- Joined
- Feb 2, 2011
- Messages
- 2,498
NEW RELEASES FOR JULY 2026
THE SECOND WORLD WAR
GERMAN ARMOUR
Following the success of the Polish Campaign in September 1939, combat experience showed the Panzer II performed well as a light tank. It displayed good mechanical reliability, cross-country performance, and armament. Notably, the performance of the Panzer II’s rapid-fire 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon was praised and proved itself capable of defeating the light tanks and tankettes employed by the Polish Army. The one noted deficiency noted by troop feedback was that the Panzer II’s armour protection was insufficient, and in combat it was vulnerable to almost all enemy anti-tank weapons and heavy machine guns due to its maximum armour thickness of only 14.5 mm. Consequently, an upgrade program was undertaken by the Germans to increase the Panzer II’s armour protection. The shape of the lower front hull was changed from a rounded design to flat, angled armour plates. The lower bow armour was increased by 20 mm while the almost completely horizontal upper glacis plate was increased by 15 mm in thickness. Lastly, additional 20 mm-thick armour plates were bolted to the vertical plate in front of the driver/radio operator stations and on the turret mantlet. This armour upgrade was performed on production vehicles and also backfitted to all existing Panzer IIs prior to the summer 1940 campaign in the West, Unternehmen Fall Gelb (Case Yellow).
GA-26
THE SECOND WORLD WAR,
GERMAN ARMOUR,
Panzer II Ausf. C #243,
7. Panzer-Division,
France and the Low Countries
May 1940
Central to the design of Case Yellow was a German scheme of maneuver designed to lure the Allied armies northward into Belgium while the decisive German thrust advanced farther south through the Ardennes Forest. Once German armoured formations crossed the Meuse River near Sedan, they drove rapidly toward the English Channel, cutting off the British Expeditionary Force and large portions of the French Army. Simultaneously, powerful Panzer formations operating farther north in Belgium shattered Allied defences through aggressive manoeuvre warfare. Among the most famous of these formations was the 7. Panzer-Division, commanded by General Major Erwin Rommel.
The JJDesigns Panzer II Ausf. BC #243 represents a vehicle of the famed 7. Panzer-Division during the 1940 campaign in France and the Low Countries. Originally formed as the 2. leichte Division, it was converted to a full Panzer division in October 1939 due to the limited effectiveness of leichte divisions employed during the Polish campaign. The 7. Panzer-Division was placed under the command of General Major Erwin Rommel in early February 1940. Assigned to General Hermann Hoth’s XV. Armeekorps (mot.) within Heeresgruppe B, the division participated in the advance through Belgium, crossing the Meuse River near Dinant on 13 May after fierce fighting and determined French resistance. Rommel personally directed many frontline operations, often moving far ahead of his headquarters to maintain momentum and exploit weaknesses in enemy defences.
Following the Meuse breakthrough, the 7. Panzer-Division advanced with extraordinary speed and achieved its first objective at Avesnes-sur-Helpe on 16 May, where the plan called for 7. Pz.Div. to stop and await further orders. However, Rommel pressed on under his own judgment in a style that would leave the whereabouts of Rommel’s division unknown, causing confusion among both Allied forces and the German High Command. The division captured Cambrai on 18 May and reached the vicinity of Arras, where it helped repel the famous British counterattack on 21 May that involved heavily armoured British Matilda tanks that completely outmatched their German opponents, whose panzers did not possess weapons capable of penetrating the Matilda’s armour. Only by skilfully employing dual-purpose 8.8 cm FLaK 36 cannons in the anti-tank role were the Germans able to force the British to withdraw. 7. Pz.Div. then continued its rapid advance toward the Channel coast, reaching Lille on 27 May where, with the help of 5. Pz.Div., which was also placed under his command, Rommel forced the surrender of a 40,000-man French garrison after a four-day siege. Resuming the advance on 5 June, Rommel’s division covered over 100 km in two days to find the Seine bridges at Le Havre destroyed. Wheeling north, Rommel blocked the Allies’ westward route to Le Havre and forced the surrender of 10,000 troops from the British 51st Highland Division and the French 9th Army Corps. On 17 June, Rommel was then ordered to drive for the naval base at Cherbourg. Advancing over 240 km in just 24 hours, he forced the French garrison’s surrender.
Rommel’s aggressive command style and the division’s remarkable operational tempo and unpredictable advances, which resulted in 7. Pz.Div. seeming to appear out of thin air to attack the Allies, earned it the nickname “Gespensterdivision,” or “Ghost Division,” and made 7. Pz.Div. one of the most celebrated German armoured formations of the early war.
The JJD Panzer II Ausf. C #243 is presented in markings representative of the 7. Panzer-Division during the 1940 Blitzkrieg campaign. Of note, 7. Panzer-Division was one of the first divisions to fill in the centre of their Panzers’ Balkenkreuz with black paint. This modification to the national German symbol would become standard for all German vehicles. Whether displayed individually or alongside other German armoured vehicles of the 1940 campaign, this model is ideal for collectors seeking to recreate scenes from the lightning offensives that transformed modern warfare.
As standard for all JJD tank models, the Panzer II Ausf. C #243 comes with the following features:
**PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER TO PLACE YOUR PRE-ORDERS**
THE SECOND WORLD WAR
GERMAN ARMOUR
Following the success of the Polish Campaign in September 1939, combat experience showed the Panzer II performed well as a light tank. It displayed good mechanical reliability, cross-country performance, and armament. Notably, the performance of the Panzer II’s rapid-fire 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon was praised and proved itself capable of defeating the light tanks and tankettes employed by the Polish Army. The one noted deficiency noted by troop feedback was that the Panzer II’s armour protection was insufficient, and in combat it was vulnerable to almost all enemy anti-tank weapons and heavy machine guns due to its maximum armour thickness of only 14.5 mm. Consequently, an upgrade program was undertaken by the Germans to increase the Panzer II’s armour protection. The shape of the lower front hull was changed from a rounded design to flat, angled armour plates. The lower bow armour was increased by 20 mm while the almost completely horizontal upper glacis plate was increased by 15 mm in thickness. Lastly, additional 20 mm-thick armour plates were bolted to the vertical plate in front of the driver/radio operator stations and on the turret mantlet. This armour upgrade was performed on production vehicles and also backfitted to all existing Panzer IIs prior to the summer 1940 campaign in the West, Unternehmen Fall Gelb (Case Yellow).
GA-26
THE SECOND WORLD WAR,
GERMAN ARMOUR,
Panzer II Ausf. C #243,
7. Panzer-Division,
France and the Low Countries
May 1940
Central to the design of Case Yellow was a German scheme of maneuver designed to lure the Allied armies northward into Belgium while the decisive German thrust advanced farther south through the Ardennes Forest. Once German armoured formations crossed the Meuse River near Sedan, they drove rapidly toward the English Channel, cutting off the British Expeditionary Force and large portions of the French Army. Simultaneously, powerful Panzer formations operating farther north in Belgium shattered Allied defences through aggressive manoeuvre warfare. Among the most famous of these formations was the 7. Panzer-Division, commanded by General Major Erwin Rommel.
The JJDesigns Panzer II Ausf. BC #243 represents a vehicle of the famed 7. Panzer-Division during the 1940 campaign in France and the Low Countries. Originally formed as the 2. leichte Division, it was converted to a full Panzer division in October 1939 due to the limited effectiveness of leichte divisions employed during the Polish campaign. The 7. Panzer-Division was placed under the command of General Major Erwin Rommel in early February 1940. Assigned to General Hermann Hoth’s XV. Armeekorps (mot.) within Heeresgruppe B, the division participated in the advance through Belgium, crossing the Meuse River near Dinant on 13 May after fierce fighting and determined French resistance. Rommel personally directed many frontline operations, often moving far ahead of his headquarters to maintain momentum and exploit weaknesses in enemy defences.
Following the Meuse breakthrough, the 7. Panzer-Division advanced with extraordinary speed and achieved its first objective at Avesnes-sur-Helpe on 16 May, where the plan called for 7. Pz.Div. to stop and await further orders. However, Rommel pressed on under his own judgment in a style that would leave the whereabouts of Rommel’s division unknown, causing confusion among both Allied forces and the German High Command. The division captured Cambrai on 18 May and reached the vicinity of Arras, where it helped repel the famous British counterattack on 21 May that involved heavily armoured British Matilda tanks that completely outmatched their German opponents, whose panzers did not possess weapons capable of penetrating the Matilda’s armour. Only by skilfully employing dual-purpose 8.8 cm FLaK 36 cannons in the anti-tank role were the Germans able to force the British to withdraw. 7. Pz.Div. then continued its rapid advance toward the Channel coast, reaching Lille on 27 May where, with the help of 5. Pz.Div., which was also placed under his command, Rommel forced the surrender of a 40,000-man French garrison after a four-day siege. Resuming the advance on 5 June, Rommel’s division covered over 100 km in two days to find the Seine bridges at Le Havre destroyed. Wheeling north, Rommel blocked the Allies’ westward route to Le Havre and forced the surrender of 10,000 troops from the British 51st Highland Division and the French 9th Army Corps. On 17 June, Rommel was then ordered to drive for the naval base at Cherbourg. Advancing over 240 km in just 24 hours, he forced the French garrison’s surrender.
Rommel’s aggressive command style and the division’s remarkable operational tempo and unpredictable advances, which resulted in 7. Pz.Div. seeming to appear out of thin air to attack the Allies, earned it the nickname “Gespensterdivision,” or “Ghost Division,” and made 7. Pz.Div. one of the most celebrated German armoured formations of the early war.
The JJD Panzer II Ausf. C #243 is presented in markings representative of the 7. Panzer-Division during the 1940 Blitzkrieg campaign. Of note, 7. Panzer-Division was one of the first divisions to fill in the centre of their Panzers’ Balkenkreuz with black paint. This modification to the national German symbol would become standard for all German vehicles. Whether displayed individually or alongside other German armoured vehicles of the 1940 campaign, this model is ideal for collectors seeking to recreate scenes from the lightning offensives that transformed modern warfare.
As standard for all JJD tank models, the Panzer II Ausf. C #243 comes with the following features:
- Opening commander’s hatch
- Antenna can be raised or lowered
- Detailed crew compartment
- Detailed engine compartment
**PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER TO PLACE YOUR PRE-ORDERS**
