{"product_id":"spearhead-autographed-by-clarence-smoyer","title":"\"Spearhead\" autographed by Clarence Smoyer","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE BOOK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTRAILER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpearhea\u003c\/em\u003ed is Adam Makos's \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling account of tank gunner Clarence Smoyer's combat odyssey — from the breakout at Mons to the shattered streets of Cologne and beyond. \u003cstrong\u003eThis hardback edition is hand-signed by both Clarence and Adam.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmoyer's Pershing tank crew spearheaded the American advance into Nazi Germany, and his legendary duel with a German Panther on the streets of Cologne — captured on film by an Army cameraman — became one of the most famous armored engagements of WWII. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDecades later, Makos tracked down Smoyer and his one-time adversary to tell the full story: a gripping tale of combat, conscience, and an unlikely bond forged across enemy lines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach copy carries the authentic signatures of both the veteran who lived this history and the author who brought it to the page. We have only a small number of these dual-signed editions remaining, and once they're gone, there's no making more!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIncludes a COA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #cccccc;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\/\/\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e shipping added in checkout \u003cspan style=\"color: #cccccc;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\/\/\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eships bubble wrapped \u0026amp; boxed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE \u003cem\u003eNEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES,\u003c\/em\u003e AND \u003cem\u003eUSA TODAY\u003c\/em\u003e BESTSELLER \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the author of the international bestseller \u003cem\u003eA Higher Call\u003c\/em\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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBattling 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnjoy the official book trailer, featuring combat film of Clarence Smoyer in action!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jH0w9ygZTIc\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\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 Fury. . . . A thoroughly enjoyable battle story, and a tribute to the everyman warrior.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Jonathan W. Jordan, \u003cem\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\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.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—George Petras, \u003cem\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/em\u003e (four out of four stars)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“This singular book is redolent with war. I cannot remember another narrative in which my abiding sensory experience was tasting grit and smelling smoke so often.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Philip Kopper, \u003cem\u003eThe Washington Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Engrossing . . . a war story and a mystery.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—CNN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“An amazing book.” \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Fox News\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A superb book that combines a firsthand look at war with a story of healing.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Sandra Dallas, \u003cem\u003eThe Denver Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\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.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Kim Curtis, Associated Press  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“This is narrative history at its best, told by a master storyteller.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Col. Cole Kingseed, \u003cem\u003eArmy\u003c\/em\u003e magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Well-written and fast-paced, Spearhead is the story of a band of brothers from the 3rd Armored and is highly recommended.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cem\u003eAmerican Rifleman\u003c\/em\u003e magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“[A] dramatic, haunting true story.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cem\u003eAARP The Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A compelling, exciting adventure . . . an in-the-moment re-creation of the Allied breakthrough of the West Wall into Nazi Germany by a remarkable cadre of tank crewmen of the 3rd Armored Division.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“An engaging story of blood, sweat and tears . . . a wonderful homage to the Greatest Generation.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—David Kindy, \u003cem\u003eThe Providence Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“The tension, death, and courage that were everyday experiences for American tankers fill the pages of Makos’s book. This moving story of bravery and comradeship is an important contribution to WWII history that will inform and fascinate both the general reader and the military historian.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ValorStudios","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67673298927920,"sku":null,"price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/5887\/0067\/products\/spearhead_abe84e0c-365e-462a-a45d-fee9aadf1647.jpg?v=1595881780","url":"https:\/\/www.valorstudios.com\/products\/spearhead-autographed-by-clarence-smoyer","provider":"ValorStudios","version":"1.0","type":"link"}