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  • Spearhead

  • An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II
  • Written by: Adam Makos
  • Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
  • Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (124 ratings)

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Spearhead

Written by: Adam Makos
Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
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Publisher's Summary

The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today Best Seller

“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 best seller 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 20 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 US 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. 

“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) 

©2019 Random House Audio (P)2019 Adam Makos

What the critics say

“A band of brothers in an American tank.... [Adam] Makos drops the reader back into the Pershing’s turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.... Brilliant...[a] gripping action narrative...a thoroughly enjoyable battle story, and a tribute to the everyman warrior.” (The Wall Street Journal

“[Spearhead is] 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.” (Kirkus Reviews

What listeners say about Spearhead

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Superb storytelling AND it's true!

Real young men in a very real war. This book will give you an appreciation of tank warfare better than any other way. Graphic tragic and awe inspiring...all at the same time!

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Great retelling of events and read by someone who can read. Recommend.

Another great retelling of events by this author.
Also a very good reader which can definitely make or break an audio book for me.
A friend of my family who is now 99 years old fought with the Canadian tank core starting mid 1944 in Italy eventually helping to free Holland and ultimately billeting there for a couple of years afterwards to help with the rebuilding efforts. Gentleman that he is, he has only relayed some aspects of his experience and this book filled in a lot of the gaps for me: not that he was in the battles cited but what it was like to be part of a tank team fighting the enemy in such a tight space. He did say that it could be mighty cold inside in the winter of 1945 when the engine was off and they were waiting to get going. He’s such a quiet yet kindly person that I cannot begin to imagine what he was like during that time.
Highly recommend to WWII buffs.

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Fantastic story! Band of Brothers for tankers.

Incredible story of heroism and humanity. War is ugly. The courage required to get back into a new Sherman after having had the previous 2 or 3 shot up is beyond words. So much respect for that generation. This book would make a great HBO series.

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Riveting Account

This book will undoubtedly come to be regarded as one of the most engaging, interesting, heart-rending and eloquent accounts of the lives of two soldiers in World War II ever to be written.

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Phenomenal.

A great listen. Download this book and you won’t be disappointed….a great story of crews in WW2. The last chapters will bring you to tears, very nice.
Thanks Adam Makos.

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Excellent performance and book. A very enjoyable experience.

I worried that this would be a ‘fluffy’ experience, but I feel it had the great style and emotion, giving me a view of what soldier went through in WWII.

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A great adventure story

If your a fan of WW II, this is an excellent book, a true story. The action is realistic and not over the top. I didn't want the story to end.

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Great story

I’ve listened to.quite a few first person accounts of WW2 and Vietnam war veterans. This is one of the best. The inclusion of the stories of other veterans from those same battles including German soldiers is unique. A lot of investigation went into writing this book. A touching narration of the meeting between combatants almost 70 years after the fact was a great way to conclude the book. My other favorite from this genre is The Forgotten Soldier, by Guy Sajer.

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fantastic book, highly recommend.

interesting to see the film footage l as well. The attention to detail was impressive.

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A compelling story. A great overall story

A great story of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Such young men who were left with their lives never rhe same.

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