by Adam Makos
First published 2019
Clarence Smoyer sits in the gunner's seat of his Sherman tank, a gentle giant from Pennsylvania coal country who turns out to be a natural shooter. He and his crew serve with the 3rd Armored Division, nicknamed "Spearhead," believing their tanks can't be stopped. Then they encounter the German Panther, whose gun can pierce one Sherman and hit the next. Clarence watches friends die at the West Wall and during the Battle of the Bulge. His crew receives a new weapon: the Pershing super tank, one of only twenty in Europe. The upgrade comes with a deadly price. They must lead every attack. Clarence finds himself spearheading the largest urban battle in the European war, fighting for Cologne. In the ruined city, he faces off against Gustav Schaefer, a German teenager manning a Panzer IV on a suicide mission. The two trade fire down a long boulevard until a tragic mistake changes everything. The encounter will draw Clarence back to Germany decades later to confront his former enemy.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, action, world-war-ii, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, redemption
Setting: Pennsylvania, Germany, Cologne
Period: World War II, Postwar
395 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, war