The 'Hero of Cologne' receives his Bronze Star 75 years late

World War II veteran Clarence Smoyer, 96, left, walks to receives the Bronze Star from U.S. Army Maj. Peter Semanoff, right, at the World War II Memorial, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Washington. Smoyer fought with the U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Division, nicknamed the Spearhead Division. In 1945, he defeated a German Panther tank near the cathedral in Cologne, Germany — a dramatic duel filmed by an Army cameraman that was seen all over the world. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republished September 18, 2019 - 2:56 PM

Original Publication Date September 18, 2019 - 1:56 PM

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.

Instead, he found a full Army colour guard and ceremony awarding him a Bronze Star, almost 75 years after the battle that made him a hero.

Smoyer, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, 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 Smoyer became known as the "Hero of Cologne."

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, Smoyer's tank commander and the military cameraman who filmed the battle received Bronze Stars of their own.

Smoyer's story was detailed in "Spearhead" by author Adam Makos, and it was Makos who helped engineer Wednesday's events. He helped convince the Army to reverse what he saw as an injustice. And he brought Smoyer to Washington on the pretense of a book-signing at the Pentagon.

As he stepped out of the car and saw the crowds gathered at Washington's World War II Memorial, Smoyer smiled broadly and asked, "Am I getting a Bronze Star?"

The ceremony featured an actual Sherman tank, several of Smoyer's old World War II comrades and a speech by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey.

This story corrects that battle was nine months after D-Day, not three weeks.