History has always been a fascinating subject for Jim and World War II intensified that interest. As a teenager growing up during this global conflict, he recalls how it seemed to dominate every aspect of daily life. Jim kept daily scrapbooks of every report from Europe, as his uncle was serving with the 1st Army, and read his letters many times. Jim recalls how he was a hero to the family and upon his safe return spoke with admiration for the German soldier. Jim wrote this book in an effort to tell the story of one such German soldier, Generaloberst Heinz Guderian who experienced a major role in a unique position of leadership, during this cataclysmal upheaval of global civilization. Guderian embodied the dramatic change in mechanized warfare that became known as the Blitzkreig. He developed his Panzers with such immense firepower, mobility and speed, that it revolutionized the concepts of military tactics. His violent confrontations with Hitler in an attempt to divert him to more reasonable decisions put his own life in jeopardy. It may have been an impossible task to change the course of Hitler’s destiny and the direction of history, but it was not for lack of trying that he failed.