Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II
Adam Makos
Feb 2019 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Johnathan McClain
4.9star
18 reviewsreport
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13 hr 33 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The acclaimed author of A Higher Call and Devotion presents the “engrossing” (CNN) true story of an American tank gunner’s journey into the heart of the Third Reich during World War II, where he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duel—and forge an enduring bond with his enemy.
“A band of brothers in an American tank . . . Makos drops the reader back into the Pershing’s turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.”—The Wall Street Journal
When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunner’s seat of his Sherman tank, he discovers a hidden talent: He’s a natural-born shooter. At first, Clarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—thought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the murderous German Panther and a pattern soon emerged: The lead tank always gets hit.
After Clarence sees his friends cut down at the West Wall and in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fellow comrades—the Pershing, a state-of-the-art “super tank.” But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack.
That’s how Clarence finds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European war, the fight for Cologne, the “Fortress City” of Germany. Clarence will engage the fearsome Panther in a duel immortalized by an army cameraman. And he will square off with Gustav Schaefer, a teenager behind the trigger in a Panzer IV tank, whose crew has been sent on a suicide mission to stop the Americans.
What happens next will haunt Clarence to the modern day, drawing him back to Cologne to do the unthinkable: to face his enemy, one last time.
“A band of brothers in an American tank . . . Makos drops the reader back into the Pershing’s turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.”—The Wall Street Journal
When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunner’s seat of his Sherman tank, he discovers a hidden talent: He’s a natural-born shooter. At first, Clarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—thought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the murderous German Panther and a pattern soon emerged: The lead tank always gets hit.
After Clarence sees his friends cut down at the West Wall and in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fellow comrades—the Pershing, a state-of-the-art “super tank.” But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack.
That’s how Clarence finds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European war, the fight for Cologne, the “Fortress City” of Germany. Clarence will engage the fearsome Panther in a duel immortalized by an army cameraman. And he will square off with Gustav Schaefer, a teenager behind the trigger in a Panzer IV tank, whose crew has been sent on a suicide mission to stop the Americans.
What happens next will haunt Clarence to the modern day, drawing him back to Cologne to do the unthinkable: to face his enemy, one last time.
Ratings and reviews
4.9
18 reviews
Steven DeSimone
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April 15, 2019
MUST READ (or Listen)..Wow..great historical read by Adam Makos. Authjor takes you behind the strategy, lives and the gun. A great journey of with the Armored Division and the lives during and after. If you like history or Tanks, this one is or you.
Roger Chapman
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May 17, 2019
Well written, good narration. Very interesting and touching.
David Hambrock
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June 19, 2019
Excellent Book!!!
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Hailed as “a masterful storyteller” by the Associated Press, Adam Makos is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Higher Call and Spearhead and the critically acclaimed Devotion. Inspired by his grandfathers’ service, Makos chronicles the stories of American veterans in his trademark fusion of intense human drama and fast-paced military action, securing his place “in the top ranks of military writers,” according to the Los Angeles Times. In the course of his research, Makos has flown a World War II bomber, accompanied a Special Forces raid in Iraq, and journeyed into North Korea in search of an MIA American airman.
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