In this extraordinary book, Charles B. MacDonald recounts his personal, authentic story of the front-line during World War Two. As a newly commissioned captain of a veteran Army regiment, MacDonald’s first experience of combat was war at its most hellish—the Battle of the Bulge. In this eloquent narrative we live each minute at MacDonald’s side, sharing in combat’s misery, terror and drama. His stories are not pretty and his characters are not heroes. In his own words “they are cold, dirty, rough, miserable characters . . . but they win wars.” Company Commander is a stark but very human view of war. It speaks to younger generations with almost the same immediacy as it did to the Greatest Generation. How this green commander gains his men’s loyalty in the snows of war-torn Europe is one of the great, true, unforgettable war stories of all time. PRAISE FOR CHARLES ‘Nowhere is there a more honest, unassuming portrayal of the hopes and dreams and fears of a young infantry captain.’ Saturday Review ‘Impressive.’ New York Times ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A truly excellent read . . . I think this is the best description of the foot soldier’s war, nasty, brutish, and often short.’ Local Flyer 56. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Gripping and atmospheric account of one of the toughest battles in the Western European campaign.’ Jim T. Charles B. MacDonald was a Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army. During the war, he rose to the rank of Captain of the 23rd Infantry of the 2nd Division and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star. He also wrote A Time for Trumpets among other books. He died in 1990.
Author
Charles B. MacDonald was a former Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army. He wrote several of the Army's official histories of World War II. After graduating from Presbyterian College, MacDonald was commissioned as a US Army officer through the Army ROTC and deployed to Europe. By September 1944, as a 21 year old Captain, he commanded a rifle company in the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. MacDonald received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. His first book, ''Company Commander'', was published in 1947, while his wartime experiences were fresh in his mind. MacDonald wrote the final volume of the Green Series on the European Theatre, ''The Last Offensive''. He retired as Deputy Chief Historian, United States Army Center of Military History in 1979. After his retirement, MacDonald wrote ''A Time for Trumpets'', his last book, a personal history of the Ardennes Offensive which concentrates on the first two weeks of the battle, which he spent five years researching. MacDonald also wrote or co-wrote two other books of the Green Series, ''The Siegfried Line Campaign'' and ''Three Battles: Arnaville, Altuzzo, and Schmidt''. He also contributed to ''Command Decisions''. MacDonald suffered from cancer and lung disease and he died on December 4, 1990 at his home in Arlington, Virginia.
