Many great books have been written about World War Two – but Company Commander describes the war at first hand.
As a newly commissioned Captain of a veteran Army regiment, MacDonald’s first combat was war at its most hellish — the Battle of the Bulge.
In this plain-spoken but eloquent narrative, we live each minute at MacDonald’s side, sharing in all of combat’s misery, terror, and drama.
… terror, and drama.
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.
The book comes with an introduction by Ronald H. Spector, author of ‘Eagle Against the Sun.’
‘Company Commander’ is a stark view of one of the most brutal battles of the Second World War.
“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
Charles B. MacDonald also wrote A Time for Trumpets and other books. In the war he rose to the rank of Captain of the 23rd Infantry of the 2nd Division. After the war, in which he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star, he became an official Army Historian, retiring as Deputy Chief Historian in 1979.
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A great read for those interested details of command during war…
I’ve always been a fan of military history and I think Company Commander is one of the best.
I originally got this in paperback many years ago and was recently delighted to find it for my Kindle Paperwhite. Happily, it is still just as good now as it was many, many years ago. It’s one of the best in describing Company sized action in World War II. I feel MacDonald should rate right up there with Cornelius Ryan, Robert Leckie, Rick Atkinson, Stephen E. Ambrose, etc.
This one is highly recommended.
The best book on this topic
Good read of WWII from the officer’s point of view.
Everyone needs to read this book.
A company commander’s experience in the European Theater of WW2.
A much more realistic view than a fictional account
Very well written. Put me there with doubts and shows the tiny vision of a combat unit.
Realistic, well written
Great first-hand history.
First couple of chapter are very detailed of battles however, it started to be repetitive.
just ok
An interesting geneological search
The author shares with us – his readers – his experiences and thoughts during the Allied army’s race to Berlin.
Definitive front line memoir of European combat in WWII.
Very good book!
A member of the Greatest generation talks openly about his terror on the battlefield. Written right after the war, this book has little of the rah-rah hero talk we see in films from that era. Rather it’s about a bunch of guys doing a scary, nasty job day in-day out. Often the book delves too deeply into the tactics of minor battles, but – given what the author risked at the time – I was happy to indulge him.
My father served in units that paralleled the routes & battles described in this book. It answered the question I continually ask sad, ” What did you do in the war?”
He always said, “I was a cook” but never described what he saw or did beyond that. Thankfully this book helped fill in the gaps.
A book from the ground level in war.
Remember the young men who led others and actually helped sabe the world.
I read this in honor of my father, who was there. He never talked about it, and I wanted to get a feel for what he experienced.