War in Ukraine

Volume 9

Soviet Designed Artillery Systems-2014-2024

Volume Nine of the War in Ukraine series by Helion Publishing features Soviet-Designed Artillery Systems that date back to the turn of the century that have been used early in the Crimean campaign aided by pro-Russian forces to break away from Ukraine.  That struggle has been going on since about 2014, up through the existing struggle that is still taking place to this day. Released in August of 2025, this book topic sheds light on the artillery assets found on the front.

Since the days where Ukraine was a part of the old Soviet Union sphere of influence and federation, Soviet style weaponry have figured prominently in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.  In particular, the Ukrainian Air Force and Armored Force has had nothing but a Soviet heavy tie-in with available assets in their arsenals.  All of that started to change however with the war that broke out in early 2025 as Ukraine looked to bring in anything from the Western NATO Allied countries that have come to the countries call for help.  As that continues to trickle in, even at the time of this writing, Ukraine has been doing what they can to fight with whatever they have, and that sadly includes some of the same armored and air force assets that Russians employ now.  This book covers the types of Russian artillery devices that are used and how they appear in the field now.

At 92 pages, with approximately 80 color photos and countless others, this volume is a great insight into the various artillery systems that the Russian are employing to win the war with Ukraine.  Covering everything from the gigantic 152mm workhorses of the Army, down to the various smaller localized artillery units such as mortar units within company and platoons.  Of the types, the D-20 & Akatsiya are covered, along with the D-30 and Gvozdika which is known as the "Frog".  The Tyulpan, a mortar is covered as well as the Giatsint to the Pion.  All of these are covered in-depth.  This publisher has researched these delivery systems and coupled with outstanding photos, provides the reader with a great look into them.  As noted, the 80 plus color photos which show some very closeup details of equipment are used in the field of battle.  Twenty-one color profiles with a map complete the visual tempting aspects of this book, the rest is great stuff to read about these systems and you get a feel for how war is hell on that battlefield because of the artillery.

At pretty much 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, this book is published with thicker paper for the covers and that holds up to the flexing that I have done to scan the photos for this review really well.  The text is very easy on the eyes to read and is laid out very well to aid the reader with the strain on the eyes.  Broken down into 8 chapters and several appendices at the end of the book, it covers the following topics in order:

Abbreviations and Acronyms - Page 2
Acknowledgements - Page 2
Introductory Notes - Page 2
Introduction - Page 3
1)  Gods of War:  Soviet Legacy Artillery Guns - Page 7 
2)  D-20 & Akatsiya:  152mm Workhorses - Page 9
3)  D-30 & Gvozdika:  "Frog" by Name, "Frog" by Nature - Page 19
4)  Tyulpan:  Mortar Combat - Page 29
5)  Giatsint:  A Class of its Own - Page 34
6)  Pion:  Bringing Down the Hammer - Page 40
7)  Nona:  The Universal Weapon - Page 47
8)  Msta:  The Next Generation - Page 54
Appendix1:  Projectiles - Page 64
Appendix2:  Ammunition Preparation Times - Page 66
Appendix 3:  Barrel Life - Page 66
Selected Bibliography - Page 67
Endnotes - Page 68
About the Author - Page 72

The following photos are from this book.  All are excellent in quality.

In conclusion...I would think that every modern Russian theatre modeler would like to have this series.  It covers the war in Ukraine that has been raging now for over three years, with color photos.  This example, volume 9, has many wonderful examples in photos, of real-life combat vehicles in their wartime use.  These photos show real-life applications of camo, weathering and the aftermath of being left in the field of battle for far too long.  The setting being Ukrainian soil, you can't get any closer to mother Russia to see how that region of Europe wears on these vehicles, and sadly, their crews that man the front.  From paint fading, to chipping, to rust, to plain old dirt and mud, this issue had it all in real-life applications of weathering which is a treasure trove of detail that all modelers need to rely on for accurate weathering..

Additionally, the text is in English so it is very easy to read and understand.  The explanations alone are informative with an explanation as to the "why" and "how" these vehicles were deployed, their unit's largest fears on the battle field and of course, often their failures.  The photos might be a little bit on the small side, they are still however packed with color and are generally clear.  The book covers every thing from mortar sized battlefield artillery, right up to the largest gun in the Russian arsenal...the Russian next generation MSTA.  And, when I thought that I was out of the main part of the book, the appendices were great.  Lots of information there to read and review as well.  Those appendices cover the prep of the projectiles, the ammunition prep time and the barrel life of the artillery pieces being used.  And, the Bibliography section along in the information used to make the book, nice to have as well when you work up your AMPS .5 reference research submittal. 

The book in how it is written, along with the great photos, leaves the reader with a great impression.  I have tried to keep an open mind on the Russian/Ukrainian conflict from the beginning.  To see what is killing the people in that conflict, this artillery, it leaves you with the impression that this is the nasty part of the business and it takes a heavy toll on life and property. 

Knowing that I have this book in my library now, will undoubtedly help me with my weathering and detailing efforts when I work on Russian armor.  If you do not have this series of books, they are available from multiple resources, including the Casemate website.  At $29.95 USD, it's well worth the book to add to your collection.  Just like Volume 8, I'm now very happy I have volume nine in my collection.

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders, essentially great resource material for everyone that likes to see photos of the real thing.

Thanks goes out to Casemate Publishing for the chance to review this book from Helion & Company., and Wen Jian Chung, Author.

Reviewed by GLEN MARTIN

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