Meanwhile, Smoyer’s tank commander and the military cameraman who filmed the battle received Bronze Stars of their own. 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. 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. The British and the Americans were closing on the Rhine River. The Germans had been forced out of France and had exhausted most of their reserves in the Battle of the Bulge.

Let’s have a look this deliberate wartime situation.

Let's jump right in March 6th, 1945 Cologne, Germany They don’t see the Panther until it’s too late. The battle was captured on film and Smoyer became known as the “Hero of Cologne.” The tank battle at Cologne Cathedral, although brief, is perhaps the most famous of all time. Special thanks to Robert Rath (author) and Karl Brezdin (illustrator) from Extra Credits who prepared a short story on the most remarkable event during this battle: the tank duel between a Panther and a Pershing. 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.

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. WASHINGTON - When 96-year-old Clarence Smoyer came to Washington 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.

Battle of cologne tank duel