Charles Messenger spent 19 years in the Royal Tank Regiment before pursuing a career as a military historian and defence analyst. He is the author of over 40 books, including The Art of Blitzkrieg, The Commandos 1940 – 1946, and The Second World War in the West. He has also written biographies of three of the major German players in Normandy – von Rundstedt, Rommel and Sepp Dietrich. He has written and co-directed major television series for BBC Worldwide.