Company Commander

Charles B. MacDonald was sent to the front in the European Theater during World War II days before the Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes Offensive began. MacDonald was assigned as a replacement Company Commander to Item Company of the 23rd Infantry Regiment near Rocherath, Belgium. It so happened that Rocherath became the northernmost base of the salient during the Battle of the Bulge and Item Company was tasked with holding back the German counterattack. His company was overrun and scattered when its light infantry and weapons teams were hit with ten German Tiger tanks, artillery, Nebelwerfers, and massed infantry. MacDonald would late be injured during the Battle of the Bulge, sent to convalesce in Paris, France, and then reassigned to Golf Company of the 23rd Infantry Regiment right before the crossing of the Rhine at Remagen. MacDonald later assaulted and captured dozens of German towns, villages, and cities eventually ending his effective combat operations at Leipzig, Germany. His company later crossed into Czechoslovakia and was there during V-E Day on May 8, 1945. His memoir begins with MacDonald meeting his company already deployed somewhere in Belgium along the Siegfried Line and ends with his company celebrating V-E Day in Czechoslovakia—there is no personal narrative of his childhood nor any discussion of returning home other than to say he and many others exited the service after World War II.

In my opinion, Charles B. MacDonald's memoir of the European Front is a classic in the same way that Eugene B. Sledge's memoir is for the Pacific Theater as both have endeared themselves among historians of World War II both academic and popular. MacDonald wrote his memoir in simple, clear and direct language with an emphasis on his subjective feelings throughout the campaign. He is sincere and frank in his assessment of how the war tested his mettle both physically and psychologically and what he felt were his own shortcomings as a Company Commander—for example, he bitterly remembers that on at least two occasions men under his command executed German prisoners-of-war and were not properly court-martialed for war crimes. On the whole, then, I found that MacDonald presented himself as a very fallible individual whose own shortcomings and foibles were exposed under the duress of combat and often led to imprecise orders and unnecessary casualties. He also describes the intense shame he felt when presenting what he felt were failures to his superiors, despite their encouragement and comforting words. This isn't a memoir that boasts of victory or revels in personal exploits. Instead, MacDonald's perspective is that of a reluctant warrior who, as he mentions throughout the memoir, fought primarily because he believed there were many people in Europe (such as the Czechs) who needed liberation and freedom from German oppression. He is also quick to note that it was his men, and not himself, that achieved anything of worth during his time at war.

While some memoir are ghost-written or at least partially written by a professional with the close advice and consent of the veteran, this is a memoir written entirely by the individual who witnessed combat. Readers will get a raw perspective on the war that is only minimally influenced by the author's subsequent research and reading about World War II and, in my opinion, recaptures the MacDonald's fog of war throughout 1945. The focus of the memoir is entirely at the company level with only some remarks about what other companies in his battalion were doing at any given time. This makes for an excellent and poignant read without the distraction of a historian or other professional writer digressing into campaign histories or other narratives to explain a wider context of the individual's role in the war.

I also found that MacDonald offered the unique perspective of being a replacement officer during the height of combat on continental Europe. MacDonald, having no actual combat experience, was thrown into a company that was well tested during the fighting in Normandy and in France. His desire to win the affection of his men is apparent and he is concerned sharing all the burden of his subordinates—he was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge because he stubbornly led his men from the front against German defenders.

Finally, I should add that MacDonald and his company witnessed many amazing and interesting events during their march across Germany. He describes the appearances of German civilians in wonderful detail, his interactions with Displaced Persons (DPs), his negotiations with the Leipzig Police forces to surrender the city to Americans (quite a hilarious episode), and finally singing, dancing, and partying with Czech nationals after the official declaration of peace in Europe on 8 May, 1945.

Highly recommended.