Cpl. Clarence Smoyer in a Pershing tank in Cologne, 1945

In early March of 1945, the vaunted “Spearhead Division“ entered the German city of Cologne for a pivotal battle in the final days of World War II. Tank gunner Clarence Smoyer, a curly-haired 21-year-old, was part of the crew in a new American supertank, the Pershing, that helped the Americans to victory. Cameraman Jim Bates, of Colorado Springs, followed Smoyer’s tank through the battle in which it destroyed two German tanks, including one depicted in this video, next to the Cologne Cathedral. The battle footage was seen in newsreels across the country. Read more at