Panzer: Germany's Elite Armoured Force

In the aftermath of World War One, a review of military tactics deployed in the Great War revealed that any future war would be won or lost by embracing new innovations in Armoured vehicles rather than in the trenches. Germany was forbidden by international agreement from rebuilding its war machinery, but with growing discontent at the shackles placed upon it, the government authorised the designing and building of Armoured vehicles under a shroud of secrecy. The German Panzerkampfwagen (later shortened to Panzer) evolved from early tanks introduced in the latter part of World War One. Heavily armed and Armoured and led by young and forward-thinking officers, this new form of vehicular warfare changed the world forever and took the battle to an unprepared enemy with breathtaking audacity. This volume traces the chain of events that brought the panzer to the battlefield, detailing the advancement of types and weaponry and the fronts of war on which they fought. Alongside are details of the design challenges they faced in terms of extreme climate and terrain, lack of materials and parts, and the famous battles they fought. Included too are the audacious officers who led the lightning charge, training divisions of elite soldiers to work together, changing tactics on the battlefield as circumstances evolved.