Guderian's Panzers: From Triumph to Defeat: Operation Barbarossa, which had commenced with such promise for Guderian's panzers, and for the eastern army at large, ended in catastrophic failure. How did it come to pass that, with each dazzling victory in the east, final victory seemed to move further away from Germany's grasp? This issue examines Guderian's role in the first half-year of the Russian campaign, in the process opening a window onto the failure of Barbarossa as a whole.