Besides getting the tank duel on film, Sgt. The medals are perhaps a testament, too, to the enduring power of the moving image. The belated citations honor their teamwork during the battle on March 6, 1945, and reflect the perseverance of author Adam Makos, who tells the crew's story in his book "Spearhead." The medals - which already had been given to the Pershing's commander and the cameraman who risked his life to get the battle footage - now make the Pershing's men perhaps one of the most decorated tank crews of the war. An Army color guard saluted, a military band played and an immaculate Sherman tank was rolled onto the National Mall for good measure. Three more Bronze Stars were awarded posthumously to fellow crew members in his Pershing tank during a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial. On Wednesday, Smoyer, the last living member of the American tank crew, collected a Bronze Star for his heroism that day. soldiers in another tank minutes earlier and brought the end of World War II a little bit closer. The duel knocked out the Panther, achieved a measure of revenge for the deaths of other U.S. The shell slammed into the German tank, followed by two more quick rounds in a remarkable one-on-one battle that was immortalized on film by an Army cameraman. Clarence Smoyer, the tank's gunner, spotted the enemy's gun barrel pointed his way the instant before he pulled the trigger. WASHINGTON - The German Panther tank lay in ambush in the debris-filled streets of Cologne in the waning days of World War II, an American tank in its sights just 70 yards away.Īs the Americans rolled forward in challenge, Cpl.
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