Essential background to the German blitzkrieg of World War II - Complements the stories of panzer aces like Otto Carius and Michael Wittmann In the wake of World War I, the German army lay in ruins--defeated in the war, sundered by domestic upheaval, and punished by the Treaty of Versailles. A mere twenty years later, Germany possessed one of the finest military machines in the world, capable of launching a stunning blitzkrieg attack against Poland in 1939. Well-known military historian Robert M. Citino shows how Germany accomplished this astonishing reversal and developed the doctrine, tactics, and technologies that its military would use to devastating effect in World War II. Robert M. Citino is professor of history at Eastern Michigan University. His many publications include Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm (978-0-7006-1300-7), Death of the Wehrmacht (978-0-7006-1531-5), The German Way of War (978-0-7006-1410-3), and Quest for Decisive Victory (978-0-7006-1176-8). He lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan.