Panzer Battles

When Sam Donaldson interviewed General Norman Schwarzkopf in his quarters in the Gulf, Panzer Battles was one of the books on his desk. A model military history, this is one of the few close looks we will ever have of the tactics, the planning, and the operations of tank warfare from a participant.

It was the decisive victories of the German Panzer divisions in North Africa in World War II that taught the Allies the importance of an integrated combat team consisting of tanks, infantry, and artillery. Panzer Battles is a vivid account of the major campaigns of that war, especially the legendary desert battles fought by Rommel, who found the desert to be the perfect terrain in which to wage almost purely theoretical armored warfare with large-scale tank formations.

Here is an unparalleled look at what the American military learned from the experience of fighting in WWII - experience that was put to use in the Gulf War.