{"product_id":"spearhead-an-american-tank-gunner-his-enemy-and-a-collision-of-lives-in-world-war-ii-9780804176743","title":"Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eWALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, \u003c\/i\u003eAND \u003ci\u003eUSA TODAY\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"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 \u003ci\u003eFury\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the author of the international bestseller \u003ci\u003eA Higher Call\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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: \u003ci\u003eThe lead tank always gets hit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eAfter 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now \u003ci\u003ethey\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eSpearhead\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"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.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e (four out of four stars)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"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.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Associated Press \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Adam Makos\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ballantine Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/19\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.1lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780804176743","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42999375200393,"sku":"9780804176743","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_4b2dbc29-0c18-4b2c-b016-fae3c1bf33e0.jpg?v=1727156736","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/spearhead-an-american-tank-gunner-his-enemy-and-a-collision-of-lives-in-world-war-ii-9780804176743","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}