This is the story of the German Panzer forces of World War II, when these awesome fighting machines came of age.

Featuring newsreel footage shot by the German PK (Propaganda Kompanie) and archive film from Allied war sources, this is the definitive guide to the German tank and armoured vehicles of the war. From the brutally effective Blitzkrieg tactics to the German disaster at the Battle of Kursk, the greatest tank battle in history, this DVD covers the highs and lows of German armour in the field of battle.

The early Mark I and II Panzers formed the bulk of the Panzerwaffe in the early years of the war. These machines were already considered unfit for service in 1939, but nonetheless had to be pressed into action in Poland, France, Norway, Greece, Africa and Russia.

Also featured is the versatile Panzer III, and how the German medium tanks were forced into action to plug the gaps torn in the Wehrmacht ranks by the T-34. The medium tanks were quickly eclipsed by the superior numbers of tanks fielded by the Red Army, but nonetheless had to be kept in service in all theatres until the end of the war.

The Tiger was the legendary heavy tank developed by the Panzerwaffein response to the Soviet T-34 and KV1 tanks. This fearsome machine was the equal of any other tank on the battlefield, but there were simply never enough to turn the tide, which was already flowing against Hitler’s Germany.