A British Officer's Webbing Service Revolver Holster Government Issue Dated 1942 A Souvenir of a British Normandy Veteran 9th Battalion Cameronians {Scottish rifles} Combat Against 12th SS Hitlerjugend Panzergrenadiers

His uniform souvenir of a British Normandy veteran deployed to combat in Caen In 1944 after his landing on D.Day.
Used by the British officer during his combat with a soldier from the 12th SS German Hitlerjugend Panzergrenadier and where he acquired his Hitlerjend membership badge and with his wound badge, and K98 bayonet {all sold separately} with the 9th Battalion Cameronians {Scottish rifles} officer's pistol holster. A great little historic collection but all likely of interest to different collectors. 1/SS-Panzergrenadierregiment 26. 1/SS-Panzergrenadierregiment 26.

Raised in 1943 with seventeen-year-olds from the Hitler Youth movement, and following the twin disasters of Stalingrad and ‘Tunisgrad’, the Hitlerjugend Panzer Division emerged as the most effective German division fighting in the West. The core of the division was a cadre of offices and NCOs provided by Hitler’s bodyguard division, the elite Leibstandarte, with the aim of producing a division of ‘equal value’ to fight alongside them in I SS Panzer Corps.

During the fighting in Normandy, the Hitlerjugend proved to be implacable foes to both the British and the Canadians, repeatedly blunting Montgomery’s offensives, fighting with skill and a degree of determination well beyond the norm. This they did from D+1 through to the final battle to escape from the Falaise Pocket, despite huge disadvantages, namely constant Allied air attack, highly destructive naval gunfire and a chronic lack of combat supplies and replacements of men and equipment.


In 1944 the 12th SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend was deployed during the Battle of Normandy against the British and Canadian forces to the north of Caen. Over 20,000 German youths participated in the attempt to repulse the D-Day invasion; while they knocked out 28 Canadian tanks during their first effort, they ultimately lost 3,000 lives before the Normandy assault was complete. During the following months, the division earned a reputation for ferocity and fanaticism. When Witt was killed by Allied naval gunfire, SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer assumed command and became the divisional commander at age 33

In 1944, Hitler was counting on an elite group: "the Werwolf." A secret group formed by the combat section of the Waffen-SS. They had only one mission: to resist the advance of the Allied forces at all cost. Their training was based on guerrilla tactics. But the fearsome Waffen-SS, in 1945, were almost exterminated and for that reason Hitler gave the order that children who at most reached 14 years, would become soldiers of the Werwolf. The young people of the Werwolf were under the command of the lieutenant general of the SS, Hans Prützmann. Commanding him was the leader of the SS, Heinrich Himmler.
The group would commit other resounding crimes, such as the killing of Major John Poston (liaison officer of Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery), General Nikolai Berzarin (Soviet commander in Berlin) and General Maurice Rose, the oldest Jewish officer in the US Army.

A very interesting book on the 12th Hitlerjugend SS-Panzer to be found on this link below;

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/12th-Hitlerjugend-SS-Panzer-Division-in-Normandy-ePub/p/19736

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