Tank Warfare

The story of the battlefieldin the 20thcentury was dominated by a handful of developments. Foremost of these was the introduction and refinement oftanks. InTankWarfare, prominent military historian Jeremy Black offers a comprehensive global account of the history oftanks and armoredwarfarein the 20thand 21stcenturies. First introduced onto the battlefield during the World War I,tanks represented the reconciliation of firepower and mobility and immediately seizedthe imagination of commanders and commentators concerned about the constraints of ordinary infantry. The developments of technology and tactics in the interwar years were realized in the Germanblitzkriegin World War II and beyond. Yet theaccount of armor on the battlefield is a tale of limitations and defeats as well as of potential and achievements.TankWarfare examines the traditional narrative of armoredwarfare while at the same time challenging it, and Black suggests thattanks were no "silver bullet" on the battlefield. Instead, their success was based on their inclusion in the general mix of weaponry available to commanders and the context in which they were used.