How An American Tank Gunner Successfully Dueled with Panzers in World War Two

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2020

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 came a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack.
In this episode I'm speaking with Adam Makos, author of “Spearhead.” It's the 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.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before I get started with this episode about Tank Warfare in World War II, I want to
0:03.6	mention that you can get this book spearhead on audible.com.
0:08.0	Audible is a leading provider of spoken word entertainment and audiobooks, and some of
0:11.6	my favorite history books of all time are available here, like A Sents of the World, the
0:15.7	book about the Blind Explorer James Holman.
0:17.9	To be honest, it's really hard for me to find the time to sit down to read books, but
0:21.9	audiobooks are fantastic.
0:24.0	Because when you fit them in your day, listening to them while driving, listening to them
0:27.4	on your smartphone while walking around, it's like you can read two books.
0:29.9	A week, just fitting them into the nooks and crannies of your life.
0:33.3	Audible has thousands of titles like these, and you can download them and listen to them
0:37.3	online or offline anytime and anywhere.
0:39.9	The app is free and can be installed on your smartphone, and you can listen across devices
0:43.6	without losing your spot.
0:44.8	You can find history book titles, but also celebrity memoirs, business and self-development
0:48.8	titles.
0:49.8	Every month you get one credit to pick any audiobook you want, plus two audible originals.
0:54.4	Audible isn't just a place for audiobooks, but also has podcasts, theatrical performances,
0:59.1	and comedy.
1:00.1	Examples of the offerings include Conan O'Brien needs a friend, a fan of Conan since
1:03.3	the 90s, and it's really easy to get set up and get started.
1:06.3	Visit audible.com slash history unplugged, or text history unplugged to 500-500, that's
	...

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