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• Pallasch 41 • 2012-05-13
• www.militarymodelling.com • 2012-05-13
• Cybermodeler.com • 2012-05-13
• ModelingMadness • 2012-05-13
• InternetModeler.com • 2012-05-13
• Military Machines International, 9/2011. • 2012-05-13
• IPMSUSA.org • 2012-05-13
• Kitmaniac.com • 2012-05-13
• Scalemodellingnow.com • 2012-05-13
• Amazon.co.uk Customer review (1) • 2012-05-13
• Amazon.com customer review (1) • 2012-05-13

• Pallasch 41 • 2012-05-13
  
• www.militarymodelling.com • 2012-05-13

  By Robin Buckland

  ...a 'Green series' title from MMP books

  No elaborate unit badges or famous people to focus on, and not a Tiger or Panther tank in sight but the story of a Panzer Division formed in 1940 from the 4th Light Division to create new Panzer units. It took parts in the battles for Holland, Belgium and France before being moved across to Poland. It then was involved in the Balkans, heading down towards Greece. That was followed by a move North to be part of Operation Barbarossa in Army Group South, then moving to Army Group Centre, before going back to AG South again when it suffered heavy losses in fighting near the Dneiper. Following that, the division was sent to France to recover in 1944, and where it was decimated again by the Western Allies before final surrender within the Ruhr pocket.

  The books covers the years just from 1940 to 1943, giving us the story of the operations it took part in. The book is also heavily illustrated with colour plates, line drawings, maps, organisation tables and original archive photographs. The photos will give many modellers lots of ideas, as we see not only early war German equipment, but also French and Russian equipment knocked out or abandonned during 9th Panzers years of success. Most of the German equipment during this period was all in Panzer Grey, so only a few sand camouflaged examples appearing in 1943 when the new colours began to be used. Many of the good quality archive pictures of the captured equipment shows some unusual and interesting artillery and tractor combinations, and some of the less common German vehicles, such as the Pz III artillery observation tank, or 'Beobachtungswagen'. Many others are pictures of the soldiers of the division, memories that it is people who take part in these historic events, while giving excellent references for figure modellers on uniforms and equipment, and how it was worn in the field.

  Very much a book for modellers as well as just armour enthusiasts, it tells the history of the division in action during the period, and is clearly well researched, as are the accompanying photos and supporting information. This is the first of their 'Green series' of books I have seen, but it is certainly enough to make we wish to go and check out the others in the series. A couple of illustrative examples of the content and layout are given below.

• Cybermodeler.com • 2012-05-13

  by Ray Mehlberger

  Review

  Mushroom Model Publication (MMP) is based in the Uk. They have all their books printed in Sandomieraz, Poland by Stratus Publications in the English language. Stratus also prints their own books in Polish. I received this book from Stratus in a very well padded envelope.

  This latest book in the acclaimed MMP Green Series is a volume on the 9th Panzer Division. This unit was formed in January 1940 from the 4th Leichte-Division. It took part in the campaign in the West, fighting in the Netherlands, Belgium and finally France before being transferred to Poland in September 1940. Later, it took part in the campaign in the Balkans before fighting on the southern sector during the invasion of the USSR. It then transferred to the central sector in October 1941 and took part in the summer offensive of 1942 and later in the fighting at Kursk. Subsequently, the unit transferred to the southern sector again in the fall of 1943 and took part in the fighting at the Dnieper where it suffered heavy losses.

  The book is soft-cover and 144 pages in length. Page size format is 8 ½” x 11”

  This lavishly illustrated book tells the story of this unit and it’s operations. Many previously unpublished photos are included. There are 161 black and white ones and one color one that is the cover art of the book. Included also are 5 battle maps, 5 information charts, an appendices and bibliography.

  There are 13 line drawings in 1/35th scale:

  Pz.Kpfw. IV Sd.Kfz.161 Ausf. D

  Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. G

  Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E

  Sd.Kfz. 231

  Sd.Kfz. 222

  Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C

  Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F

  Sd.Kfz. 251

  Sd.Kfz. 250

  Marder III Ausf. H vPz.Kpfw. III Ausf. L

  Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H

  At the rear of the book there are 15 color profile painting done by artist Thierry Vallet. These are:

  Sd.Kfz. 222, Aufklarungs-Abtellung 9, 1941 Sd.Kfz. 250/1 Panzer-Auflarungs-Abtellung 9, 1941 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. B, 9th Panzer Division, 1941 (a two-view) Pz.Kpfw. Sd.Kfz. 231 , Panzer Aufkarungs-Abtellung 9, 1941 Pz.Kpfw. II, Sd.Kfz. 121, Ausf. C, 1941 Panzerjager 38(t), Ausf. 7.5cm Pak 40/3 Panzerjager Ausf. H, Sd.Kfz. 138, Marder II, 9th Panzer Division, 1943 Befehlspanzer III, Ausf. H, 1942 Befehlspanzer III, Ausf.E, 1941 Pz.Kpfw. III, Sd.Kfz. 141, Ausf. E, 1941 Befehlspanzer III, Ausf. G, 1943 Befehlspanzer III, Ausf. E, 1943 Pz.Kpfw. IV, Sd.Kfz. 161, Ausf. H, 1943 Pz.Kpfw. III. Sd.Kfz. 141, Ausf. L, 1943 Pz.Kpfw. IV, Sd.Kfz. 161, Ausf. D, 1940

  These color profiles show the colors and markings used by this unit. It will prove to be essential reading for armor enthusiasts, WWII historians and modelers.

  The back cover shows the cover arts for 4 volumes of MMP’s “Warpaint” series of books, about the colors and markings of the British Army vehicles from 1903-2003.

  Highly recommended.

• ModelingMadness • 2012-05-13

  Reviewer: Scott Van Aken

  Though not often in the spotlight of units studied by historians and covered by modelers, the 9. Panzer Division was one of the more decorated units, seeing most of its service on the Eastern Front.

  Formed in 1940 from the 4. Leichte-Division, it saw its first action in the campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands and then into France. With the conclusion of that campaign, it moved to Poland later in 1940 where it was available for operations in the Balkans. Since it was already in the area, when the invasion of the Soviet Union commenced, it was part of the push in the southern sector. The unit was one of those 'firemen' units that was frequently moved from command to command as was needed. During 1942 it spent a lot of time in the central sector. Its final big battle in Russia was as Kursk, where the unit did very well.

  However, that was their last relatively successful campaign. As the unit kept getting weaker and the Soviets kept getting stronger, its last ventures in the eastern front in the Dnieper region pretty well decimated the unit. It was pulled back to southern France in early/mid 1944 just in time to become involved in the Allied invasion of France. But it was under-strength and with most of its combat veterans gone so it just played out the rest of the war as a ghost of its previous self.

  This book tells the full history of the unit in its glory days, which pretty much ended at Kursk in 1943. Profusely illustrated with a bevy of quality photographs, the authors weave an interesting tale. In addition to the fine images, there are a number of full page profiles of the various vehicles used by the unit.

  It makes for an excellent read of the fortunes of war and a book that is a must have for any serious enthusiast.

  September 2011

• InternetModeler.com • 2012-05-13

  By Eric Christianson

  This book presents a chronicle of the German Army's 9th Panzer Division in the years between 1940 and 1943. This unit was never distinguished by a sobriquet or an alias. It did not have a coat of arms, so no sophisticated emblems were displayed on its vehicles. Yet noteworthy are the number of military decorations awarded to its personnel. During the Second World War, 56 soldiers were honored with one of the highest military decorations of the Third Reich, The Knights Cross rank of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Einsernen Kreuzes). This number is undoubtedly a testimonial to the effectiveness of this unit. The number of awarded decorations places the 9th Panzer Division in second place among the Wehrmacht's armored divisions, right behind the 4th Panzer Division. Significantly, 56 also exceeds the number of equivalent medals received by the much glorified 1st Panzer Division of the SS "Adolf Hitler's Guards" ("SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler").

  The 9th Panzer Division was borne of the 4th Light Division, and this is demonstrated no better than when reviewing the types of vehicles among its ranks. Many of the photos, as well as the color plates included in the book are of the following vehicles:

  Panzerkampfwagen IV Sd.Kfz 161 Ausf. D - 1940

  Panzerkampfwagen III Sd.Kfz 141 Ausf. F - 1941

  Panzerkampfwagen II Sd.Kfz 121 Ausf. C - 1941

  Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. B – 1941

  Sd.Kfz. 250/1 - 1941

  Sd.Kfz. 222 - 1941

  Befehlspanzer III Ausf. E - 1941

  Befehlspanzer III Ausf. H - 1942

  Panzerkampfwagen III Sd.Kfz 141 Ausf. L – 1943

  Schwerer Panzerspahwagen Sd.Kfz. 231- 1943

  Panzerkampfwagen IV Sd.Kfz 161 Ausf. H – 1943

  Befehlspanzer III Ausf. G - 1943

  Befehlspanzer III Ausf. E - 1943

  Panzerjager 38(t) Ausf. 7,5cm Pak 40/3 Ausf. H

  Sd.Ffz. 138 Marder II – 1943

  Most of the photos are personal B&W snapshots, probably new and rare (at least to me). The captions describe the vehicles, unit markings, soldier's uniforms, and various accommodations. Where available, locations and dates are provided, but photos many lack such information – most likely due to the likelihood that they were never documented and came from private sources. One pictures a shoebox in an attic suddenly discovered.

  The book covers various Wehrmacht offensives along a timeline from the battle of France in 1940 to the division's near-ruin and dissolution on the Russian front in 1943. The chapters include:

  Western Offensive (1940) - through Belgium and France. Reading the narrative, I was struck by the slow and difficult progress made by the Germans when they met any kind of organized opposition and accurate French fire – not exactly following the 'Blitzkrieg theme' I have been led to believe for this period.

  Operation Fall Marita (1941) - Transferred by train to Romania, the division is then marched through to Bulgaria and west to the Yugoslav border region in preparation for the spring offensive into the Balkans (Yugoslavia and Greece). The division overwhelmed Yugoslav defenses which were set up with artillery and infantry but very little in the way of anti-tank weapons – a common theme early in the war. Again, I was struck by the fact that, when faced with a similar order of battle, the fighting tended to grind to a stalemate until superior equipment was brought to bear.

  Operation Barbarossa (1941) - The division returns to Austria for repair and refit in preparation for its participation in the invasion of Russia in June of 1941.

  Operation Blau (1942) – The division is re-equipped with heavier armor and preparations are made for a 1942 strategic summer offensive into southern Russia between 28 June and November 1942. Initially, the German offensive sees spectacular gains with a rapid advance into the Caucasus capturing vast areas of land and several oil fields. However, the defeat at Stalingrad forces the division to retreat from the Caucasus for fear of becoming trapped.

  Operation Wirbelwind (1943) – The division is pulled out again for R&R and is attached to Army Group Center, with the mission of breaking through the defenses of two Russian armies and conducting an assault eastward and southward towards Kursk. Though initially the 9th's efforts meet with success, the onset of winter, along with furious and bitter clashes, forces a general retreat. While the unit would continue to battle through to 1945, where it officially surrenders to the Allies in the Ruhr pocket, this book ends here.

  The entire book is heavily illustrated, with color profiles of the various armored vehicles used by the division (with additional line drawings of same), organizational structure charts, operational maps, and of course a plethora of black and white snapshot photographs of life on the road with the 9th. Many photographs of captured and/or damaged Soviet equipment are included, as well as photos of the soldiers involved.

  Appendices are included that cover commanders of the 9th Panzer Division, operational assignments, a glossary of abbreviations used and a list of German military ranks.

  '9th Panzer Division' will be a satisfying addition to any bookshelf for those who follow the esoteric goings-on of German armored divisions. The snapshot nature of the photos tends to personalize the men who made up the division, for better or worse. And the narrative is unusually frank, especially in places where the unit is not faring well.

• Military Machines International, 9/2011. • 2012-05-13
  
• IPMSUSA.org • 2012-05-13

  Reviewed by: Pablo Bauleo, IPMS #46363

  Mushroom Model Publications continues expanding its Green Line series devoted to armor units. Its latest installment is “9. Panzer Division 1940-1943.” Given the timeline on the title, one can only speculate that this book will be followed up by a second volume devoted to the history of the unit in 1944-1945.

  The current book covers the history of the unit, from its inception as an “Austrian” unit through its deployment in the 1940 Blitzkrieg in the West as it moved into the Balkans involvement in 1941 in the Balkans (Greece and Yugoslavia). Most of the book is actually devoted to the unit’s involvement in the Eastern Front, covering Barbarossa (1941), the summer offensive of 1942, and the bloody battles of Kursk in 1943. The book includes a very short description of the unit’s fate in 1944 and 1945, when it was transferred to the Western Front to face the Allied landings in Normandy and the push into Germany. Finally, the book has a list of all the 9. Panzer Division Commanders from 1940 to 1943.

  In total, this book has plenty of b&w pictures, over 10 line drawings, and 14 color profiles. It also has very useful maps, following the movements of the unit during the major operations in which it participated.

  I would recommend this book to any history-oriented modeler, due to the detailed maps and pictures included in the book, which are excellent reference material.

• Kitmaniac.com • 2012-05-13

  General Characteristics:

  MMP Books has maintained its tradition in release excellent titles, full of unpublished photos and information essential to lovers of military history. The latest theme released by MMP is about the history of the 9th Panzer Division in their actions in Eastern Europe and Western Fronts.

  This book is part of the famous Green Series of the MMP and narrates from the training unit in January 1940 from the 4th Division-Leicht. The unit involved in campaign in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, and finally sent to the eastern front, where they participated in battles in Poland in September 1940, the Balkans and finally fighting in southern and central sectors during the campaign against the USSR. The book recounts all the drama of the battles fought by members of the unit by the year 1943, when the unit suffered heavy losses before the Soviet advance.

  The book:

  The book consists of 144 pages in format 8 ½ “x 11″. Being richly illustrated, mixing black-and-bank photos and a series of colorful drawings and profiles, the book can easily explain all the details of the actions of the 9th Panzer division. Many of these photos are new. A total of 161 pictures in black and bank are present in the book, which has 5 battle maps, five-card information, an appendix, and details related to literature.

  Are present 13 plans for the 1/35th scale Pz.Kpfw. IV Sd.Kfz.161 Ausf. D Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. G Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. And Sd.Kfz. 231, Sd.Kfz. 222, Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F Sd.Kfz. 251, Sd.Kfz. 250, Marder III Ausf. H, vPz.Kpfw. III Ausf. L, Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H. also present are 15 color profiles of the artist Thierry Vallet.representando Sd.Kfz. 222, Aufklarungs Abtellung-9, 1941 Sd.Kfz. 250 / 1 Panzer-Auflarungs Abtellung-9, 1941 Sd.Kfz. 251 / 1 Ausf. B, 9th Panzer Division, 1941 (a two-view) Pz.Kpfw. Sd.Kfz. 231, Panzer-Aufkarungs Abtellung 9, 1941 Pz.Kpfw. II Sd.Kfz. 121, Ausf. C, 1941 Panzerjager 38 (t) Ausf. 7.5 cm Pak 40 / 3 Panzerjager Ausf. H, Sd.Kfz. 138, Marder II, 9th Panzer Division, 1943 Befehlspanzer III Ausf. H, 1942 Befehlspanzer III Ausf.E, 1941 Pz.Kpfw. III, Sd.Kfz. 141, Ausf. And 1941 Befehlspanzer III Ausf. G, 1943 Befehlspanzer III Ausf. And Pz.Kpfw 1943. IV, Sd.Kfz. 161, Ausf. H, 1943 Pz.Kpfw. III. Sd.Kfz. 141, Ausf. L, 1943 Pz.Kpfw. IV, Sd.Kfz. 161, Ausf. D 1940

  Conclusion:

  I say without doubt that this is a very important release for the lovers of military history and in general WWII. A book rich in history and images that will be an enjoyable read for all history buffs of the largest armed conflict of all time. An excellent book, of special importance for lovers of German Military. I recommend it.

  Vini Pompeo

• Scalemodellingnow.com • 2012-05-13

  Review by: Bill Curtis (Jan 2012)

  This is an A4 soft cover format, which is printed on good quality glossy paper. The book consists of 144 pages divided into 18 chapters.

  It is the latest book in the Green Series and tells how the 9. Panzer Division was formed from the 4 Leichte Division in 1940 and through its operations. It took part in the Western campaigns fighting in Holland, Belgium and France before its transfer to Poland in September 1940.

  This was followed by a transfer to the Balkans before moving to the Southern sector of the Russian Front for the invasion of Russia.

  In October of ’41 it was transferred to the central sector and took part in the summer offensives of ’42 and the following year took part in the battle of Kursk.

  This was followed by a transfer in the autumn of ’43 to the Southern Sector, in order to take part in the Dnieper battles where it was heavily mauled.

  The book is lavishly illustrated with black and white photographs which depict the unit and its operations, many of which are previously unpublished pictures.

  Also included are maps of the operational areas, line drawings and colour profiles showing the colours and markings of the Division’s vehicles.

  Conclusions

  This is a very nice book with a lot of pictures, which may spur on the Diorama builder to produce a model based on this unit.

  The text is informative and is very easy to read and the colour profiles are nice at the back of the book, but only show one side view. As the majority are plain grey this is not a problem, but the others have a two colour camouflage and it would have been nice to have a multi view of these schemes.

  My overriding question on a review of a book is: did I enjoy it? In this instance, I can honestly say yes I did and I hope to see many more on the German Divisions of WWII.

  Highly Recommended.

  Bill C.

• Amazon.co.uk Customer review (1) • 2012-05-13

  A good Panzer Division, 1 Feb 2012

  By Jose Velasco

  I purchased this book because it is about an unit which is not one of the panzer divisions which are famous and well known, given that it's obvious for me that the war was fought by all the panzer divisions. And also, as a modeller, I'm a bit tired of making always models from the same units. Here the reader will find a chronological account of the activities of the 9. Panzer Division from 1940 to 1943. The period between the fall of 1943 and the final defeat in 1945 is described in only a couple of paragraphs.

  This book is very illustrated with clear photographs, the most of which I think I had not seen before. In addition, it has several scale plans of armoured vehicles, although they have the handicap that their scale is not shown, and some colour profiles. The maps in it are only enough to give a generic idea of the movements of the division, and nothing more. Since my interest about this subject is not academic but of a hobbyist, this is not a big problem. But I had preferred more and better ones.

  I liked this book and I would buy another volume, if the author write one about this division during the period 1944-1945 or about other units like this.

• Amazon.com customer review (1) • 2012-05-13

  By Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca)

  The two authors have labored to produce a visually attractive book with equal parts of battle history and photos. The narrative is mostly operational in nature with only a few first hand accounts. The different COs of the division are given some coverage.

  After the introduction that included activation, the combat history begins with Operation Yellow on May 10, 1940 with the invasion of Holland and the narrative will end shortly after Operation Citadel and the subsequent defense of the Orel salient. The chronological list of operations the 9th PzD was involved in are" Yellow, Marita, Barbarossa, Blue, Wirbelwind and Citadel where the division was decimated. Within the fighting periods of these operations an almost daily chronicle is presented. If you haven't read about the 9th before, you will learn a lot from this book in regards to their area of operations, towns captured, their attachments to different Corps or combat groups, their use as a fire brigade, casualties and strengths. The German information that was presented was concise but not exhaustive while the coverage of the Soviet side is generic. Not having adequate information on who the 9th PzD fought provides an incomplete picture and, at least for me, was a little disappointing.

  The authors provide a full page topographical map for each operation that shows marching routes and general deployment areas but these cannot be considered tactical in any manner but at least the maps show the rivers and towns and the general sector the division had to march or fought through. They were still helpful. In addition to the maps, there are a number of full page illustrations of different panzers and armored vehicles that were part of the division. Also included are organization charts for different time periods and an Appendix. The Appendix includes a command structure showing the changes in the commanders as the war wore on. There is also a brief chronological assignment table. A Bibliography and Notes are included. There is no Index.

  The other major part of this book is the photo gallery which supplemented and fortified the narrative. Many of the photos show the men of the division and the captions tell a little about them. The collective presentation of these men provide the best window into the heart of the division. There are also many tank and terrain pictures. TThe towns of Poltava and Bolkhov haven't been seen before and were interesting as was the mighty dam at Zaporozhe. The gallery was very good and was studied a great deal.

  I thought fairly highly of this book, it allowed me to see the operational events of a highly decorated panzer division that I knew so little about. Though preferring a little greater depth to these operations, this is still a respectable book and is recommended.