Born in Dortmund in 1923, FRANK KUROWSKI initially trained as a turner. Called up in 1942, he fought with the Afrika Korps as a Luftwaffe paratrooper. He has been a freelance journalist since 1958 and is the author of more than 100 books on the history of the Second World War, including the acclaimed series _Panzer Aces: German Tank Commanders in World War II_.