The division on the march
The pair of HJSS riflemen carries its weapons on the shoulder rather than ready to fire. They represent the movement between positions that occupied much of a soldier's time, even in a campaign remembered chiefly through its battles.
The 12th SS division's Normandy history involved young recruits operating within a formation led by older, experienced personnel. These marching figures show the ordinary mechanics of that military life, but the unit's identity remains important. Its service cannot be separated from the Nazi organization to which it belonged.
