While the First World War saw the introduction of armoured warfare on a limited scale, it was the military visionaries who shaped and moulded GermanyÕs fledgeling armoured forces in the post-war period. They saw the potential inherent in this weapons system. Combined with the awesome potential of modern airpower and imaginative use of tactics, the German Panzertruppe almost enabled Hitler to accomplish his aggressive dreams. This book presents the reader with a fascinating glimpse into the formation of this formidable force, its initial unparalleled string of victories, often against numerically superior foes armed with better equipment, and its inevitable downfall under the combined military might of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. In addition to providing the reader with an operational overview of all of the campaigns in which German armoured forces played a major role, Franz Kurowski also fills his text with innumerable personal profiles of the men who commanded these steel monsters at the unit level. The reader thus gets a feeling not only for the broad sweep of manoeuvre warfare at the operational level, he also gets a glimpse from inside the turret by the men who fought from them. Much of the narrative concentrates on the early-war years when the application of the Blitzkrieg doctrine achieved one decisive victory after another. Although the classic use of armour as a force multiplier in an offensive role became less and less pronounced as the war progressed, the author also covers the final years of the war, where the Panzertruppe became increasingly relegated to the role of a fire brigade at the hot spots of the fighting. Published by J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, the Canadian publishing house that specialises in literature on the German armed forces of the World War II era. The press has received praise from North American and German writers for professionally produced text and illustrated books, also for providing a platform for authors who present an uncritical and historical portrayal of the German war effort during WW2.