PDF Spearhead An American Tank Gunner His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II eBook Adam Makos
Download As PDF : Spearhead An American Tank Gunner His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II eBook Adam Makos
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 Journal
From the author of the international bestseller A Higher Call comes the riveting World War II story of an American tank gunner’s journey into the heart of the Third Reich, where he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duel—and forge an enduring bond with his enemy.
When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunner’s seat of his Sherman tank, his crewmates discover that the gentle giant from Pennsylvania has 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 German Panther, with a gun so murderous it could shoot through one Sherman and into the next. Soon a pattern emerged The lead tank always gets hit.
After Clarence sees his friends cut down breaching the West Wall and holding the line in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fallen brothers the Pershing, a state-of-the-art “super tank,” one of twenty in the European theater.
But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility Now they will spearhead every attack. That’s how Clarence, the corporal from coal country, 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.
Battling through the ruins, 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.
As Clarence and Gustav trade fire down a long boulevard, they are taken by surprise by a tragic mistake of war. 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.
Praise for Spearhead
“A detailed, gripping account . . . the remarkable story of two tank crewmen, from opposite sides of the conflict, who endure the grisly nature of tank warfare.”—USA Today (four out of four stars)
“Strong and dramatic . . . Makos established himself as a meticulous researcher who’s equally adept at spinning a good old-fashioned yarn. . . . For a World War II aficionado, it will read like a dream.”—Associated Press
PDF Spearhead An American Tank Gunner His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II eBook Adam Makos
"I run a WW2 library page on Instagram and received an advanced copy of Spearhead in exchange for an honest review. The acclaimed author has done it again. Finding a fantastic set of characters from both the American and German side, following their fight until their stories entwine on the battlefield. The book follows the stories of tank gunners Clarence and Gustav through the European theater until their wars collide in Cologne as the Allies break into Germany. Adam Makos’ brilliant and descriptive storytelling paints a clear picture of the men and the battles. You can visualize these men and their crews inside the tanks, facing the perils of armored warfare. Adam Makos and his team spent a great deal of time researching the battlefields, on the ground with the veterans and this is evident in the amazing level of detail he has put to paper. As well as the two gunners we meet other characters from infantry and armored units as they fight together through some of the wars epic battles including the Ruhr Pocket where 325,000 German troops were captured. The reader is taken inside the tanks, through the trenches, streets and fields with these men who are swept up in the tragedy of war. A fantastic book that reads beautifully, anyone can enjoy this from WW2 enthusiasts to people who are new to the genre. I loved it and I’m sure you will too."
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Spearhead An American Tank Gunner His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II eBook Adam Makos Reviews :
Spearhead An American Tank Gunner His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II eBook Adam Makos Reviews
- I run a WW2 library page on Instagram and received an advanced copy of Spearhead in exchange for an honest review. The acclaimed author has done it again. Finding a fantastic set of characters from both the American and German side, following their fight until their stories entwine on the battlefield. The book follows the stories of tank gunners Clarence and Gustav through the European theater until their wars collide in Cologne as the Allies break into Germany. Adam Makos’ brilliant and descriptive storytelling paints a clear picture of the men and the battles. You can visualize these men and their crews inside the tanks, facing the perils of armored warfare. Adam Makos and his team spent a great deal of time researching the battlefields, on the ground with the veterans and this is evident in the amazing level of detail he has put to paper. As well as the two gunners we meet other characters from infantry and armored units as they fight together through some of the wars epic battles including the Ruhr Pocket where 325,000 German troops were captured. The reader is taken inside the tanks, through the trenches, streets and fields with these men who are swept up in the tragedy of war. A fantastic book that reads beautifully, anyone can enjoy this from WW2 enthusiasts to people who are new to the genre. I loved it and I’m sure you will too.
- This book arrived earlier today and I began leafing through it to see if I liked it or not. Turns out I did so I sat down and read it from cover to cover.
Wasn't sure if an accurate story of the soldiers from Company E, 32d Armored Regiment, 3d Armored Division, along with their supporting foot troops of the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, who fought in the Battle of Cologne would be accurately told by someone who relied on interviews rather than wartime documents. But a quick look at the endnotes shows Makos did rely on wartime documents. In fact, he did an excellent job in terms of getting it right, with only one minor gaffe in the entire book (mistakenly identified the German Seventh Army as the Seventeenth Army)
Adam Markos has done an absolutely magnificent job capturing those events and taking the story further by examining the postwar experiences of the panzer crewmembers and US tankers during a dramatic afternoon captured by a Signal Corps motion picture photographer and witnessed by Stars and Stripes correspondent Andy Rooney.
For those interested in more than Cologne, the author begins the tale by recounting events at the Mons Pocket in September 1944 before taking the narrative through the capture of Cologne and beyond.
I am gauging this book's worth from the perspective of a professional historian who previously served in the US Army as a tanker in a number of different units between 1979 and 2006. Reading about Clarence Smoyer and Gustav Schaefer meeting after the war in the same square where they both fired upon a fleeing civilian car with tragic results almost brought tears to my eyes. It was very touching to see how wartime foes could become close comrades decades later. SPOILER ALERT - Herr Schaefer was not in the Panther whose destruction was captured on film. He was in one of the other two panzers in Cologne city center that day.
Highly recommended especially for those who aren't deeply interested in World War 2 or armored warfare. This will prove to be an enjoyable and interesting read for those folks.
A number of photos are included, some are recognizable stock pictures that have appeared in other books but some were donated by veterans for the book. Some maps are included, but they give a "soda straw" rather than a wider view of specific events. - I just received my copy today, I had to order this great book, after seeing a review about Spearhead in The Wall Street Journal. As I thumb through my copy, I know I will not be disappointed! I am a student of history, and keenly appreciate reading about WW II, especially American actions in France and Germany. My dear Uncle was a surviving combat medic under General Devers and later with General Anthony McCauliffe going into Germany. ... years ..later he reconciled with our German cousins . For me much of this is very personal in a familial sense. Author, Adam Makos is a gifted writer with much more to offer in the future. I must read his other works. The type set makes this edition easy to read. The colorized photo on the cover brings the past to life.The photos, maps and illustrations are very worthy additions to the narrative. The notes, index, sources, etc. are complete.Well done Random House, and a special thanks to Adam Makoas.!! WELL DONE!!
- Wow! This is the best book I have read since Adam Makos' A Higher Call. It is an intense and emotional journey through the end of WWII. I knew the boys in the Allied armored divisions had a rough job, but this really puts their fight into a new personal light.
I remember watching the film on the duel with the Panther as a kid and always wanting to know more, now you can. This book will leave you saying wow and probably rubbing your eyes a bit at the end.
I was sitting on the edge of my office chair on numerous occasions glued to the pages reading as fast I could to see what would happen next. I can't believe the things these boys went through to defeat the Third Reich. I love WWII history and I now have a much stronger appreciation of our WWII tanker veterans like Clarence Smoyer and his armored infantry comrades.
All I can say is Clarence's story should be a movie! Do your self a favor and read this book! - I had the opportunity to hear this story sitting with Clarence Smoyer back in 2003 at a 3rd Armored Division Reunion. As the President of the 32nd Cavalry & Armor Association this story is part of our history as a Combat Cavalry and Armor Regiment. Adam Makos has written a great book of the story of "Spearhead" the Story of Cpl. Clarence Smoyer (Eagle 7). Clarence served in Easy Company 2nd Battalion 32nd Armor Regiment as a gunner on a Pershing Tank. His story tells of the Battle of Cologne and the tank battle that took place in front of the Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus, English Cathedral Church of Saint Peter. This battle was a turning point of the First Army/ 3rd Armored Division invasion into Germany. I recommend this book to be part of your reading. VICTORY OR DEATH!!!
