Book dossier

Spearhead

by Adam Makos

"Clarence Smoyer began the war as a gentle giant, a factory worker from Pennsylvania coal country reluctant to unleash the power of the Sherman tank he crewed. But as his tank platoon fought its way from Normandy to the Rhine and beyond, and he watched his friends cut down one by one, he learned to kill with deadly accuracy and efficiency. His fight would climax in Cologne, in the shadow of the great cathedral, where he took a shot immortalized by a chance photograph--and where he would later forge a friendship with the German tanker he tragically dueled soon after."--Provided by publisher. Documents the story of a World War II tank platoon and gunner Clarence Smoyer, the gentle soldier behind the immortalized film footage of the iconic duel at the great cathedral in Cologne.