Knights of the Black Cross: Hitler's Panzerwaffe and Its Leaders

By the author of A History of Blitzkrieg, this is an authoritative survey of the legendary armored force that overran most of Europe in the early years of World War II and fought titanic tank battles in Russia. Perrett recounts the German general staff's development of a doctrine consisting of three main elements: a bold advance, an enveloping attack and full initiative to commanders of minor units. He explains Gen. Heinz Guderian's role in establishing the Panzerwaffe and the field generalship of Erich von Manstein, ""the most brilliant of them all.'' Perrett's principal theme, soundly supported, is that the major accomplishment of the Panzer Corps lay not in its relatively easy victories between 1939 and early 1942 but in the protracted struggle against mounting odds during the rest of the war, coping with difficulties compounded by Hitler's stubborn faith in his own strategical genius. Recommended for a clear understanding of the role of German armor in the Second World War. (September 29)