In July 1944, with the Eastern Front crumbling and the first cracks appearing in the Normandy defenses, Hitler ordered the creation of a new type of unit based on the ad-hoc Kampfgruppen which the Germans used so successfully throughout the war. Hastily assembled and short-lived these independent Panzer brigades nevertheless served on both fronts in some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict. The real striking power of the initial units would a...