TIP OF THE SPEAR

They had answered the call. In the last hours of the last day of the battle for Cologne, a “monster” of an enemy tank had parked itself at the cathedral.

It was a Panther, the “Pride of the Wehrmacht,” and already it had knocked-out two Shermans, daring anyone else to come forward. The crew of the T26E3 named “Eagle 7” obliged them. Three shots rang out, three hits echoed, and the Panther went up in flames.

Now, the men of the Spearhead Division race to the finish line at the Rhine. White flags are waving and spoils await the victors. No crew is more deserving than the men of “Eagle 7.” They had led the way through the city. They had gone forward into history’s most famous tank duel, and they had won it. Cologne is theirs.

Sold out years ago, this extremely rare Publisher Proof is from an edition of 180 limited-edition prints, signed by artist Gareth Hector and including the signatures of THREE American WWII Veterans, two of whom served on Sherman Tanks:

• Corporal Clarence Smoyer: One of America’s most celebrated tank gunners, Clarence served in Shermans before being awarded one of 20 Pershings shipped to the ETO. He claimed five enemy tanks in battle and is the hero of the bestselling book Spearhead.
• Sergeant Joe Caserta: Served as a driver and commander in Shermans alongside Clarence in E-Co. Joe was wounded during the assault on Blatzheim and appears in the book Spearhead.
• Tech 5 Richard Rohleder: Served with the 82nd Airborne, who occupied Cologne in April 1945 and finally destroyed the cathedral Panther during Bazooka testing. A glider artilleryman with the 320th GFAB, 82nd Abn., Richard fought from Market Garden through to VE-Day.