The Twilight of the Grenadiere

After losing approximately 6,000 Grenadiere in the fierce fighting south of Caen, the survivors of the 272. Inf. Div. must resist the courageous Scottish soldiers of the 51st Highland Division preparing to liberate the Pays d'Auge. But they had not reckoned with this horse-drawn infantry division commanded by the implacable Generalleutnant Schack and his officers. In order to carry out their mission, the Scots are reinforced with armoured regiments, but as the Grenadiere's defences stiffen, the famous Desert Rats division comes to the Scots' aid.

Soon, the Grenadiere, completely exhausted, are incorporated into a Waffen-SS tactical group to defend the town of Lisieux, which has already suffered terribly. Fighting continues in the ruins, dominated by the basilica. Then, unable to hold on any longer, the remnants of the 272. Inf. Div. fall back in extremis towards the Seine, where their engineers must organize the river crossing themselves with extremely limited means. Next comes a race against the clock to cross the Scheldt. The road is fraught with obstacles and the return to Germany is not yet won...

As in the two previous volumes, Didier Lodieu retraces the history of the 272. Infanterie Division with the support of the division's veterans' association. Indeed, all the veterans who fought in Normandy contributed their testimonies, documents and photographs during the 1990s, before the association was dissolved.