And we continue with our American Stories.

Stephen Ambrose was one of America's leading biographers and historians.

He passed in 2002, but his epic storytelling accounts can now be heard here at

our American stories, thanks to those who run his estate. Our next story is a story of weapons

used in World War II. Here again is Stephen Ambrose. A lot of improvement in the tank

by the time the Second World War came along, and then a lot of improvements were made tank by the time the Second World War came along and then

a lot of improvements were made in the tank during the Second World War so that the tank

became the queen of the battlefield.

The decisive weapon of ground warfare.

Everybody had their own tanks and their own tank design and their own ideas about tank tactics the first to

come along with a doctrine that was put into practice and proved to be in its

initial use at least extraordinarily effective was the Blitzkrieg method that

the Germans used.

There had been dispute between theorists all through the period after World War I or before World War II

over what the proper role of the tank was.

And this grossly simplifies the argument, but in general, the old line regular infantry officers the

men who were in their 30s in World War I who would be the general officers in

World War II tended to regard the tank as an auxiliary to the infantry

whose function was to to the infantry.

His function was to support the infantry in attack or in defense.

So that the right way, the first, to make that decision, I say the right use of the tank

is to support the infantry, then dictates the design of your tank.

...