The Western press called the battle for Kharkov in May 1942 “the largest tank battle,” which became the last disaster of the Red Army, which lost more than a quarter of a million soldiers and 1,250 tanks here. It was the tank corps that was supposed to become the main trump card of the Red Army in the Kharkov offensive operation. It was the Panzerwaffe tank divisions that launched fatal counterattacks, turning the tide of the battle in their favor and closing the “ring” of encirclement. And the delay in bringing Soviet tank reserves into battle became one of the main reasons for the defeat, about which Stalin said: “Within just three weeks, the Southwestern Front, thanks to its frivolity, not only lost the half-won Kharkov operation, but also managed to give up the enemy has 18–20 divisions. If we had told the country in full about that disaster, I'm afraid you would have been treated very harshly...” A NEW book by a leading armor historian sheds light on the role of tanks in the Kharkov tragedy, which ultimately led to the German breakthrough into the Caucasus and to Stalingrad. This collector's edition is printed on premium quality coated paper and illustrated with hundreds of exclusive photographs.