Refitted and reorganized after the Normandy campaign, the 12.SS Panzer Division 'Hitlerjugend' participated in the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944. Tasked with covering the right flank of the offensive, the division fought hard, facing unexpectedly tough opposition from US forces. Despite repeated efforts and heavy losses, it never came close to a breakthrough. By the end of January 1945, when American reinforcements surged the front, the division had been pushed back to its starting positions. Next, in early March, the division took part in Operation Frühlingserwachen on the Eastern Front, an attempt to recapture the Hungarian oilfields. After initial success the advance was ground to a halt by increasing Soviet resistance. On 16 March the Soviets counterattacked, threatening to encircle the German forces. The 12.SS was involved in desperate rearguard fighting until driven into full-scale retreat towards Vienna. On 8 May 1945 its 10,000 survivors surrendered to the US forces. Proud and defiant to the bitter end, they refused to raise white flags, ignoring orders to the contrary, and marched into captivity in perfect formation as if on parade, with their vehicles bearing their national flags. AUTHOR: Angelos Mansolas was born in 1962 in Athens, Greece. He served for 30 years as a communications technician in the Hellenic Air Force, retiring in 2012 with the rank of flight lieutenant. He is a dedicated military aviation researcher and has written for several Greek-language history magazines. As an artist, he has also provided colour profiles of aircraft. He currently works for Greek magazine Military History, specialising in Byzantine history, the American Civil War, military aviation and the battles of the First and Second World Wars. 46 colour and 79 b/w illustrations, 25 maps