Spearhead, Adam Makos
Spearhead, Adam Makos
51 Rating(s)
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
Club: $11.25

Spearhead
An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II

Bestseller

Author: Adam Makos

Narrator: Johnathan McClain

Unabridged: 13 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/19/2019


Synopsis

THE 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  

About The Author

Hailed as “a masterful storyteller” by the Associated Press, Adam Makos is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Higher Call and Spearhead and the critically acclaimed Devotion. Inspired by his grandfathers’ service, Makos chronicles the stories of American veterans in his trademark fusion of intense human drama and fast-paced military action, securing his place “in the top ranks of military writers,” according to the Los Angeles Times. In the course of his research, Makos has flown a World War II bomber, accompanied a Special Forces raid in Iraq, and journeyed into North Korea in search of an MIA American airman.


Reviews

Goodreads review by 'Aussie Rick' on March 08, 2019

Having just finished Adam Mako's latest WW2 book; Spearhead I wanted a bit of time to collect my thoughts before trying to write a review. This is an excellent book of soldiers at war, a tankers eye-view of the conflict through his periscope or his gun sight. Adam Makos has decided to tell the story......more

Goodreads review by DonnaDavis on March 06, 2019

I read this historical gem free and early, thanks to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine; it’s among the top ten percent of the military histories I have read, and it’s one of the few that I have recommended to friends and relatives. Makos’s introduction tells us what he has done to lay his groun......more

Goodreads review by Jay on April 23, 2025

This was very intense at times. Most of my non-fiction World War II reading up to this point has been from the overall view of the war of moving armies against each other; strategy, logistics and the like. This book took me for a harrowing, personal ride with an American tank crew as it entered the Ba......more

Goodreads review by Sweetwilliam on May 15, 2019

This is a fast paced memoir filled with non-stop action. I was entertained from the first chapter to the last and there wasn’t a moment of downtime. During the day, I couldn’t wait for night time so I could get back to the book. For me, this is a WWII, European theater version of “With the Old Breed......more

Goodreads review by Morgan on April 01, 2019

Tight AF tank fights. FUK YEAH!!!! And one other thing: The book does a great job personalizing the events from the perspective of the actual people who fought on both sides of the frontline. The author met the surviving American and German veterans and even accompanied them in a truly touching and mea......more


Quotes

“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.”
Jonathan W. Jordan, The Wall Street Journal

“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.”
George Petras, USA Today (four out of four stars)

“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.”
—Philip Kopper, The Washington Times

“Engrossing . . . a war story and a mystery.”
—CNN

“An amazing book.” 
—Fox News

“A superb book that combines a firsthand look at war with a story of healing.”
Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post
 
“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.”
Kim Curtis, Associated Press  

“This is narrative history at its best, told by a master storyteller.”
—Col. Cole Kingseed, Army magazine

“Well-written and fast-paced, Spearhead is the story of a band of brothers from the 3rd Armored and is highly recommended.”
American Rifleman magazine

“[A] dramatic, haunting true story.”
AARP The Magazine

“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

“An engaging story of blood, sweat and tears . . . a wonderful homage to the Greatest Generation.”
David Kindy, The Providence Journal

“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.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)