![]() One street over from Smoyer, the Panther tank, used by the Nazis, took out an American Sherman tank, killing three Soldiers inside, including Karl Kellner. ![]() That's when a gunner's instinct kicked in." "We were chosen as the first tank(s) into the city," he added. "Not just in the horizontal plane, but from the basements to the tops of five-story buildings - Cologne put us to the test." "Attacking such a large city gave the enemy plenty of places to hide," Smoyer said. Their goal was to secure a bridge over the Rhine River, but a nearby Nazi tank had other plans. "So… we obliged," Smoyer joked, thinking back to that day.Īmerican forces, before making their way east toward Berlin, had to conquer Cologne first. Once a bustling metropolis, Cologne had been reduced to rubble, with only a few identifiable buildings remaining - including its cathedral.Īs the Americans entered Cologne, Smoyer recalls the now-infamous words of his lieutenant, Bill Stillman, who said, "Gentlemen, I give you Cologne, let's knock the hell out of it." It was March 6, 1945, and WWII was winding down, much of Germany was left in ruins.Ĭologne, one of the country's largest cities, was no exception. To Smoyer, he was just doing his job to protect the men he considers family. WASHINGTON - One of the most celebrated World War II tank gunners received the bronze star Wednesday, during a surprise award ceremony 74-years in the making.Ĭlarence Smoyer, 96-year-old former 3rd Armored Division tank gunner, never bragged about the five tanks he destroyed in the war, including an infamous Nazi tank he leveled during a dramatic duel in war-torn Cologne, Germany.
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