Description: The arrival of the tank on the Western Front in 1916 changed the face of modern warfare. This revolutionary fighting machine became a vital element in the Allied plans and undoubtedly played a leading part in the victory of 1918. 

Earning serious consideration with strategists and tacticians, the tank’s seemingly unstoppable progress ensured that it continued to grow in importance. Yet however far sighted the generals and however well planned the battle, the success of the new weapon depended just as much upon the skill and bravery of its crew as upon its firepower and mobility. Within the crew, the tank commander was the most important; only his skills ensured full realisation of the true worth and unique power of the tank.
This major new study traces the development of this important new breed of soldiers, men in whose hands the tank became the potent force on the battlefield that it remains to this day. The important thinkers, inventors and builders are included alongside the great battlefield leaders – the tank aces who became so well known in WWII – and the development of the all arms team.

Concentrating on the human element, the book reveals clearly just what makes the tank leader so different from many commanders in military history. The recipe for success with every commander, of whatever rank, has been always that they commanded from the front. Men like Elles, Rommel, Patton and Tal were not to be found in some cosy bunker well to the rear of the front line. Instead they were at the ‘sharp end’ of the action; ensuring that their battle plans were being carried out to the letter; stamping their personality on the action by direct radio contact; and sharing firsthand with their crews the danger and difficulties of combat. It is this personal involvement of man and machine, the modern version of the armoured man on horseback, that prompts the tank commanders to be described as the ‘Knights of the Modern Age’.

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