Spearhead

THE NEW YORK TIMES,WALL STREET JOURNALLOS ANGELES TIMESAND USA TODAY BESTSELLER ΓÇ£A band of brothers in an American tank . . . Makos drops the reader back into the PershingΓÇÖs turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇöThe Wall Street Journal From the author of the international bestseller A Higher Call comes the riveting World War II story of an American tank gunnerΓÇÖs journey into the heart of the Third Reichwhere he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duelΓÇöand forge an enduring bond with his enemy. When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunnerΓÇÖs seat of his Sherman tankhis crewmates discover that the gentle giant from Pennsylvania has a hidden talent: HeΓÇÖs a natural-born shooter. At firstClarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored DivisionΓÇöΓÇ£SpearheadΓÇ¥ΓÇöthought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the German Pantherwith 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 Bulgehe and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fallen brothers: the Pershinga state-of-the-art ΓÇ£super tankΓÇ¥ one of twenty in the European theater. But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack. ThatΓÇÖs how Clarencethe corporal from coal countryfinds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European warthe fight for Colognethe ΓÇ£Fortress CityΓÇ¥ of Germany. Battling through the ruinsClarence will engage the fearsome Panther in a duel immortalized by an army cameraman. And he will square off with Gustav Schaefera teenager behind the trigger in a Panzer IV tankwhose crew has been sent on a suicide mission to stop the Americans. As Clarence and Gustav trade fire down a long boulevardthey are taken by surprise by a tragic mistake of war. What happens next will haunt Clarence to the modern daydrawing him back to Cologne to do the unthinkable: to face his enemyone last time. Praise for Spearhead ΓÇ£A detailedgripping account . . . the remarkable story of two tank crewmenfrom opposite sides of the conflictwho endure the grisly nature of tank warfare.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇöUSA Today (four out of four stars) ΓÇ£Strong and dramatic . . . Makos established himself as a meticulous researcher whoΓÇÖs equally adept at spinning a good old-fashioned yarn. . . . For a World War II aficionadoit will read like a dream.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇöAssociated Press