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

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THE NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER 

“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…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Spearhead as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The book tells the story of tanker Clarence Smoyer, who served with the Third Armored Division during the last months of World War II in Europe. Makos expertly tells the personal story of the soldier and his tank as the unit thrust into Germany in early 1945. Smoyer’s tank is involved in a famous one-on-one duel with a German tank in Cologne. It's a thrilling read!

When I was trying to wrap my head around the grim realities of tank warfare in World War II, this book by Adam Makos taught me a lot. Makos tracked down and brilliantly narrates the stories of an American tank crew and a German panzer crew who battled it out in front of the cathedral in Cologne, Germany in March of 1945. Major General Maurice Rose makes a cameo appearance, but this book is not about generals. It's about sergeants and privates fighting to the death, tank vs. tank.

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