Often it is assumed that Hitler's panzers stormed into action perfectly formed, driving through the armies of the Poles in 1939 and the French in 1940 and defeating them. The dramatic blitzkrieg victories won by the Wehrmacht early in the Second World War - in which the panzers played a leading role - tend to confirm this impression.

Anthony Tucker-Jones is a former defense intelligence officer and a widely published expert on regional conflicts, counter-terrorism and armored and aerial warfare. He is the author of over thirty books, is security and terrorism correspondent for intersec - The Journal of International Security, and has freelanced for Channel 4 News.