Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II

From the bestselling author of A Higher Call comes the untold story of a World War II tank squadron fighting from Normandy to the Rhine, where a humble gunner would meet destiny in an iconic duel. 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.