'They should put Montgomery and Patton and Rommel in the same ring and take off the gloves and let 'em go at it' Bill Mauldin, American GI

In the Second World War, Great Britain, the United States and Germany each had one commander who stood out from the rest: Bernard Montgomery, George Patton and Erwin Rommel. In Masters of Battle, all three are 'put in the same ring' and allowed to 'go at it' against a backdrop of the great armoured battles of North Africa, the invasions of Sicily and Italy, the Normandy landings and the push through France and Belgium into Germany.

Through the mutual respect of the arch-enemies Monty and Rommel, and the mutual animosity of the allies Monty and Patton, Masters of Battle presents the Second World War as it was experienced by its three most flamboyant, controversial and influential commanders.

'Thorough, accurate, concise, clear. Brighton writes with pace and precision' Spectator 'A first-rate account ... written with humour and understanding. A masterly, moving and entertaining book' The Times on Hellriders

Terry Brighton is the author of the best-selling book on the Crimean War, Hell Riders: The Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade, and has worked on the curatorial staff of The Queen's Royal Lancers Regimental Museum for many years. He lives in Lincoln.