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Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II Paperback – October 19, 1999

by Charles B. Macdonald (Author)

117 ratings

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As a newly commisioned 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. 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.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Burford Books
Publication date

October 19, 1999
Dimensions

6.12 x 0.6 x 9.14 inches
ISBN-10

1580800386
ISBN-13

978-1580800389
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Memoirs of politics and wars usually become less interesting with the passing of time. 'Company Commander' is an exception...It speaks to the younger generations with almost the same immediacy as it did to the generation of the Second World War." -- Ronald H. Spector, from his Introduction

"Nowhere is there a more honest, unassuming portrayal of the hopes and dreams and fears of a young infantry captain..." ― Saturday Review

"Impressive." ― The New York Times

About the Author

The late Charles B. MacDonald also wrote A Time for Trumpets and other books. After the war (in which he was awarded the Purple Heart and the the Silver Star) he became and official Army Historian, retiring as Deputy Chief Historian in 1979. He died in 1990.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Burford Books; Revised ed. edition (October 19, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1580800386
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1580800389
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 0.6 x 9.14 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #265,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #310 in United States Military Veterans History
- #2,836 in World War II History (Books)
- #12,161 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
117 ratings

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Buyer

Excellent ground-level first-person account of World War Two

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020

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It's rare you find an account of what the war on the Western Front was like after the Battle of the Bulge. Most histories treat the the Bulge as the last real conflict "and a few months later Germany surrendered." That certainly was not the case. Though the Allies did move rapidly across Germany, that only occurred in the last two months of the war and still at considerable cost. It was no cake walk. This account pulls no punches. You see what the author saw and experienced, what he felt and emotional rollercoaster he experienced as a young leader. You also read, quite candidly, about the successes and failings of his superiors, an experience not uncommon to anyone who spends any time in the military.
Overall, an excellent book on small unit command and the various challenges placed on upon leaders, the experience of small unit actions in World War Two, and gripping stories that make this a hard book to put down. You'll be left thinking quite a bit about what you've just read. It's like good movie you will probably want to watch again sometime.

3 people found this helpful

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Jogger

Classic First Person Account of Combat, at the Company Level

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019

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This is the classic first person journal of WWII ground combat, at the Company level. The reader gets to see the roles, responsibilities, and daily concerns and actions of a company commander. Leadership in action.
I have recommended this and given it as a gift over the past 30 years.

3 people found this helpful

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Jimmie Aaron Kepler, EdD

The Best Company Level Book to Come out of World War II

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2008

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Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II by Charles B. MacDonald. I highly recommend Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II by Charles B. MacDonald. At just 21 years of age, Captain Charles B. MacDonald first commanded I Company, 3 Battalion 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division from October 1944 to January 1945 and later G Company, 2 Battalion 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division from March to May 1945. This memoir was written in 1947 when recollections were still sharp. It resulted in a very detailed account of what it was like to take command of a line infantry company and lead it into battle. The book gives us template for writing a personal military memoir.

It is by far the finest memoir of any junior officer in World War II. Charles MacDonald does a great job of keeping his focus on his own experiences. He does not speculate or waste my time by giving conjecture on the big picture. We only have first hand information from the events of his personal participation. He sticks to what life was like for a junior officer in command of an infantry company, sleepless, hungry, dirty, stressful, and very dangerous. He takes us from the Siegfried Line in the Ardennes, through the Battle of the Bulge, and to the end of the war in the Czechoslovakia.

This book is a must-read for all army officers who seek to command at company-level and it is informative for military historians as well. It is still required reading at West Point and on the company level officer (second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain) recommended reading list by the U.S. Army today. Upon this book's publication in 1947, Charles B. MacDonald was invited to join the U.S. Army Center of Military History as a civilian historian, the start of a career during which he wrote three of the official histories of World War II in Europe and supervised the preparation of others. The book is simply the best. Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler in June 2006.

18 people found this helpful

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InformedReader

Great Read!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book was a really good read of a replacement captain and how he acclimated to that role. His humbleness to his duties and willingness to learn from experienced ranks under his hierarchy are exactly the reason he was alive to write his memoir after the war. Great book and really fascinating.

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Lee A. Gronikowski

Company Commander - Compulsory WWII Reading

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2011

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I have read and re-read this book, and I have never read a more frank and candid account of what it was like to fight and to command in WWII in general and during the Battle of the Bulge in particular. MacDonald's account of his company's fight against the 12th SS Panzer Division ("Hitler Jugend")during the opening hours of the Battle captured my interest so much that in September 2011 I was compelled to visit the fir forest to the east of the twin Belgian towns of Krinkelt-Rocherath where MacDonald and his men fought. I found his unit's foxholes (still visible after all these years and just as described in the book) and the wooded draws used by German infantry to organize for its assaults on MacDonald's positions. I could hear the crack of rifles and the whizzing of bullets as I walked the forest because of the description of the battle in Company Commander. It was an experience I will never forget.

9 people found this helpful

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Paul from CT

Pictures omitted

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great true story. This particular book does not have the pictures contained in the original. This was to replace one someone borrowed and lost but, that one had great pictures.

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Kiwiwriter

The young officer's war

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

Charles MacDonald was a relatively ordinary man, who commanded a relatively ordinary infantry company in battle in late World War II, and left an extraordinary account of his service, that of a man who became one of the US Army's top official historian.

His story is not unique, but it is evocative of the time and the ordeal of infantry company leaders in World War II. At many levels, he speaks for all the company commanders of the war -- except certainly the SS Einsatzkommandos and their ilk -- regardless of army, battlefield, or campaign.

Most highly recommended.

5 people found this helpful

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Ed

Realities of combat

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2017

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I read this book while in high school years ago. The horrors of war really hit home. I wanted to read it again. A must read for any WWII history buff,

2 people found this helpful

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pierre

excellent livre

Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

j'ai déjà eut ce livre mais avec le temps… je suis content de l'Avoir retrouvé et relu a un age plus avancé. il est encore excellent et facile et intéressant a lire

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Amazon Customer

The first book by the official historian of the U ...

Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

The first book by the official historian of the U.S. Army in Europe in WW2. Very honest and emotional account of his time as a company commander through the Bulge and the Rhineland. Definitely worth a read.

Steve Karrel

Great book

Reviewed in Canada on July 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

Very interesting book written from the line by a commander on the line.

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