KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK CROSS - Hitler's Panzerwaffe and Its Leaders by Perrett, Bryan

St. Martin's Press, 1986, N Y, US first edition, hard bound in dust jacket, 6 1/4 x 9 1/2, VG/VG condition( light dj edge wear), 266 pages, illus., maps, bibliog., appendices, index.----------------------------The German Armored Corps—the Panzerwaffe — was instrumental in the mighty Conquests of the Nazis between 1939 and 1942, and in the remaining years of the war it provided the very backbone of German defense. Although its strength never exceeded one-fifth of the German army, the commitment of the Panzerwaffe's officers to the traditional Annihilation Concept made an enormous impact on the Second World War, particularly on the Eastern Front. The titanic struggles that took place there, after the early victories in Poland, the West, and the Balkans, demonstrated the German tank soldiers' superior tactical abilities and provided the basis of Soviet war theories to this day.Bryan Perrett's meticulously researched and incisive account tells the story of this remarkable band of soldiers and the evolution of their superlative fighting vehicles. This authoritative story will fascinate the military expert and general reader alike.