Panzer Division. War correspondent Chester Wilmot later wrote:

"The 12th Panzer Division, which was guarding the defensive positions, fought very tenaciously, but the tactical qualities they showed throughout the campaign were far less than their bravery." A British tank officer said after the war:

"They tracked down and destroyed our tanks like a pack of wolves, and although we were unwilling, we had to kill the children against our will."

Rudolf Scchev of the 17th, 16th artillery batteries said:

"The soldiers of every youth regiment division believe that they can achieve their goals, and although they are all brave in battle, they are sometimes like girls. The young soldiers rode to the front line in the morning to attack, and when they withdrew in the evening, they wept and wept because they could not achieve their goal."

Before the evening, after the loss of a large number of personnel and equipment. The Allies had to retreat to their bridgehead positions north of Caen. At this time, the 12th SS Panzer Division did not continue to attack north, and Li Mo did not want them to rush to the coast.

They stopped the offensive and dug trenches on the existing front to prepare for defense, and that night the soldiers of the 5th Panzer Company were lucky enough to find Allied rations in abandoned Canadian tanks. Then they had a lavish dinner of peanuts, chocolate and corned beef.

From the night of the 7th to the early morning of the 8th, the Allies still tried to occupy Caen, but they returned in vain under the stubborn resistance of the Germans.On the night of the 8th, "Panzer Meyer" personally commanded the tanks of the 12th Panzer Division to launch a counterattack, and a battle of blood and fire ensued.

The trail of tracer bullets and burning vehicles light up the entire night sky. In the first stage, the firepower and armor of the German "Leopard" tanks once again overwhelmed the Allied tanks, and 22 tanks broke through the defense line of the Canadian 7th Panzer Brigade. However, in the ensuing battle, the Canadian army destroyed 6 German tanks with anti-tank guns and anti-tank rocket launchers, and Meyer reluctantly gave the order to stop the offensive.

The German tanks then returned to the darkness. In the other direction, the 25th Regiment, reinforced by the 3rd Artillery Detachment and the 2nd Panzer Detachment, was attacked by British and Canadian troops north of Caen, and the Allied attack, supported by tanks, was met with accurate and ferocious fire from German anti-tank guns. After a short exchange of fire, 4 Allied tanks were destroyed.

Captain of the 2nd Commando Group of Hans-Higuel (equivalent to a Wehrmacht Major.[,!) Reports:

"The enemy quickly retreated. We didn't get any shots and we didn't lose anything. When our tanks retreated to the starting point, they were suddenly under Allied fire. My comrade-in-arms Daubert was killed outside the tank." In the days that followed, the soldiers of the 25th Regiment came under more intense attack. But this did not make the grenadiers withdraw from the defensive positions destroyed by the bombs, and the bombardment and artillery shelling became more and more intense.

The Germans had to strengthen the tank concealment into tank bunkers. The acting regimental commander, the commander of the 1st Commando Group of Waldmeiler (equivalent to a Wehrmacht lieutenant colonel), ran from his command bunker to every German position and ordered the soldiers to hurry up and build new fortifications. His diligence and vast experience as a field commander have saved the lives of most soldiers. On June 10, Volllimer awarded 30 Iron Crosses of the Second Class to the brave young soldiers.

The 12th SS Panzer Division unwaveringly continued the hard defense. The village near Ross was recaptured by the 1st Company of the 26th Panzergrenadier Regiment, and the village was shelled by the Allies for more than 12 hours. During a break in the battle, tank driver Hanks Kespel, Deputy Third Class (equivalent to Wehrmacht Second Class), stopped his car near Ross Chapel and scribbled in his diary: (To be continued)

ps: First of all, the fallen leaves wish the brothers a happy new year, happy every day, and the wealth is rolling.

For the support of the brothers, the falling leaves can only be grateful, the next book is history - the end of the Ming Dynasty to save the flow, the falling leaves please support the brothers, because we are the brothers of life and death who will never abandon us.