‘Hero of Cologne’ gets Bronze Star
WASHINGTON — When 96-year-old Clarence Smoyer came to Washington on Wednesday, he thought he was heading to the Pentagon to sign copies of “Spearhead,” a recent book detailing his exploits as a World War II tank gunner.
Instead, he found a full Army color guard and ceremony awarding him a Bronze Star, almost 75 years after the battle that made him a hero.
Mr. Smoyer, of Allentown, Pa., was part of a famous March 6, 1945, duel in Cologne, Germany, where his Pershing tank destroyed a German Panther tank about nine months after D-Day. The battle was captured on film and Mr. Smoyer became known as the “Hero of Cologne.”
Mr. Smoyer was told he would receive the Bronze Star, but a few days later he ran afoul of a minor disciplinary issue that cost him his medal. A military police officer saw him searching his pockets for bubble gum to give to a crowd of German children and charged him with fraternization with the enemy. Meanwhile, Mr. Smoyer’s tank commander and the military cameraman who filmed the battle received Bronze Stars of their own.
Mr. Smoyer’s story was detailed in “Spearhead” by author Adam Makos, who helped engineer Wednesday’s events. He helped persuade the Army to reverse what he saw as an injustice, and he brought Mr. Smoyer to Washington on the pretense of a book-signing.
As Mr. Smoyer stepped out of the car and saw the crowds gathered at Washington’s World War II Memorial, he smiled broadly and asked, “Am I getting a Bronze Star?”
The ceremony featured an actual Sherman tank, several of Mr. Smoyer’s old World War II comrades and a speech by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey.