Initially, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler unit was a unit of about 120 people of the German dictator's bodyguard, which was formed in March 1933 and was commanded by Joseph "Sepp" Dietrich. The unit quickly grew to a unit of about 800 people, and the admission criteria were very strict. Not only were the physical abilities of the candidates guided, but absurd criteria such as "racial purity" were applied at the time, and the genealogy of candidates was checked not infrequently up to several generations back! At the outbreak of World War II, the unit was already a motorized regiment and fought in the September campaign (1939), and later also in Belgium and France in 1940. In 1940, the unit was expanded to the size of a brigade, and in 1941 it was sent to the campaign in the Balkans, where it fought in Greece, among others. From June 1941, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler unit took part in Operation Barbarossa. In the summer of 1942, she was transferred to France and renamed the Panzer Grenadier Division. From the beginning of 1943, the division fought on the Eastern Front, in the territory of Ukraine, and in the summer of the same year it took part in the battles on the Kursk Arch. For a short time (in 1943) it was transferred to Italy, and at the end of 1943 it returned to the Eastern Front again, as an armored division. At the beginning of the following year (1944), the division was sent to Belgium, where its manpower and machinery were rebuilt. From June 1944, it fought with the Western Allies in Normandy, suffering heavy losses in the course of these fights. As a result, it was withdrawn to Germany and rebuilt again - in December 1944 the unit took part in the offensive in the Ardennes, but in January 1945 it was transferred to Hungary. However, it was decimated there, and in April of the same year its survivors forced their way west to surrender to the Allied forces. The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler unit was considered the most elite among the Waffen SS divisions and often proved its high combat value. However, it should be remembered that its soldiers committed many war crimes during World War II, including murdering prisoners (to mention the crime in Taganrog or Malmeda) or civilians. Many soldiers and officers of this unit were put on trial (after 1945) - often sentenced to death.
Kurt Meyer was born in December 1910 and died in December 1961 at the age of 61. He was the German commander of the armored forces within the Waffen-SS and the commander of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend". He was also a war criminal and a staunch Nazi. Kurt Meyer finished his education at elementary school, after which - due to financial reasons - he had to start working as a miner. From an early age, he sympathized with the Nazi movement and very quickly joined the NSDAP, and later the SS (in 1932). He was quickly promoted in the structures of the SS and in 1937 he was Hauptsturmführer em, which is the equivalent of the rank of captain in the land forces. He fought in the campaigns in Poland (1939) and France (1940), and during the battles in Greece in 1941, he commanded a reconnaissance battalion. For participating in the campaign in the Balkans, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He took part in the Barbarossa campaign, and in 1943 he distinguished himself in the battles for Kharkiv. In July 1943 he was appointed commander of the 25th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment of the 12th SS Division. With this unit, he fought in Normandy, especially at Caen, showing personal courage and leadership skills. On August 1, 1944, he was appointed to the rank of SS-Oberführer and took command of 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He took this position despite the lack of formal military education and experience in commanding such a large tactical union. In September 1944 he was taken into Allied captivity. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment, which, however, was reduced to 10 years. There are many indications that Kurt Meyer remained a Nazi until the end of his life.