Military historian Bryan Perrett traces the evolution of 20th century armored warfare examining British, American, German, and Russian actions on the battlefield.

The earliest tanks were ineffective behemoths that faced slow adoption in conservative military minds. That there was an early prejudice against the behemoths is well-established so Perrett demonstrates how they proved their effectiveness in battle until they won adoption.

The classic strategy though began clear early on and guides the application of tank forces up to the present. Marshall Foch in Plan 1919 adopted the plan of using tanks as a disorganizing force which when coupled with air support and ground troops proves to be an effective fighting force (p. 66).

To demonstrate how tanks were gradually adopted as effective in battle Parrett uses selective examples from before World War I up to Persian Gulf I. From the first tentative forays of armored warfare in WW I to the more standard applications of battle in WW II the armored vehicles as evolved as more central to an Army's Order of Battle. The Cold War battles are covered with reference to the Sinai Campaign of 1967 and Vietnam, 1945 - 1975, before ending up at the Persian Gulf.

This short introduction does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to armored warfare but this is a handy and brief summation that includes some helpful illustrations as well.