12. SS-Panzer

 is an Axis Armored division in Steel Division. Formed from fanatical 17- or 18-year-old teenagers drawn from the ranks of Hitler Youth, and led by battle-hardened officers & NCOs, the 12. SS-Panzer proved to be the Allies' most dreaded opponent in Normandy. Lavishly provided with modern vehicles and guns, the 12. SS was one of the best equipped Panzer divisions on the Western Front.

'PanzeMeyer', one of the youngest German divisional commanders, was known for his aggressive spirit and quick thinking, and for commanding from the front (often too close, sometimes even beyond it).

Meyer took part in all the elite 1. SS-Panzer Division 'Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler' (Hitler's own bodyguard) campaigns from 1939 to 1943, earning the nickname 'Schnelle Meyer' (Speedy Meyer) for his quick thinking and dashing spirit.

In 1943, he was transferred to the newly formed 12. SS-Panzer Division 'Hitlerjugend' as commander of Panzer-Grenadier-Regt. 26, and it was in this position that he arrived in Normandy on June 6th, 1944.

He was appointed as commander of the whole division a mere week later, when his predecessor was killed in a British artillery barrage. During the Summer of 44, he proved himself one of the most determined opponents the Allies faced in Normandy, aggressively counter-attacking with any handful of men he could gather to retake any inch of lost ground.

Tactics
12. SS-Panzer is quite at a loss in Phase A, having to rely on just a few light vehicles and a pair of scavenged British tanks (Cromwell & Firefly). But it grows increasingly powerful with each passing phase from B, with a good selection of Panther, self-propelled artillery and FlaK guns, enabling it to start pushing back.