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

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