Charles B. MacDonaldRezensionen

Clásica narración de combate de infantería durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial

Classic telling of the Battle of the Bulge story.

A study of the meat grinder battle between the German army and the Americans up on the Belgian/German border before the Battle of the bulge. The Americans were making a try at reaching the Ruhr Valley before winter really set in, and the Germans were not going to allow that. The mapping is not great, but the prose is clear. I read this book in June of 1964, so this is a reprint, arguing that it is a useful study.

Each of the three studies presents an operation that constitutes but one of many in which the units and individuals described took part.

This is a middling offering in a very real sense: it comes from the middle layer. On the one hand, The Company Commander was an officer, and an officer of the 1940s—back when things were “the way things should be”—GIs were still GIs, even then, though. (The treatment of civilian women was perhaps the most obvious faux pas; every woman is yearning for a stranger with a gun, right. What to me is fear of the Negro soldiers is also a little off-color to my interpretation.) So because of this 1940s middle class formality and dryness, there’s little of courage and hate and so on. (Hate is when you don’t want the other man to be brave; Narnia Jack could never approve, whereas The Company Commander could simply never mention.) And the book was never intended to be about strategy and the higher officers. So we’re left with the middle. Chapter break. Incoming artillery, two wounded. Chapter break. Ate food, quiet day. Chapter break…. But The Company Commander knew what it was like to be a man in an engine of war, and it was an important engine.

…. Though, incidentally, when Jack was about to be drafted into WWI, he made an agreement “with (his) country”, that he would serve when called upon, but not waste time beforehand on the journalistic drudgeries of modern war; and I think that, to some extent at least, our modern skepticism for the classical poetry of heightened sense perception in time of war, relates to the sort of modern war journalistic pieces of deadened sensitivity in war written by people like The Company Commander.

…. They weren’t as trigger-happy as the Soviets, but I’m not proud of everything they did.

…. But he freed the captives.

…. I moralize, so I’ll say this. Talk of justice can annoy, and perhaps some might find too much of that here. (White American men in the 1940s and their foibles, right.) The Company Commander too, though, speaks of justice; the mid-level officer thinks at one point that he’s a little bit more macho than the higher officer eating hotdogs or whatever at headquarters. Personally I think that if he had a little bit more awareness of himself, he, like all of us, would find less cause for complaint, who as a body gives so much cause for offense on our own part. My own apology for pointing this out can only be that I try to play more the part of a “Pop” Winans (or, rather, his father, I suppose), than a Malcolm X. Though, of course, Winans would not have served in this particular company.

This is of course, to speak of words not spoken, more than things as they appear, hahaha.

MacDonald was a |Captain in the US Army. His outfits were Companies I and G of the 23d Infantry which he joined in September 1944 as replacement. He was green having never experienced combat. Fearing the men he led would be suspicious of his abilities, he held self-doubted his leadership ability. But his caring for his men and his lack of fear at the front soon made him a popular officer. He led his units across France, Belgium, Germany and ended the war in Czechoslovakia.

He includes such tremendous detail in his narrative that more than once I checked to see that I wasn't reading a novel. He includes the names of men who he spoke to, who were wounded, who were killed plus the names of German officers he met near the end of the war and even women he danced with in the celebrations in the Czech Republic when the war ended. Once in a while when his narrative may leave you wondering what happened to some one, he adds in italics what he found out years later or information someone who read the first edition of the book told him later.

This is a great read if you wish to know what it was like to be a basic infantry soldier fighting your way across Europe in 1944-45. One caution about the text is that German soldiers were often cited as killers of prisoners or wounded soldiers. While MacDonald never admits to actually seeing American GI's performing the same atrocities, he definitely never leaves you in doubt that some prisoners sent to the rear never made it there. As well, German wounded were frequently left to die if it was inconvenient to care for them.

Interesting...pretty good, but not a great book...horrible bloodbath, futile battle...uneccessary blunder...FUBAR to the max...

Apt portrayal of the mental and physical stress of war at the individual and unit command level. Those of us who have never experienced such can only marvel at the strength and commitment of those who did.½

This book suffers from being overly comprehensive, every time a unit moves its listed in the writing. It reads a lot like combat has been described, long periods of boredom followed by a few seconds of extreme adrenaline. The moments when the author uses the first hand accounts of the men on the ground are seemingly crushed under the paragraphs of 'Company K moved here, Brigade Y moved here'. The German side is included in some parts but the focus is heavily on the Allies side of things. The writing style shows its age, the author doesnt have the ability to weave the ground and strategic views like Beevor, Ambrose, or Atkinson.

Classic account of lower level command in combat in WWII.½

This was written shortly after the end of the war. The author went on to become a military historian and his experiences as a company commander parallel those of Winters in Band of Brothers. This is not for the faint-hearted and the names have not been changed to protect the innocent - or the dead. His men are revealed with all their flaws. As the author says in his preface: "to make a story of a war authentic you must see war--not a hasty taste of war but the dread, gnawing diet of war, the horrors and the fears that are at first blunt testimony that you are a novice and then later become so much a part of you that only another veteran, through some sixth sense, may know that those same horrors and fears are yet there."

The introduction provides some context. "An infantry regiment with on-paper strength of a little more than 3,000 might lose over twice that many in less than a year of combat." The author of the introduction suggests that "such casualty rates played havoc with the concept of 'Band of Brothers' . . .An infantry company's makeup was constantly changing." Wounded being sent back to the front rarely were returned to their original outfits. Casualty rates among the infantry -- note that Winters was airborne -- were staggering. They suffered "more than 90% of the casualties in Europe."

Marshall's "ninety-division gamble," an attempt to keep the army as small as possible -- something I had no clue about -- is so reminiscent of Rumsfeld's similar attempt with its consequent disaster in Iraq. Marshall's reasoning was to apply as much resource as possble to war production and air and naval power. Plus ca change.......

This is the unvarnished memoir of combat. Sometimes retreats occur against orders. Often superior officers flee the battlefield, then write each other up for medals. Fear is omnipresent, atrocities happen, hot showers become more than luxeries.

He dreaded sending out patrols at night to collect information they had already reported to headquarters just so the rear brass could type up more reports. He and his men have little respect for the higher ranks. "It seemed that since we were now in a 'quiet' position that every officer in the division with the rank of major or above wanted to inspect the company area. The condemned the men for not having shaved or for wearing knit wool caps without their helmets, evidently an unpardonable misdemeanor, or for untidy areas around the dugouts. The officers did not inspect my 1st Platoon area, [stationed farthest foward and subjected to random shelling:] however, usually passing it over with the excuse it was too far to walk, but we laughed inwardly, knowing it was the threat of enemy shelling that kept most of them away."

MacDonald was thrown into combat as a captain replacement officer with little or no combat experience. He was assigned company I, a group that swore action followed them around. As soon as they were pulled from a an intense sector, it quieted down. When they were assigned to a previously quiet area, the Germans would attack with a bayonet charge or something smilar.

Following several months in relatively static defensive positions, his company is quickly rounded up and sent to back up the 99th Inf. Division that had been counterattacked and mauled after they had attempted to take some dams to prevent their destruction. MacDonald's account of moving to the front in snow, setting up his men with not enough ammunition, the chaos and opacity of battle is simply amazing. ' "Which way's the enemy?" I asked [of the colonel:]" "I dunno. [he replied:] Nobody seems to know a goddamned thing. They say it's that way," and he motioned with one arm to the east.'

The small military horizon of the company commander was striking. They maintained closest contact with companies on their flanks; some with Battalion, very little with Division, Corps is almost unimportant. Maps and map reading ability was crucial. The British had been given responsibility for mapping Europe; they were forced to use mostly WW I maps, but updated them with aerial reconnaissance whenever possible. The aerial map readers provided some astonishing information. They could recognize defensive positions by noticing darker grass. Dew would fall off barbed wire nourishing the grass underneath the wire more effectively hence making it more visible from the air.

What's amazing to me is how well MacDonald did with his men, perhaps a tribute to the training he had received. The story is recounted in such a matter-of-fact way, that the day-to-day horrors somehow become that much more memorable for their ordinariness.

Note: a really nice foldout map accompanies the History Book Club edition.

An excellent account of life at the company level in the ETO from Dec 1944 thru VE day. Very compelling reading. Macdonald is a fairly unique individual, as a serving small unit CO and noted historian. The lack of macro strategy in this account is a plus, you feel some of the confusion experienced by the men on the ground. Cannot recomend this book strongly enough.

CLEARING THE RHINE - The work of the Royal Engineers in clearing the German demolitions to the bridges crossing the Rhine from Coblenz to the North Sea. Readers' Investigations - With the Company Commander (Charles B. MacDonald) - Patrick Hargreaves takes American historian Charles B. MacDonald back to the battlefields in the Ardennes. Wreck Recovery - Jersey Coastal Artillery Gun Recovery - Terry O'Brien's successful recovery of a barrel from Batterie Moltke which had been dumped over the cliff at Les Landes by the Royal Engineers in 1945-46. Personality - The Soviet Union's Fighter Ace - The story of Nikitovich Kozhedub, the highest scoring Soviet fighter pilot credited with 62 victories as told by Nikolai Bodrikhin. United Kingdom - US Army Airstrips in Britain, 1942-45 - Ken Wakefield describes the construction and use of improvised airstrips by American forces.½

I started to read this book on August 7, 2010, and finished reading it on August 22, 2010.

This book is part of the "United States Army in World War II" series. This 78 volume series is the official history of the U.S. Army during World War II. This book is part of "The European Theater of Operations" sub-series. There are ten books in this sub-series, with the seven operational books occurring chronologically as follows (the other three volumes are also listed):

"The Supreme Command"

"Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume I: May 1941 - September 1944"
"Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume II: September 1944 - May 1945"

"Cross Channel Attack"
"Breakout and Pursuit"
"Riviera to the Rhine" / "The Lorraine Campaign" / "The Siegfried Line Campaign"
"The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge"
"The Last Offensive"

This book covers the period of time from January 1944 (after the Battle of the Bulge) to the end of hostilities in May 1945. 'The focus ... is on the role of the American Armies - First, Third, Seventh, Ninth, and, to a lesser extent, Fifteenth.... The role of Allied armies - First Canadian, First French, and Second British - is recounted in sufficient detail to put the role of American forces in perspective, as is the story of tactical air forces in support of the ground troops.'

Some laughter, some sorrow.

I started to read this volume on May 18, 2010, and finished it on June 19, 2010.

This book is part of the "United States Army in World War II" series. This 78 volume series is the official history of the U.S. Army during World War II. This book is part of "The European Theater of Operations" sub-series. There are ten books in this sub-series, with the seven operational books occurring chronologically as follows (the other three volumes are also listed):

"The Supreme Command"

"Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume I: May 1941 - September 1944"
"Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume II: September 1944 - May 1945"

"Cross Channel Attack"
"Breakout and Pursuit"
"Riviera to the Rhine" / "The Lorraine Campaign" / "The Siegfried Line Campaign"
"The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge"
"The Last Offensive"

In Process -

In process:

"River crossing at Arnaville" is the story of the 10th and 11th Infantry Regiments (of the 5th Infantry Division) and Combat Command B (of the 7th Armored Division) in crossing the Moselle River at Dornot and Arnaville, France, between September 10th and 15th, 1944, by Charles B. MacDonald (100 pages).

"Break-Through at Monte Altuzzo" is the story of the 338th Infantry Regiment (of the 85th Infantry Division) in the penetration of the Gothic Line in Italy, between September 10th and 17th, 1944, by Sidney T. Mathews (148 pages).

"Objective: Schmidt" is the story of the 112th Infantry Regiment (of the 28th Infantry Division) in the battle for Schmidt, Germany, between November 2nd and 20th, 1944, by Charles B. MacDonald (172 pages).

4457. A Time for Trumpets The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge, by Charles B. MacDonald (read 9 Jul 2008) One cannot but help getting caught up in the account of the fearsome battle which Hitler started on Dec 16, 1944, and this account tells of it in almost overwhelming detail. I thought the book should have had an index or table of contents as to the maps--which I did not think were as helpful as they should have been. Different aspects of the battle are told chronologically, and this results in some jumping forward and backward. One also tends to lose sight of the forest what with all the description of the trees--one suspects the book is designed to include as many individual names as possible, but the minute detail may be offputting for some. But the book does a good job telling what the battle was like, and anyone, even if not a wargamer (which I am not), will find much to admire in this book. My diary as a 16-year-old boy in Iowa on Dec 17, 1944 at 10:10 PM C.W.T..said "Germans launched an offensive"--seems I knew about the battle almost as soon as the generals, who seemed slow to realize how serious it was.

One of the best, and most readable accounts of any battle that you will ever read. MacDonald is eminently qualified to write this book, after a lifetime spent as a US Army historian and a lifetime lived in the few days following December 15 1944. This account of the Battle of the Bulge is extremely detailed, almost-private-snuffy-shot-six-bullets-and-ducked-back-in-his-foxhole-kind-of-detailed. Broken down into four intial zones along the Siegfrieid line then, following two or three of the German spearheads as the German army advanced, then Bastogne and the collapse of the offensive, MacDonald keeps up the blow by blow account of both the American forces and the German's as well. Leaves one wishing that MacDonald had been in all battles and would write about them as well.

This is the best account of Eurpopean theater warfare i've ever read. From the Battle of the Bulge to VE day this detailed account of one man's war lets us feel the war from a man who very much felt it himself. MacDonalds passion for his men, his fear and self doubt in battle, his fatigue, stress and simple joys all quite evident in the book, makes me sense a little insight into what those heroic days must have been like. The stunned feeling MacDonald illustrates during the Battle of the Bulge is a priceless memory of humanity, in this one of the best war memoirs.

2730. Company Commander, by Charles B. MacDonald (read 11 Apr 1995) This begins when the author, a 21-year-old captain in the U.S. Army in October 1944 takes over a company in Belgium. He goes thru the Battle of the Bulge, fighting near the Rhine, and the drive to Czechoslovakia in 1945. It is very realistic, and gives the flavor of what the war was really like better than any other book I've read. I should read the author's A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge. [And on 9 July 2008 I did.]

One of the best told accounts of a company on the front lines during the Battle of the Bulge and beyond. The author,Charles Macdonald,a 21 year old company commander, went on to become a WWII historian of note after the war.

The Author fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a 22-year old rifle
company commander. His initial account led to his subsequent career as a civilian historian with the US Army. This book is his blow by blow description of the Battle researched and written after his retirement 40 years later. [624]

Concludes that Hitler's personal decision to concentrate forces
to counter-attack in the West only delayed the Allies by a few weeks
and assured the swift success of the Red Army on the Eastern Front, probably speeding the collapse of Germany. [618]

The 600,000 Americans and 55,000 British suffered approximately
82,400 killed, wounded or captured. The Germans, employing nearly
500,000, lost at least 100,000.

"The German soldier in the Ardennes amazed his adversary. Short
of transport, short of gasoline, short of artillery...his nation on the
brink of defeat, he nevertheless fought with such courage and
determination...Whatever his motivation, he performed with heroism and sacrifice, marred only by the excesses of a few, primarily by the SS." [618]

This book attempts to refute the concerns that long persist that
American troops repeatedly fled in disarray when attacked by German units even smaller in size. "Except for a few individuals, the front-line American soldier stood his ground. Surprised, stunned, unbelieving, incredulous...".

This is a somewhat anecdotal and well-documented attempt to give the lie to the Hitler's theory which assumes that racially-heterogenous units would not fight. MacDonald tells the soldier's story "to the sound of trumpets" -- from the American POV.

With stirring exceptions, this research almost unconsciously documents the superiority of the Wehrmacht even as it was eventually over-run.

The Epilogue recounts the details of the unjust "trials" of some of the 500 members of Kampfgruppe Peiper who were rounded up for war crime prosecutions connected with the Malmedy massacre. Senator Joe McCarthy first came to "prominence", I mean the word ironically, in challenging the Germans' right to fair trials.

An excellent autobiography of a WW2 company commander. In the telling of his tale and his company's exploits on the Siegfried Line, highlights the requisite traits of leadership needed to command at the tactical level. Highly recommended for all junior officers or readers interested in military history.