It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Heinz Guderian on 14th May 1954, aged 65. Guderian was a highly influential German military officer who played an essential role in Germany’s success during World War II. Guderian was born in 1888 in Kulm, West Prussia and studied at the Prussian Military Academy, where he successfully graduated at the early age of 20 and started a military career as a junior officer in the German Army. He became one of Germany’s foremost armoured warfare theorists, writing a number of books and articles on the subject. Guderian was an advocate for ‘blitzkrieg’ tactics, which focused on speed and surprise. His theories and tactics laid the foundations for German rapid breakthroughs and great successes during World War II. Heinz Guderian retired from the German Army in 1945, towards the end of World War II. After the war, he was perceived as one of the greatest military strategists and minds of his time, and for some time served as an advisor on military issues for post-war German governments. Heinz Guderian died on 14th May 1954, aged 65, and will be remembered as one of the most influential German military figures of World War II.