The second volume in Dick Taylor's three-volume illustrated history of the evolution of armoured manoeuvre warfare in the British army covers the period of the Second World War, in which the tank came of age and developed into the principal land weapon of decision. He describes how, during the first half of the war, the British army came close to disaster from the armoured warfare perspective and how the bitter lessons of failure were learned in time to deliver success in 1944 and 1945. As well as providing a fascinating overview of the tactical use of armour during the main campaigns, he considers such much-neglected aspects as the role of training and organization, officer selection and recruitment, and the mechanization of other arms. His wide-ranging book also features extensive, well-laid-out tables giving key information about British armour during this period. This expert account quotes heavily from the vivid recollections of soldiers who served in armour, and is not afraid to criticize as well as praise.

Dick Taylor started his service in the British army at the tender age of sixteen as a Junior Trooper at the Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Armoured Corps in Bovington. After completing training he served with 3RTR and 2RTR. As well as being a tank commander, he was a specialist in tank gunnery. He was commissioned as a captain in 2000 into 1RTRand left the regular army as a lieutenant colonel in 2013, although he has since been mobilized for operational service three times for tours overseas. During his long career he completed fifteen operational deployments to various hot spots including three tours of Afghanistan, two to Iraq, as well as Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan. He remains in the Army Reserve. He is the official historian of the Royal Armoured Corps, has an avid interest in modern and military history and writes military history books for a hobby. His recent publications include The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall and Rise of British Armour 1919-1945 and Armoured Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939.